Title: Development of an internet-based collaboration platform and application to household waste plastic processing

Authors: Steven B. Kraines, Hiroshi Komiyama, Hitoshi Shigeoka, David R. Wallace

Addresses: Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan. ' Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan. ' Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs, 420 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Abstract: Object-based model integration using the internet combines aspects of modularisation and network technology approaches to address large-scale, complex, multi-disciplinary system problems. As a prototype application of this approach to holistic system analysis of environmental sustainability issues, we are developing a decision support system that uses an object-based modeling framework for examining the various trade offs between costs, pollution emissions, resource consumption, and land fill use for different recycling and disposal options. The framework is applied to household plastic waste processing. The overall system of plastic waste processing is divided into three stages: generation of waste plastic from households, collection using different kinds of garbage collection vehicles and plant processing for recycling or disposal. The framework is used to examine several scenarios for different combinations of waste plastic recycling and disposal technologies in Tokyo, Japan. Plans are outlined for implementing the framework using network modelling technologies so that the trade off modelling system can be accessed over the internet by stakeholders and decision makers.

Keywords: internet-based collaboration; web-based collaboration; internet technology; model-based evaluation; model integration; object-based modelling; plastics disposal; plastics recycling.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTTC.2004.004608

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2004 Vol.3 No.2, pp.129 - 146

Published online: 26 May 2004 *

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