Thermodynamical Material Networks for Modeling, Planning and Control of Circular Material Flows

Waste production, carbon dioxide atmospheric accumulation and dependence on finite natural resources are expressions of the unsustainability of the current industrial networks that supply fuels, energy and manufacturing products. In particular, circular manufacturing supply chains and carbon control networks are urgently needed. To model and design these and, in general, any material networks, we propose to generalize the approach used for traditional networks such as water and thermal power systems using compartmental dynamical systems thermodynamics, graph theory and the force-voltage analogy. The generalized modeling methodology is explained, then challenges and future research directions are discussed. We hope this paper inspires to use dynamical systems and control, which are typically techniques used for industrial automation, for closing material flows, which is an issue of primary concern in industrial ecology and circular economy.