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Efficiency-resilience synergies across water and energy in internally symbiotic food processing sector

Author

Listed:
  • Yao, Tianfu
  • Wang, Yi
  • Song, Junnian
  • Yang, Wei

Abstract

Food processing, despite being resource-intensive and polluting, holds potential for enhancing resource efficiency and resilience through resource recovery from wastes. Yet, how symbiotic integration of food processing, waste treatment, and resource recovery within the sector influences efficiency and resilience across water and energy, and their intersecting synergies, remains inadequately understood. This study integrates super-efficiency slack-based measure model, resilience assessment metrics with coupling measurement model to evaluate efficiency and resilience across water and energy in China's regional food processing sectors. Synergistic effects are assessed by comparing baseline scenario and symbiosis scenario where integrated water-energy-waste metabolic loops are elaborated. The results demonstrate that internal symbiosis can significantly reduce consumption by 0.89 million tons of standard coal and 1591.91 million tons of freshwater, while cutting emissions by 34.50 million tons of CO2-equivalent, along with various air and water pollutants. Furthermore, it leads to notable improvements in water and energy efficiency (+0.33/+0.03), water and energy resilience (+0.05/+0.11), as well as four dimensional synergies between efficiency and resilience across water and energy. 87% of regions can realize “high” synergy (synergy level above 0.5) between efficiency and resilience. This study provides critical insights for advancing circular economy practices and enhancing water-energy-waste co-management in food processing sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Yao, Tianfu & Wang, Yi & Song, Junnian & Yang, Wei, 2026. "Efficiency-resilience synergies across water and energy in internally symbiotic food processing sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:353:y:2026:i:c:s0360544226010832
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2026.140978
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