In
this work, process intensification and heat integration
are
applied to improve a palm oil biofuel production process using modularity
analysis and evaluated through techno-economic analysis and life cycle
assessment (LCA). The modularity analysis integrated with the safety
indicator guided the scoping of intensification options and the application
of the LCA at the level of process modules that facilitate the treatment
of recycles. Two alternatives are presented: the first is the intensified
one only and the second is the addition of heat integration. In both
cases, there was an improvement in economic terms by decreasing utility
costs by 2 and 70%, respectively. In environmental terms, the global
warming potential obtained is 12.8 kg CO2 eq./GJ for the
intensified design and 12.2 kg CO2 eq./GJ for the intensified
and integrated design, which is a considerable improvement over other
studies that have been carried out. In addition, process safety was
improved as the fire and explosion damage rate decreased by 15% in
the separation section. In conclusion, this work demonstrated a novel
application of modularity to scope intensification opportunities,
implement LCA models at the modular level, and identify hot spots.