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Social network analysis and network connectedness analysis for industrial symbiotic systems: model development and case study

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Abstract

An important and practical pattern of industrial symbiosis is rapidly developing: eco-industrial parks. In this study, we used social network analysis to study the network connectedness (i.e., the proportion of the theoretical number of connections that had been achieved) and related attributes of these hybrid ecological and industrial symbiotic systems. This approach provided insights into details of the network’s interior and analyzed the overall degree of connectedness and the relationships among the nodes within the network. We then characterized the structural attributes of the network and subnetwork nodes at two levels (core and periphery), thereby providing insights into the operational problems within each eco-industrial park. We chose ten typical ecoindustrial parks in China and around the world and compared the degree of network connectedness of these systems that resulted from exchanges of products, byproducts, and wastes. By analyzing the density and nodal degree, we determined the relative power and status of the nodes in these networks, as well as other structural attributes such as the core-periphery structure and the degree of sub-network connectedness. The results reveal the operational problems created by the structure of the industrial networks and provide a basis for improving the degree of completeness, thereby increasing their potential for sustainable development and enriching the methods available for the study of industrial symbiosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Yan Zhang, Hongmei Zheng, Bin Chen & Naijin Yang

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  1. Yan Zhang
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  2. Hongmei Zheng
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  3. Bin Chen
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  4. Naijin Yang
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Correspondence to Yan Zhang or Bin Chen.

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Yan ZHANG is an Associate Professor of industrial ecology in School of Environment, Beijing Normal University. She obtained her M.S. degree in Northeast Normal University and received her Ph.D. degree in Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. She has been involved in and finished about 15 projects and over 30 refereed journal articles and conference papers in international scientific journals. Her scientific experiences include urban ecology and planning, environmental impact assessment and management, and industrial ecology.

Bin CHEN is professor of ecological thermodynamics in the School of Environment at Beijing Normal University. He is also a Standing Council Member of the China Energy Research Society. He obtained a B.E. degree in electrical engineering from Zhejiang University, and a Ph.D. degree in environmental science from Peking University. Dr. Chen has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers in prestigious international journals such as Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, Renewable Energy, Energy, Energy Policy, Bioresource Technology, Ecological Economics, Ecological Indicators, Environmental Science & Technology, and Ecological Modeling. He has also served or is serving as guest editor of Energies, Ecological Modelling, Ecological Informatics, and as editorial board member of Ecological Modelling, Journal of Environmental Management, ISRN Renewable Energy, Ecological Informatics and Journal of Hydrodynamics. He has also been an organizer and keynote speaker for various international conferences.

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Zhang, Y., Zheng, H., Chen, B. et al. Social network analysis and network connectedness analysis for industrial symbiotic systems: model development and case study. Front. Earth Sci. 7, 169–181 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-012-0349-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-012-0349-4

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