[MUSIC PLAYING]
DR. HASLENDA HASHIM: Industrial processes
are highly energy intensive, and currently account
for one third of global energy use.
CO2 emissions from industries have increased
about 0.6% from 2012 to 2013.
This is equivalent to adding 27 million cars on the road.
How can industry remain competitive
and commercially viable without jeopardizing the environment?
One of the promising solutions is the implementation
of industrial symbiosis.
In this teaching module, I'll present an industrial symbiosis
case study In Nusajaya, Iskandar Malaysia.
What is industrial symbiosis?
The concept of industrial symbiosis
comes from natural ecosystems.
Let's take a look at a simple example.
In nature, there is no such thing as garbage.
Outputs becomes inputs for a different part
of the ecosystem.
A falling leaf decomposes into soil nutrients
when then allows tree to grow.
In other words, waste has become resource,
and the process is repeated in a closed ecological system.
The same principle is applied in industrial symbiosis.
Industrial symbiosis is an innovative concept
where the byproduct, or output, of one company
can become the raw material of another company
by creating a closed cycle of waste
resources between companies.
It involves exchanges of byproduct and energy
between companies.
More than 170 successful industrial symbioses
can be found in the world, such as Kalundborg Symbiosis
Park in Denmark, Kawasaki Eco Industrial Park in Japan,
Smart Park in Texas, USA, Ulsan in Korea,
[INAUDIBLE] Industrial Park in China,
and Green Industrial Park in Nusajaya.
In Malaysia, industrial symbiosis
is put into practice in Iskandar Malaysia,
located in southern peninsula Malaysia,
in a complex known as the Southern Industrial
and Logistics Cluster located in Nusajaya.
Industrial symbiosis in Nusajaya is
built as a network of cooperation
between four biotech companies.
The companies exchange materials, byproduct,
or energy with each other.
For example, one utility company [INAUDIBLE]
is using palm oil waste as fuel to give its steam steady supply
to nearby industries.
Industrial waste generated from other companies
will also be sent to [INAUDIBLE] treatment facilities
for further processing, to produce an alternative fuel
called bio-gas.
The bio-gas generator can then be used as a renewable energy
source to generate steam or electricity to supply back
to the industrial area nearby.
The waste left after this process is then
sold as fertilizer.
AS you can see, the visualization clearly shows
the main concept of industrial symbiosis,
which is utilization of one company byproduct, energy,
or what is raw material for another company
has been implemented in Nusajaya.
How can industrial symbiosis reduce emissions,
and generate economic benefits?
Or, in other words, what is the advantages
of industrial symbiosis.
There are multiple advantages industrial symbiosis.
First, the practice significantly
reduces the volume of waste being disposed in landfills.
Second, the cost of raw material and waste treatment is reduced.
Third, raw material, energy, and water
are conserved, because the byproduct always
are turned into raw material, energy is recovered,
and what there is used.
Fourth, industrial symbiosis also
leads to reduction in fuel consumption and transportation
costs, due to shortened transportation distances
for byproduct or waste to the industry.
As a result, industrial symbiosis
could produce fewer transportation-related
emissions.
An sample of successful industrial symbiosis
is Kalundborg It is the world's first industrial symbiosis
site, and has been in operation for more than 30 years.
It has achieved significant environmental and economic
returns.
Through integrating 30 companies,
Kalundborg has reduced about 160,000 tons of CO2 emissions,
and saved 3 million meters cubed of water.
The process also saved more than $1 million US dollar annually,
all due to recycling and reuse of industrial byproducts.
in comparison, industrial symbiosis in Nusajaya
has only been operating since 2009,
and is still at its infant stage.
However, given the benefit at Kalundborg,
industrial symbiosis in Nusajaya in the long run
could be a very promising strategy
to help reduce carbon emissions by 50% in the Iskandar region
by 2025.
This is in line with the action plans in the low carbon society
blueprint for Iskandar Malaysia.
As we all know, our prime minister
was launched low carbons blueprints in 2012.
So could you please explain, what is the insight low carbon
society blueprint for Iskandar Malaysia.
SPEAKER: I believe we are talking
about this blueprint, the low carbon society blueprint, that
actually give the 12 action framework for how
Iskandar nation should drive.
And it actually cover our three main core component, economy,
[INAUDIBLE] and also environment.
And this 12 actions plan is actually
looking at how each of us can actually working together
to actually drive this initiative in Iskandar
Malaysia.
DR. HASLENDA HASHIM: Successful implementation
of industrial symbiosis will not happen by accident.
Several challenges need to be overcome
for the development of industrial symbiosis
in Nusajaya to become a successful model.
First issue is related to logistic factor.
There are four palm oil mills within 20 to 40 kilometers
in Iskandar Malaysia.
These mills are a potential supply of waste
to the industrial park.
This long distance however will require large storage
in industrial park to ensure the continuous supply of palm oil
waste.
Thus, it is recommended to site industrial symbiosis in an area
adjacent or close to the source of waste, such as palm oil
mills, to minimize the cost of transportation,
as well as reduce the size of storage
needed for palm oil waste.
Second, a major challenge concerns laws and regulations.
The national green technology policy and feed-in tariffs
were established in 2009 and 2011
to promote sustainable development for industry
in Malaysia.
However, there are no specific regulations or policies
to encourage industry to form symbiotic linkages.
in Japan, for example, the sound material cycle society
was formed.
It consists of various recycling and green purchasing laws
to support the creating and selling of waste
for industry inside and outside the industrial park.
This initiative will create sufficient and comparatively
cheaper waste to use as raw material for industry.
In addition to the lack of appropriate policy,
lack of financial support is also
one of the barriers that hinder the development
of a more complex industrial symbiosis park in Nusajaya.
In Japan, for example, 227 million US dollar
were allocated by the government to build new recycling plants
in Kawasaki Eco-Town in 1997.
In Malaysia, the sustainable energy development authority
provides financial incentive in the form of feed-in tariffs.
However, these incentive are only beneficial for palm oil
industry park because they have no cost
for waste or transportation.
In addition to the factors that I have just highlighted,
the concept of industrial symbiosis in Nusajaya
can be extended to urban symbiosis similar to the system
in Kalundborg.
Special planning factor, which is
the distance between industrial park and residential area,
and strong linkages between state and local government,
have contributed to this integrated effort.
The sustainable supply of waste could
be generated from this effort, since municipal waste could
also become a source off raw material for industry.
In return, the municipality also benefits from this initiative.
Since the energy generated by industrial symbiosis
will be supplied to the municipality,
thus reducing the municipality heavy reliance on fossil fuel.
What can be learned from industrial symbiosis
in Nusajaya?
And how can it be duplicated elsewhere?
The case of industrial symbiosis in Nusajaya
provides a good lesson to accelerate
the development of industrial symbiosis
in developing countries.
The primary elements that are necessary to support
the successful implementation of industrial symbiosis
in other countries are, first, availability
of renewable energy source.
Second, distance from the renewable energy source
to the industrial park.
Third, a strong regulatory and legal structure
around climate change mitigations.
Fourth, financial incentives.
Fifth, strong linkages between national, state,
and local development to encourage
integrated industrial and urban symbiosis.
Last but not least, this initiative
would not be possible without strong commitment
from industry and stakeholders to its sustainable development.
As we come to the end, can industry
save the environment while also remaining competitive?
The answer is simple.
Turning waste to resources by implementing
industrial symbiosis.