Chemical life cycle analysis

In the past decades, polymer materials have been continuously replacing more traditional materials such as paper, metal, glass, stone, wood, natural fibres and natural rubber in the fields of clothing industry, E E components, automotive materials, aeronautics, leisure, food packaging, sports goods, etc. Without the existence of suitable polymer materials progress in many of these areas would have been limited. Polymer materials are appreciated for their chemical, physical and economical qualities including low production cost, safety aspects and low environmental impact (cf. life-cycle analysis). 

A broader and more detailed evaluation can be done by performing a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The central idea of a LCA is that the environmental effects during the entire life cycle of a process are quantified. These environmental effects are caused by the use of fossil fuels for heating and production of electricity, the use of non-renewable raw materials for the production of materials and chemicals, and the emissions of pollutants to air, water and soil. These environmental effects can be subdivided further in various levels of detail. The five major effects mentioned are derived from the more general effects considered in the framework of the LCA. Based on the environmental sustainability of each of the complete treatment scenarios considered as technically feasible, a ranking according environmental... 

The scientific content of green chemistry can be easily taken for the aims of IGN, whose main research topics are energy, green manufacture, life-cycle analysis, pollution prevention, food security, and chemical resources management. 

Part III, "Case Studies" (Chapters 9 through 12), takes these illustrations a bit further, namely, by demonstrating the analysis for some of the most important processes in industry energy conversion, separations, and chemical conversion. Chapter 12 briefly discusses the concept of life cycle analysis, which aims to compare the consolidated inputs and outputs of a process or a product "from the cradle to the grave" [9], and its extension to include the minimization of process irreversibilities in a so-called exergetic life cycle analysis [10]. 

Chapters 9 through 12 demonstrate thermodynamic, or exergy analysis of industrial processes. First, Chapter 9 deals with the most common energy conversion processes. Then, Chapter 10 presents this analysis for an important industrial separation process, that of propane and propylene. Finally, Chapter 11 analyzes two industrial chemical processes the production of polyethylene. Chapter 12 is included to discuss life cycle analysis in particular its extension into exergetic life cycle analysis, which includes the "fate" or history of the quality of energy. 

Evaluate life cycle analysis of chemical emissions, utilize proper system analysis tools—numerical models, and propose the right economic development solutions for environmental sustainability... 

Figure 2.17a reports in more detail the process simplification possible by biocatalysis in the case of cephalexin synthesis [154]. Figure 2.17b shows the results of a life cycle analysis (Chapter 5) of the old chemical route versus the new white biotech route [154]. The significant improvement in the sustainability of the new process is clearly evidenced. 

A strategic framework for chemical engineers is required, as for example suggested by The Natural Step2 (a good example) or the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)3. As a structured framework, the Natural Step is about the science, life cycle analysis (see Fig. 5). 

Issues in sustainability that fall within the control of chemical engineers include the core elements of The Natural Step and GRI — Life Cycle Analysis and criteria for monitoring performance. These core elements fit well with elements that are... 

Overall, enzyme-initiated polymerization of vinyl monomers represents a promising alternative approach to the established chemical routes. Implementation on the industrial scale will not occur on a short-term but may eventually result in significantly greener production routes (though a full life cycle analysis will be necessary, as enzymatic reactions are not per se greener than their chemical counterparts). Furthermore, it represents another example that enzyme catalysis is not confined to its traditional playgrounds such as chiral molecules. 

Some of the advances in fundamental science that have led to new attitudes and approaches to environmental problems include the use of correlated chemical measurements to investigate environmental processes, development of industrial ecology as a framework for studying issues, use of life-cycle analysis to evaluate the impact of substances in the environment, recognition of the importance of speciation (in contrast to total concentration) of chemical substances, and recognition that a systems approach is often necessary to address complex environmental issues. 

Early life-cycle analysis pollution prevention through alternative chemical processes technologies for water conservation controlled oxidation of organic molecules end-to-end chemical production processes... 

Second, an analysis such as life cycle analysis or environmental impact assessment should be performed on water treatment systems. This analysis should include issues such as treatment plant construction, membrane manufacturing, chemicals consumption, waste production (concentrate streams, sludge, membranes), energy consumption (with the option to apply alternative energies), as well as health aspects and risk assessment. 

How do you measure how "green a chemical reaction or process is What is a life-cycle analysis ... 

Most research on green chemistry and related concepts has taken place in the past 20 years (Figure 1). A search of Chemical Abstracts for key terms related to green chemistry showed that the number of publications for each topic suddenly ramped up starting at a particular year 1980 for biomass conversion and supercritical CO2 , 1996 for life cycle analysis and green chemistry , 1999 for ionic liquids and 2001 for atom economy . 

In acquiring a chemical, it is important to do a life cycle analysis. All costs associated with the progress of each chemical through its lifetime at an institution must be considwed. The purchase cost is only the beginning the handling costs, human as well as financial, and the disposal costs must be taken into account as well. Without close attention to this aspect of managing chemicals in laboratories, orders are not likely to be minimized and unused chemicals can become a significant fraction of the laboratory s hazardous waste. 

LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS FOR CHEMICAL INDUSTRY INTERACTION WITH CARBON AND NITROGEN CYCLES... 

Design for degradation. Chemical products should be designed so that at the end of their function they break down into innocuous degradation products and do not persist in the environment. A life-cycle analysis (beginning to end) will help in understanding its persistence in nature. 

Burgess, A.A. and Brennan, D.J., 2001, Application of Life Cycle Assessment to Chemical Processes, Chemical Engineering Science, 56,2589 — 2604. Masruroh, N.A., 2002, Life Cycle Analysis of a Solar Thermal System with Thermochemical Storage Process, MSc Dissertation, Department of Process Integration, UMIST, Manchester, UK. 

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