A decision-making framework for the valorisation of the water cycle through industrial symbioses

“Industrial symbiosis (InSym) can further the goal of water sustainability by leveraging geographic proximity and developing solutions that allow the exchange of recycled water among businesses. However, InSym decision-making is complex as it involves multiple agents representing different stakeholder groups and displaying non-linear interacting
behaviours. Operations Research (OR) techniques can capture such dynamic and emergent behaviour and help assess the feasibility of InSym formation. For example, multiple criteria
decision analysis (MCDA) can evaluate conflicting criteria in decision-making problems, and computer simulation can model the operational processes, emergence and non-linear system feedback using approaches such as discrete-event simulation (DES), agent-based simulation (ABS) and system dynamics (SD). The paper proposes an OR framework that combines MCDA with a hybrid simulation (DES, ABS and SD) to support InSym decision-marking. The case study region in De Volt, The Netherlands, is poised to face stricter national regulations regarding discharges. It also experiences a water deficit during dry seasons, substantially worsened by climate change. Both challenges reveal the urgent demand for better water reuse and the deployment of OR tools to assess InSym formation. Our study contributes to the literature on deploying hybrid methods to maximise opportunities for shared value creation.”

(Citation: Chen, O., Mustafee, N., Evans, B., et.al. A decision-making framework for the valorisation of the water cycle through industrial symbioses – Journal of the Operational Research Society (2025) – DOI: 10.1080/01605682.2025.2535728 – (Open Access))