Eco-industrial estate development : bconceptual design for the rubber city | |
| Author | Somchint Pilouk |
| Call Number | AIT RSPR no. EV-03-05 |
| Subject(s) | Rubber industry and trade Industrial districts |
| Note | A research study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering (Executive). |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | In Thailand, rubber is one of the most important agricultural products providing national income approximately 100,000 million Baht per year. This causes Thailand to become the world's largest producer and exporter of natural rubber since 1991. However, the processing of natural rubber creates the detrimental effects such as wastewater, odor, noise pollution, etc. on the environment and human health of the nearby communities. Therefore, IEAT aims to develop the Rubber City which will be located in the existing remaining area of Southern Region Industrial Estate (Phase I) plus the new expansion area (Phase II) to create the added value to the rubber products as well as to apply an ecoindustrial concept for the estate development and operation to solve the environmental pollution problem resulted from the rubber processing. A review of the Rubber City development concept, general concept of EcoIndustrial Estate and successful experiences in Thailand and other countries for developing the Rubber City as well as Environmental Impact Assessment report of Southern Region Industrial Estate was conducted. Site visits to the estate were performed during the research study. Possible by-product exchange in the Rubber City was initiated. The research results find that some of the Eco-Industrial Development concept has been applied with the conceptual design of the Rubber City. Upstream industry such as latex and ribbed smoked sheet and downstream industry such as glove and toys are good target industries as well as the supporting Industry such as chemical factory, power plant and transportation business could be considered. The automobile tire industry is expected to expand due to the foreign companies' selection of Thailand to be a base for automobile production including cars, motorcycles, and automobile parts. By-product exchange have been proposed for the Rubber City to select a relating new coming business which can be linked to the other businesses in the Rubber City to increase the production yields whereas to minimize the envirom11ental impacts. Due to the Rubber City development plan, it will create a small level of enviromnental impacts with the exception of water to use and wastewater collecting source. In conclusion, the Rubber City will be beneficial to increase the price value of the rubber and stimulate the local demand for the domestic natural rubber, however, the transformation of the rubber product industry should be promoted. EIE concept is a useful instrument to develop and operate the Rubber City as well as to define the target industry which is focusing on BPX to solve the problem of resource uses and enviromnental pollution as well as to create more profits for industries and communities nearby. EIE concept development such as public participation, EIE development procedure, EIE criteria, etc. are recommended. The standard of location and physical features, planning and design of landscaping and building should be developed to conform with the EIE concept. Water supply is one of the critical issues for development of the Rubber City, therefore an overall concept for water conservation, recycling and reuse of treated wastewater needs to be conducted with local authorities incorporating with local communities. |
| Year | 2003 |
| Type | Research Study Project Report (RSPR) |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Preeda Parkpian;Samorn Muttamara |
| Examination Committee(s) | Thammarat Koottatep |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship |
| Degree | Research Studies Project Report (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2003 |