This U.S. - China project will create a systems-based approach to reducing environmental impacts of manufacturing. The approach will be centered on design and operation of eco-industrial parks (EIPs). The methods to be developed focus on systems-based modeling and analysis in order to understand and manage the complexity of sustainable manufacturing. The general approach is relevant to a wide variety of problems at different industrial scales. Thus, this research can help develop methods and approaches useful in many applications and both the U.S. and China will benefit from the expected findings in developing more sustainable economies. The U.S.- China research team will develop this systems-based approach with tools from plant to market scale in order to (a) improve the sustainability of manufacturing and (b) understand interactions across scales to identify synergies and constraints that affect the ability to enhance sustainability in production of manufactured products.
Three research thrusts will be pursued. Thrust 1 is focused on the development of systems-based technology solutions at the plant scale to increase water, energy and material efficiency and reduce environmental impacts for manufacturing processes. This thrust involves data collection, model development and visualization of typical manufacturing processes and allows plant level comparisons of water, energy and material flows between the U.S. and China. Thrust 2 is focused on developing strategies for transforming manufacturing plants into eco-industrial parks by means of industrial symbiosis with other companies. Insights gained from ecological systems organization will be used to build industrial ecosystems at the eco-industrial park scale to increase the sustainability and resilience of manufacturing industries. In Thrust 3, an integrated framework coupling agent-based model and life-cycle assessment will be developed for evaluating the adoption of the solutions proposed at the plant and eco-industrial park scales from Thrusts 1 and 2.
A case study of focus is steel manufacturing because of the potential for significant potential positive environmental benefits. Reducing the environmental footprint of China's steelmaking directly improves the competitiveness of goods produced and sold by US companies with parts that are sourced from China. Focusing on the steel industry will provide immediate benefit to consumers, industries, and other stakeholders associated with steel production (which is fundamental to many industrial products), but the general approach is relevant to a wide variety of problems at different industrial scales. Traditional process engineering improvements will be considered in conjunction with the role of steel mills in eco-industrial park settings where other companies may receive synergistic benefits from process improvements. The combined effects will be evaluated at the market level using an agent-based modeling and life-cycle analysis framework. Such a multi-scale approach to achieving higher degrees of sustainable manufacturing is unique. The team will have unique cutting-edge access to the Chinese steel industry as well as eco-industrial parks in China. The insight gained from these Chinese eco-industrial parks (which are very capital intensive to set up) will be used to develop "best practices" that will be used to assess the benefits and costs of pursuing such parks in the U.S. around U.S. steel mills and other manufacturing companies. A comparison of environmentally sustainable steel manufacturing practices in both China and the U.S. will be made. Unique insights will be gained by coupling technology-related production decisions and policies to their effects on the market and environment by means of the integrated agent-based modeling and life-cycle analysis framework. The project will evaluate policies from the U.S. perspective in promoting the environmental sustainability of the Chinese steel industry. For example, the project will investigate whether the enforcement of strict environmental regulations for electrical products exported to the U.S. market will lead to a more environmentally sustainable steel industry in China or increase product demand from U.S. companies in this market, or both. The project will capitalize on the opportunity for collaboration between two different countries with different cultures, as well as different steel manufacturing technologies and leverage the project to develop new educational and outreach materials. The combined influence and size of the participating schools and organizations, and the multidisciplinary team provides a unique training opportunity. Inclusion of project methods and outcomes in coursework will have significant impact on the education of future engineers in the U.S. and China, and enhance their ability to solve complex challenges in sustainability.
This grant is co-funded by the Global Venture Fund (GVF) of NSF's International Science and Engineering section (ISE) and the CBET/ENG Environmental Sustainability program.
