Valorización de los residuos generados en la agroindustria en Guanajuato aplicando principios de ecología industrial

In the municipality of Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico, the agroindustry is the most important productive sector, especially the swine industry. However, wastes form this industry still lack a proper management. There are residues such as hair, hooves and eyelids of pigs that could provide additional value and opportunities. This work proposes alternatives for the valorization of swine production residues, applying industrial ecology, which seeks to establish alternatives for the closing of the cycle of matter and energy utilization in industrial systems, thus building synergies between existing companies (or between an existing company and new ones) and encouraging residual flows being produced by one and reutilized as raw material by another. In this case, the environment of an agro-industrial cluster in Penjamo was analyzed and new synergies were proposed: the development of amino acids using pig hair, the manufacture of gelatine from hooves and eyelids, the transformation of slurry from porcine farms into biogas and/or electric energy and the production of slabs and boards using the agave bagasse. It was also proposed to promote the formation of other companies, for example by taking the organic residues of greenhouses, seed and plants, to create a composting plant. With the proposed synergies, the waste generated by the agro-industrial sector could be reduced, as well as waste generated by companies with different activities, thus generating environmental and economic benefits to the municipality and the agro-industrial sector.