(739g) Spatially-Explicit Site Design for Sustainable Manufacturing with Ecosystems As Unit Operations

A history of separating technology and ecology has led to many unintentional environmental impacts. These impacts affect ecosystems that provide services which we rely on for survival and well-being. Ironically, in search for technology that improves the livelihood of mankind, we risk the well-being that nature provides. Therefore, to make better decisions, there is a need for designing with respect to both technological and ecological systems. Along with decreasing negative environmental impacts, including ecosystems in sustainable design can lead to innovative solutions which utilize the functions and co-benefits of nature as we search for sustainable solutions amid increasing population and demand of ecosystems.

Previous work in techno-ecological process design has lacked inclusion of spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem service supply and demand. Previous research in ecosystem services does provide methods for mapping ecosystem services across different spaces and scales; however, mostly fails to connect these services to specific beneficiaries, such as manufacturing sites. Our previous work on the concept of servicesheds provides spatially-explicit quantitative definitions for the areas which provide specific ecosystem services to specific beneficiaries. It is important to understand how, where, and when mass and energy flows across components of a techno-ecological system to inform design options. Understanding the capacity of local ecosystems to regulate the chemicals released to the atmosphere from industrial processes can provide understanding of absolute sustainability, defined by the finite availability of ecosystem services. This research will introduce spatially-explicit manufacturing site design opportunities for both technological and ecological variables of a techno-ecological system.

The ecosystem service that this research initially focuses on is air quality regulation. As a result, it uses physical dispersion models to determine the spatial heterogeneity of air pollution and ecological deposition. Using quantitative definitions for air quality regulating servicesheds, we apply these to a case study biodiesel plant along the Ohio River near Cincinnati. Further, we model additional scenarios including land management and restoration, technological process changes, and manufacturing site location. Using this information, we were able to determine optimal sets of land where management and restoration has the highest potential to increase the capacity of deposition for criteria air pollutants. Further, we were able to use the results of these scenarios to compare techno-ecological design options based on sustainability and financial feasibility. In further development of the design problem, we explore two scenarios: improving an existing site and installation of a process on a brand-new site. In focusing on air quality regulation, initial results suggest that land management can provide economically-competitive alternatives to technological processes for bridging the gap between the amount of pollutant emitted from a manufacturing site with the amount local ecosystems can adsorb. This introduces an absolute sustainability metric rather than a relative one, comparing emissions to ecological capacity. However, it is also recognized that only focusing on air quality regulation can shift environmental impacts onto other ecosystem services. As a step towards including multiple ecosystem services in spatially-explicit analysis and design, initial results for quantifying and mapping additional ecosystem services will be presented and discussed. Exploring spatially-explicit design options for techno-ecological systems enables smarter industrial site design and is one step closer towards bridging ecological knowledge with engineering practice.