Summary Sustainability assessment standards are currently being developed for a range of building products. This activity has been stimulated through the considerable success of the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED™ standard. Transparent life cycle–based standards can guide manufacturers to design products that have reduced environmental impact. The use of a sustainability standard can certify performance and avoid g...

Summary A methodology to systematically construct an industrial ecosystem is presented in the context of a specific biomass input of peanut hulls and a process complex of activated carbon, adhesive precursor, and hydrogen. The methodology consists of three phases: locating sources and sinks of potential materials for exchange or upgrading; filtering feasible exchanges, the exchange candidates, and locations for new infrastruct...