Efficiency and Sustainability in the Chemical Process Industry

Part IV, "Sustainability" (Chapters 13 through 18), deals with the topics of sustainable development, efficiency, and sustainability in the chemical process industry and a very topical topic, carbon dioxide (C02). The sense and nonsense of green chemistry and biofuels is expounded in this part as well, followed by solar energy conversion and musings on hydrogen in the final chapter of this part. 

Using classic thermodynamic principles as the point of departure, this new edition of a popular resource supplies the understanding and tools required to measure process efficiency and sustainability with much improved accuracy. Exploring the driving forces in the chemical and power industries, Efficiency and Sustainability in the Energy and Chemical Industries Scientific Principles and Case Studies, Second Edition investigates why losses occur and explains how to reduce such losses. 

Unlike the majority of bulk chemicals, most pharmaceuticals are very complex organic molecules that have to be constructed using multiple synthetic steps, often involving the isolation and purification of intermediate products. As a consequence, process efficiency has historically been very low [28]. In recent years, driven by both cost and sustainability issues, the research pharmaceutical companies have become industry leaders in the introduction of Green Chemistry and technology techniques into their process design. The implementation of environmental legislation such as this directive provides a further stimulus. 

This book answers this question for industrial processes, in particular those in the energy and chemical industry. Having a long experience in joint efforts with industry and with teaching, the authors use the fundamental laws of thermodynamics as a point of departure. They contrast the present industrial society with the emerging metabolic society, in which mass production and consumption are in harmony with the natural environment through closure of material cycles. These are ultimately driven by the primary new energy source, the sun. This book provides keys to a quantification of process efficiency and sustainability. This is illustrated in case studies, examples, and problems. 

Innovation is the key issue in today s chemical process industries. The main directions are sustainability and process intensification. Sustainability means in the first place the efficient use of raw materials and energy close to the theoretical yields. By process intensification the size of process plants is considerably reduced. The integration of several tasks in the same unit, as in reactive separations, can considerably simplify the flowsheet and decrease both capital and operation costs. 

The combination of molecular separation with a chemical reaction, or membrane reactors, offers important new opportunities for improving the production efficiency in biotechnology and in the chemical industry. With regard to the future of biotechnology and pharmaceutical processes, the availability of new high-temperature-resistant membrane contactors offers an important tool for the design of alternate production systems appropriate for sustainable growth. 

In the today s economic and social environment, Chemical Process Industries are asked to discover innovative solutions that are not only economically efficient, but also sustainable. Production-integrated environmental protection implies that ecological issues are included in the conceptual design methodology. Besides economic efficiency, metrics for ecological and sustainability performance must be included in assessing the quality of a design solution. 

A solution to these problems is to improve the reactor the membrane slurry. In the membrane slurry reactor concept, separation and heat transfer are integrated within the chemical reactor by means of manbranes and heat exchanger tubes. This enables better control of process conditions and a more efficient use of the catalyst. Thus catalyst loss can be prevented and the lifetime extended. A much more important benefit is, however, that the membrane slurry reactor can bring the use of more selective (enzymatic) catalysts and selective product recovery within reach, leading to more efficient nse of raw materials, reduction of the amount of unwanted side products and emissions and optimisation of the quality of the main product. The membrane slnrry reactor thns forms an important step in the transition process towards a more sustainable, green chemical industry. 

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