An Integrated Symbiotic Production System Design of Agro-Based Industries with Profit and Environmental Objectives

Melike Kaya Akça (), Mete Gündoğan and Gerçek Budak
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Melike Kaya Akça: Department of Industrial Engineering, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Keçiören, Ankara 06010, Türkiye
Mete Gündoğan: Department of Industrial Engineering, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Keçiören, Ankara 06010, Türkiye
Gerçek Budak: Department of Industrial Engineering, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Keçiören, Ankara 06010, Türkiye

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-27

Abstract: Establishing a sustainable production system requires a more efficient utilization of resources and the adoption of cleaner production methodologies. Specifically, industrial symbiosis promotes collaboration among interconnected industries by exchanging waste, byproducts, and utilities, thereby providing innovative ways to enhance the efficiency of production processes. However, the sustainability of agricultural products and agro-based industries is essential for human survival. This study proposed an integrated symbiotic production system that targets agro-based industries. The system includes seven plants: a sugar production plant, a corn-integrated industrial plant, an alcohol production plant, a feed production plant, a fertilizer plant, a bioethanol production plant, and a wastewater treatment plant. The study aimed to design a sustainable industrial system that shares byproducts, waste, and water reuse. Symbiotic relations between production plants are designed in a provided multi-objective optimization model that considers both the mitigation of CO 2 emissions and the maximization of system profit. The multi-objective model with the epsilon-constraint method results in Pareto-efficient solutions that address the tradeoff between the objectives. This allows decision makers to select a suitable one among the solution set that prioritizes conflicting objectives. We developed ten scenarios to assess costs, revenue, profit, and CO 2 emissions, offering significant insights into how model parameters affect managerial knowledge. This study also addresses environmental and economic concerns, thereby making the development of agro-based industries more sustainable.

Keywords: sustainability; industrial systems; agro-based industries; cleaner production; industrial symbiosis; multi-objective optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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