From Farm Waste to Industrial Resource: Sustainable Composite Materials for Regional Symbiosis

This study applies Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process to rank plantain, coconut, rice, and maragnon waste for composite material production in Colombia, finding plantain waste most promising. It integrates SDG alignment and regional symbiosis into a replicable decision model.

Jaime Andrés Ararat-Herrera; J. A. Restrepo-Morales; Jose Mauricio Arredondo del Rio· Frontiers in Sustainability· 2026· DOI 10.3389/frsus.2026.1709191

The core problem

The study addresses environmental sustainability and waste management challenges by exploring eco-industrial development and regional industrial symbiosis in Córdoba and Sucre, Colombia. It focuses on the potential of agricultural waste from plantain, coconut, rice, and maragnon for composite material production. The research explicitly aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 13 (Climate Action), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and 15 (Life on Land). The aim is to transform farm waste into industrial resources, fostering regional symbiosis.

Innovation

The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was employed to evaluate and prioritize four agricultural waste types against seven main criteria: SDG alignment, economic feasibility, technological suitability, social equity, economic costs, economic benefits, and environmental impact. Expert judgments were collected from a panel of 12 specialists with expertise in circular economy, industrial engineering, agronomy, and environmental science, each with at least 8 years of experience. Consistency ratios (CR < 0.10) and sensitivity analyses (three weight scenarios) validated robustness. Centroid (center-of-area) defuzzification converted triangular fuzzy numbers into crisp weights. The FAHP methodology can be summarized as: 1. Define criteria and alternatives. 2. Collect pairwise comparisons from experts using linguistic terms. 3. Convert linguistic terms to triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs). 4. Aggregate fuzzy judgments. 5. Compute fuzzy weights and defuzzify using centroid method. 6. Check consistency and perform sensitivity analysis. Mathematically, a TFN is represented as \tilde{a} = (l, m, u), and defuzzification via centroid is: cr i s p = \frac{( u - l ) + ( m - l )}{3} + l or more precisely: cr i s p = \frac{l + m + u}{3}

Introduction

The study addresses environmental sustainability and waste management challenges by exploring eco-industrial development and regional industrial symbiosis in Córdoba and Sucre, Colombia. It focuses on the potential of agricultural waste from plantain, coconut, rice, and maragnon for composite material production. The research explicitly aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 13 (Climate Action), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and 15 (Life on Land). The aim is to transform farm waste into industrial resources, fostering regional symbiosis.

Why it matters

This study advances the field by providing a structured, multi-criteria FAHP framework for ranking agricultural waste in a Colombian regional context. It integrates contextual, social, and policy dimensions into a replicable eco-industrial decision model. The findings support regional industrial symbiosis by identifying plantain waste as a key resource, which can contribute to multiple SDGs. The methodology can be adapted to other regions and waste types, promoting sustainable development and circular economy practices. The study highlights the importance of considering both quantitative and qualitative criteria in decision-making for waste valorization.

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