Application of Thermo-economic Analysis (TEA) to Industrial Ecology (IE)

An example of ironworks is used to illustrate the application of thermo-economic analysis to industrial ecology. The case study analyzes the changes in blast furnace plant when part of the coke is replaced by coal. The application of direct exergy analysis apparently shows that the replacement has negative effects, which is contrary to experience. This problem can be overcome by performing thermo-economic analysis extended with the thermo-ecological cost of resources consumed by the plant. The approach allows one to quantify precisely how unit exergy cost is formed. Furthermore, a methodology for quantifying local savings (reduction of components’ irreversibility due to improvements in their operation) and plant savings (reduction of resources consumption) is presented and applied to the example, what points out clearly where resources savings appear and how this positive effect is extended in the productive chain.