Industrial Ecology In Practice 1
Kalundborg, Denmark

The exchange of 'wastes' between independent firms in some sectors has been taking place for over a century, simply because it makes good business sense. The establishment of 'industrial ecosystems,' however, is a relatively new phenomenon, with the best known example being located in Kalundborg, Denmark. There, an industrial ecosystem has been established which involves an oil refinery, a gyproc factory, a pharmaceutical firm, a fish farm, a coal-fired electrical power station and the municipality of Kalundborg, among others.

At Kalundborg, steam and various raw materials such as sulfur, fly ash and sludge are exchanged in what is the world's most elaborate industrial ecosystem. Participating firms each benefit economically from reduce costs for waste disposal, improved efficiencies of resource use and improved environmental performance. For example, gas captured from the oil refinery which had previously been flared off is now sent to the electrical power station which expects to save the equivalent of 30,000 tonnes of coal a year. Figure 3 is a flow diagram which represents the industrial ecology system at Kalundborg.

Figure 3: Industrial Ecosystem at Kalundborg