Ecological and Economic Objective Functions for Screening in Integrated Development of Fine Chemical Processes. 2. Stream Allocation and Case Studies

Abstract

Process design in the chemical industry is challenged to integrate environmental and safety aspects in addition to economic and technical considerations in the early development phase of a new process. To achieve this goal, a flexible assessment framework of ecological and economic indices presented in part 1 of this paper is applied to two industrial case studies, one relying on purely chemical literature data and the other including early process knowledge. An allocation method for waste streams, components, and costs is presented and mass loss indices (MLI), cost indices (CI), and ecological indices (EI) are calculated. Using this index system, the ecological and economical problems of a process can be identified at their roots. Hence, this method supports the search for more cost-effective and environmentally friendlier chemical processes.

Intensification and economic and ecological assessment of a biocatalytic oxyfunctionalization process

“…[14][15][16][17][18] Simple and flexible methodologies are required for the characterization of processes at early development stages, as, for example, the quantification of the environmental burden by so called environmental indices. 16,[19][20][21] As an example for an efficient oxyfunctionalization biocatalyst, styrene monooxygenase containing recombinant Escherichia coli has been extensively investigated (Fig. 1).…”

Environmentally Benign Microreaction Process Design by Accompanying (Simplified) Life Cycle Assessment

“…They range from easily calculable metrics [11][12][13][14][15] to complex life cycle approaches. However, best known and widely approved is the LCA methodology.…”

Environmental Performance Metrics for Daily Use in Synthetic Chemistry

“…[19±23] Hungerb¸hler developed a methodology to derive equivalents for E and Q for the assessment of fine chemical process alternatives early during their development. [20] The above-mentioned methods suffer from not having a simple calculation basis and, therefore, are not applicable to chemical syntheses and reactions on a laboratory scale.…”