A novel approach for stability analysis of industrial symbiosis systems

Instability is a severe barrier to the successful development and evolution of industrial symbiosis systems. In this paper, a novel approach for stability analysis of industrial symbiosis systems is proposed. Two parameters (symbiosis profit and symbiosis cost) are defined on the basis of profit consideration. With the introduction of asymmetric distribution coefficient as a quantitative index, the distribution of symbiosis cost and symbiosis profit can be analyzed. An illustrative example demonstrates that the approach can be used to assess the stability of a hypothetical coal-based symbiosis system under different states. Specifically, the impact of changes in the system structure and external environment on the stability of the coal-based symbiosis system is investigated. The results confirm the practical applicability and effectiveness of the proposed approach. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.