Developing an Industrial Symbiosis of Chemical Industries: a Case Study

Abstract

The article considers the approaches to building a circular economy based on the example of a functioning Russian industrial hub. Among the features analyzed are the specificities of the industrial symbiosis development of chemical enterprises and material flows that link different technical processes, namely the production of soda ash, lime, salt, and gypsum. This study assesses the pollutant emissions from the new technical processes and the use of accumulated chrome production wastes as secondary material resources. Likewise, the article demonstrates the possibility of direct absorption of carbon dioxide, as a byproduct of lime production during soda ash manufacturing. The study ends with recommendations for considering the aspects for the use of secondary resources in determining the sectoral and inter-sectoral best available techniques. Similarly, it sheds light on possibilities for optimizing the system of technological regulation and general binding rules application for managing insignificant environmental aspects of industrial production.