Economic Development Through Eco-Industrial Development

Dion Jackson, Project ManagerThe National Center for Eco-Industrial Development

Economic Development

Creating jobs that…– Increase the standard of living– Improve the quality of life– Lessen inequalities– Create a stable economic base

Manufacturing – higher wages w/o higher educationImproving the competitiveness of businesses

Strategies

Linking Businesses for Economic Growth– By-Product Exchange

Eco-Industrial Opportunities for Local Businesses– New Business Development

Regional Market & Material Flow Based Eco-Industrial Developments– Eco-Industrial Park – Virtual or Co-located

Linking Businesses for Economic Growth

Henry Ford: Kingsford Charcoal from scrap woodDestructive distillation of wood scrap

Methyl alcohol as antifreezeKetones for paintsEthyl acetate for artificial leather

Punch press circles became radiator caps

Examples of Linked Businesses in Modesto

Triad Energy Resources produces organic-based fertilizer products from organic waste from wineries in the county.Gilroy Foods produces a byproduct: organic waste which another company uses for cattle feed.Poland Homes Hulling & Shelling sells their hulls for dairy feed and corral filling. (AHPA)

New Linkages: Processors of Organic Wastes

Public/Private Anaerobic Digester– Linking organic solid waste producers

Ornamental plant production and water purification: Living MachinesTM

– Linking large wastewater producers

Charcoal produced from Almond Shells– Linking Almond Shell processors

Anaerobic Digester

Conversion to biogas, a liquid fertilizer, and fiber.

Use of MSW, biosolids, industrial organic wastes, and lawn & garden residues with low woody content plus wastewater

Anaerobic Digestion

Waste Treatment Benefits– Natural waste treatment process.– Requires less land than aerobic composting or landfilling.– Reduces disposed waste volume and weight to be

landfilled.– Reduces concentrations of leachates.

Energy Benefits– Net energy producing process.– Generates a high-quality renewable fuel.– Biogas proven in numerous end-use applications.

Anaerobic Digestion

Environmental Benefits– Significantly reduces carbon dioxide and methane

emissions.– Eliminates odors.– Produces a sanitized compost and nutrient-rich

fertilizer.– Maximizes recycling benefits.

Economic Benefits– Is more cost-effective than other treatment options

from a life-cycle perspective.

Living MachinesTM

Successfully used to treat sewage and process water from food processingBuilt on the concepts of bioremediation and ecological engineeringWastewater enters system and flows through a series of tanks ending up purified for irrigation, aquaculture, toilet flushing, truck washing etc.Less expensive to build and operate than conventional systems

The South Burlington Living Machine®

80,000 gallons per day of municipal sewage (1,600 residential users)

Aerobic Reactors

Clarifier

Ecological Fluidized Beds

Ethel M Chocolates

Zero discharge facility– Sludge is treated on-site by a composting reed bed

32,000 gallons/day of high strength confectionary wastewater– Eliminated sewer surcharges– Conserves water – used to irrigate landscape

Almond Shells into Charcoal

Process similar to Kingsford– Wood chips into charcoal– Investigate barbeque applications

Use charcoal for odor purification in Living MachineTM

Use charcoal to remove impurities in water related to color

Eco-Industrial Opportunities for Developing New Local Businesses

Tilapia Aquaculture

Waste water from food processing plants is purified by a Living MachineTM for use in Aquaculture Business

Tilapia or other land-based farmed fish

Expanded Animal Feed Production

Identify additional organic waste for use as animal feed

Based on nutrient content, water content is reduced to 15% for pelletized feed

Energy Production

Biomass Conversion: Pyrolysis & Biological Gasification– Burn biomass and convert to gas for use as fuel

source for electricity or heat generationEthanol Production– Ferment cellulosic biomass into ethanol for use as

motor fuelBio-Diesel Production– For use as fuel for electricity generators or fuel

Co-Generation

10-30% more efficient use of fuel to electricity

State subsidy for development

Reduces Peak load on the “Grid”

Most effective in applications where business needs steam for their processes

Green Roof Business

•Decreasing surface water run-off•Lowering building heating and cooling costs

Green Roofs: Chicago City Hall

Other Strategy Applications

Molybdenum

Found in wastewater from several industrial plantsIf it could be concentrated it may be extractable at a lower cost than it would bring as a commodity

Application of Eco-Industrial Strategies to Remediation

Waste is a ResourceStrategies– Find ways to capture the value of contaminants and

other wastes on site – Evaluate remediation options from long-term

sustainability perspective

Capture Value

Deconstruction– Urban Ore, Berkeley, CA– Green Institute, Minneapolis, MN

Concrete (based on then current market value)– Los Angeles, CA

LimeSloan Auto, Buffalo, NY

Presented by

The National Center

for Eco-Industrial Development

www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/NCEID