Analyses And Simulations On The Structural Evolution Of The Eco-Industrial Systems

Ecological industry as one solution to environment, resource and energy problems has ever been an academic and industrial hotspot and difficulty. Successful programming and management and advanced technology are recognized as key elements. With the development of technology and the prevalence of eco-industrial parks (EIPs) at home and abroad, related management and technology have become matured step by step. However, due to the complexity and variability associated with structure, diverse techniques, symbiotic relations and environmental policies of eco-industrial systems, study on its intricate mechanism is in urgent need and the evolvement law should be found sequentially which will be helpful in supporting and steering the design and management. The interactive behavior between subsystems of an EIP including companies and institutions will lead to the dynamic evolvement of eco-industrial systems. But at present there isn't yet an integrated model with which the evolvement of eco-industrial systems can be simulated; there isn't yet a matured mechanism to support this process. This paper tends to make progress in these issues.Eco-industrial system is a typical complex open system including various nonlinear complex interactions among enterprises and environments. On the base of non-linear science, the evolvement law of eco-industrial systems is discussed using self-organizing theory and fractal theory. The complexity of eco-industrial systems is analyzed firstly and the characteristics of openness, complexity, evolution, hierarchy and adaptability are expatiated on. Then the dynamic law on the formation and evolution of eco-industrial pattern is discussed based on non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Potential statistical ensemble and evolutionary equations on eco-industrial system are derived. How to distribute materials, energy and information among members of EIPs in a given condition is analyzed from a new perspective and the rule of fractal growth followed by the evolvement of eco-industrial parks is demonstrated. Kalundborg Industrial Symbiosis in Danmark and Lubei Eco-industrial Park in China are then studied as typical examples and quantitative analyses on structures are gained by invoking Self-Organization Feature Map (SOM), basing on data of symbiosis and building blocks.The phenomenon of self-organization and the fractal characteristic embodied in the formation and evolution of eco-industrial systems are demonstrated theoretically and practically. This study lays the foundation for further understanding on the complicated chains in eco-industrial networks and tries to provide new implications on design, improvement and control of the structure of eco-industrial parks.