Potential developments of industrial symbiosis in the Taranto productive district

Abstract

Industrial Symbiosis represents one of the approaches of the Industrial Ecology paradigm implemented as a means of making industrial production more sustainable. Currently in Italy there are only a few initiatives entailing Industrial Symbiosis and they have not yet developed fully. This chapter represents a study of the industrial sector of the Taranto province located in south east Italy, whose aim is that of identifying current and some new potential Industrial Symbiosis interactions among the firms of the sector. The economic, environmental, waste and energy analysis of the provincial industrial sector, has depicted the current state of Industrial Symbiosis and has also identified who the key players of a future Industrial Symbiosis scenario in the province could be. The waste reutilization and energy management schemes identified and described in this chapter, regarding the yearly generation of 3.25 Mt of solid waste and by products and over 1,000 ktoe of waste heat, could be used as a starting point for a real implementation of Industrial Symbiosis interactions that will effectively be able to make the Taranto province industrial system more competitive and environmentally sustainable.