Material Flow Analysis for Eco-Efficiency with Material Flow Network Reference Models – Concepts and Case Study

Material Flow Analysis is a method for determination of material and energy flows in companies for ecobalances and process optimization. Ecobalancing provides a basis for efficient utilization of material resources and energies and for reduction of environmental harmful emissions and waste. Reference models in material flow analysis (e.g. with Material Flow Networks) serve as templates for the development of more refined models in the same domain. They facilitate material flow analyses by reducing effort in time and costs in the model building process by reutilization of predefined structures. In the context of a Thai-German cooperation project a reference model for the Thai agro-industrial branch of native starch production has been designed which reduces the entry level for material flow network modelling in Thai starch industry. Material flow analyses should help to reduce environmental impacts such as water pollution as well as to improve production processes on an economic level. Process improvements for eco-efficiency are targeted on a reduction of starch losses during starch production while a better yield of starch is allowed. The reference model has been developed with the software tool Umberto® which is a graphical modeling tool for Material Flow Networks. The software supports a modular design of the reference model in order to make it easily adaptable to specific production processes in different starch factories. The general, well structured reference model approach for material flow analysis, developed to reduce environmental burdens and financial losses in Thai starch industry, is easily transferable to other industrial branches beyond Thai agro-industry as well as to other regions.