In such a system, the
consumption of energy and materials is optimized, waste generation is minimized and the effluents of one process serve as the raw material for another process. More in specific, the approach proposed here is defined as “Industrial Symbiosis”, the part of Industrial
Ecology that engages traditionally separate entities in an integrated
new production system to competitive advantage involving physical exchange/integration of materials, energy, water and/or by products (Chertow, 2000).