Energy and water saving potentials in industrial parks by an infrastructure-integrated symbiotic model

摘要

The industrial park is a common feature in global industrial development. Sharable infrastructure, such as the centralized energy facility and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), are widely employed in industrial parks. This study established a high-resolution inventory of 252 WWTPs and 308 energy facilities in 111 Chinese national industrial parks (NIPs), and proposed an infrastructure-integrated symbiotic model in industrial parks by establishing water-energy nexuses between WWTPs and energy facilities. A match-making process was established to uncover the feasibility of fostering symbiosis between energy facilities and WWTPs. The effluent and sludge from WWTPs can be reused in energy facilities to save freshwater withdrawals and partly reduce fossil fuel consumption, and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can also be mitigated simultaneously. The results show that effluent and sludge from WWTPs can substitute 73.4% and 7% of the water withdrawals and energy consumption of the energy facilities, respectively. The GHG emissions mitigation potential is about 9.92 Mt CO2-eq per year, accounting for a 2.56% reduction compared to the baseline scenario. The study will also enlighten other developing countries in facilitating a circular economy by targeting industrial parks and contributing to water conservation, energy savings, and pollutant reduction.