Special Issue on the Industrial Ecology of Bio-based Materials (Volume 7, Issue 3-4)

This special double issue assesses the promise and limitations of use of biomass in lieu of petrochemically-based feedstocks and energy carriers.  Advances in biotechnology have made this technology pathway both more cost-effective and potentially "greener."  Several recent studies (Gerngross 1999, Kurdikar et al. 2000), however, have cast doubt on the environmental desirability of bio-based materials, highlighting the need for systems-based analyses.  Industrial ecology, as a field centrally concerned with materials choice, the opportunities for environmental improvement through technological innovation and the insights to be gained from systems-based analyses, is especially well positioned to examine whether a dramatic shift from petrochemicals to bio-based materials is advantageous.

Special Issue on E-Commerce, the Internet, and the Environment (Volume 6, Issue 2)

Articles in this special issue analyze the environmental consequences of telecommunication and the transformation of wholesaling, warehousing and retailing by network technology.  Conventional and digital approaches to grocery shopping, book selling and scholarly journals are compared in terms of their environmental impact.  The research, ranging from the US to Germany, Finland to Japan, suggests that seemingly small decisions --by consumers, logistic firms, or businesses-- can have large outcomes, often shifting environmental impacts from desirable to undesirable and vice versa.

The table of contents for this issue contains links to the Full Text PDF files of all the articles.  The page is available on the Journal's MIT Press web site
 

Special Issue on  The Industrial Ecology of Paper and Wood (Volume 1, Issue 3)

This special issue examines the pulp and paper industry and, to a lesser extent, the solid wood products industry from the perspective of industrial ecology.  The issue introduces the findings of three major recent studies of significant scope and systematic orientation on production, consumption and waste management of pulp and paper.  In addition, the transcript of a lively Roundtable Forum held with the authors of the three studies is presented along with a Commentary by Sten Nilsson, head of Forestry Research at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Vienna.

The table of contents for this issue contains links to Full Text PDF files for the Introduction to the Roundtable on the Industrial Ecology of Pulp and Paper and the Roundtable itself.  The page is available on the Journal's MIT Press web site.

Special Series on Chlorine Flows and the Environment

The series on chlorine flows in the environment includes a comprehensive systems flow analysis of chlorine use in four parts, a case study of chlorine use in the Netherlands in two parts, an article on minimizing chlorine use in chemical manufacturing, another addressing the global warming impact of CFCs and two articles on PVCs --one regarding data quality, the other combining LCA and SFA approaches.

The special series page on the Journal's MIT press web site lists the articles in the chlorine series and re-directs viewers to the table of contents for the specific issue containing any chlorine flow article of interest.

Special Series on Education in Industrial Ecology

The series on education in industrial ecology examines curriculum development, instructional materials and organizational challenges for university and corporate education/training in industrial ecology, pollution prevention and other related fields.  The Special Series on Education in Industrial Ecology is made possible through support from the Henry Luce Foundation , the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, AT&T, Pitney-Bowes and ThermoRetec Corporation.

The special series page on the Journal's MIT press web site lists the articles in the education series and re-directs viewers to the Full Text PDF files.

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Page last updated January 26, 2005.