Process Engineering Models to Physical Input-Output Tables (PIOTs): A Novel Approach to Reproducible, Transparent and Fast Regional PIOT Development Via Collaborative PIOTHub

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

Only 30% of waste generated in the US was recycled in 2013 and globally only 14% of plastics are recycled today. Realization of the environmental consequences of waste disposal and the economic cost of lost resources has mobilized global efforts to close material loops by recycling and recovery. This system is termed the "Circular Economy". However, to build a robust and resilient circular economy, it is necessary to identify hidden vulnerabilities that can occur due to increased mutual interdependence of sectors in the economy with increasing use of waste as feedstock. To achieve this goal, a full physical map of current industrial interactions must be known, which can be captured by Physical Input-Output Tables (PIOTs) that account for inter-industry interactions in physical units. But, PIOTs are rarely developed, with only very few PIOTs developed across the world since 1990s. This is attributed both to lack of data and a standardized approach for building PIOTs. Thus, the physical structure of existing economy cannot be mapped. The aim of this research is to address this critical missing piece of transitioning to a robust circular economy. The overall goal is to develop and establish a "Process to PIOT (P2P)" approach that integrates process engineering based models with an Input-Output framework for generating PIOTs for a regional economy. Specific tasks of this project are: 1) Establish a new P2P approach for developing PIOTs; 2) Compare PIOTs developed against exisiting Monetary Input-Output Tables (MIOT) for validation; 3) Develop an Open source database of Process Models that can be adapted for developing PIOTs along with an open platform for collaborative PIOT development. This project is targeted to enable transition to a robust circular economy by developing and standardizing a Process to PIOT (P2P) approach that utilizes the strength of process modeling to develop regional PIOTs. Establishing the P2P approach will provide a standardized approach for fast, reproducible and transparent PIOT development in any region of choice. A key feature of the approach is to utilize the strength of process engineering models in a modular approach to build PIOTs, and combining with an interregional trade model for improved accuracy in capturing inter-sectoral flows in a region. This research will provide an open-source collaborative platform for developing PIOTs on a regional scale (PIOTHub) using Purdue's HubZero platform. The collaborative platform will allow multiple researchers to develop PIOTs for many regions and enhance collaboration to solve sustainable resource and consumption challenges. Further, the process engineering approach will allow interested industries to use the platform for making strategic decisions in forming alliances that will be economically and environmentally beneficial without the concern of disclosing proprietary information. This is critical for industry engagement into spurring regional environmental sustainability. Undergraduate and graduate education modules developed as case studies in this project will be disseminated for teaching the concepts of the circular economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.