Life Cycle Metrics

Analysis of the solid and liquid process waste streams clearly indicates that the MCC process offers environmental benefits compared with the chemical resolution procedure. To generate data for the cradle-to-grave emissions and impacts, a streamlined life cycle assessment of all of the processes was performed using the Fast Lifecycle Assessment for Synthetic Chemistry, FLASC . 

The data generated by ELASC on the four routes to radafaxine were supported and confirmed by independent analysis of process waste streams, and are summarized in Table 10.3 and Eigure 10.7. 

The data clearly indicated that the use of route 4 for the synthesis of radafaxine had several advantages, for example, lower Mass Intensity and greater Mass Efficiency, in comparison to the DKR procedure, route 3. 

Route RME (%) Mass intensity (kg/kg) Mass efficiency (%) FLASC score Solvent score % Improvement compared to T  

Life cycle metrics Route 1 Route 3 (DKR) Route 4 (Mcq % Reduction comparing route 4 with route 1 % Reduction comparing route 4 with route 3 

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I 70 The Development of an Environmentally Sustainable Process for Radafaxine Table 10.4 Life cycle metrics. 

There are members of the staff working on catalysis, solvents, bioprocesses, patents and technology evaluation and management. Their lectures are complemented by talks given by specialists on life cycles, metrics, biorefineries, ethics, synthetic biology, etc., as well as examples of projects with specific industrial applications. A list of invited speakers is given in Table 14.2. Talks given by invited speakers are followed by a question and answer period and their implications are discussed in subsequent classes. 

Including water in mass metrics can be a somewhat contentious issue at times. Water by itself does not, in many instances, constitute a significant environmental impact. However, in the case of highly purified water there are generally significant life-cycle impacts related to the chemicals and equipment used to purify the water. This is especially true for such industries as the semi-conductor industry, pharmaceuticals and some... 

The QMS and the processes that comprise it must be custom designed for the needs of the business. One size does not fit all situations. The requirements of an enterprise vary across sites and the phases of a product life cycle. A comprehensive system will ensure a holistic programmatic approach in its support to the enterprise. This does not mean that every phase of the product life cycle (discovery, development, commercial manufacturing) will utilize all the processes that comprise the system. Nor does it require that all commercial manufacturing sites will necessarily implement all processes. It does, however, provide a common platform and expectation for all processes, owners, metrics review programs, continuous improvement efforts, and the like when they are implemented. 

This comprehensive approach allows for efficient integration between processes, different phases of product life cycle, and integration between different sites in the supply chain. This integration provides opportunity for efficiency in that process owners are integrated with each other s needs and expectations. Duplication of effort is avoided and efficiencies gained. Quality outputs from one process become reliable inputs into the next process. Management and leadership will have access and insight into compliance, infrastructure, and performance metrics of all processes on a comparable basis. This provides leadership the opportunity for risk-based resource allocation to appropriate areas of the enterprise. 

A quality management system s process should follow a standard Six Sigma process improvement life cycle that includes the following steps define (process and metrics), measure and control (identify problems and issues), analyze (analyze problems and issues), and improve (implement) circling back to measure and control [11]. An example of a process improvement life cycle can be seen in Figure 9. 

Figure 2.3 Examples of Life Cycle Inventory and Assessment (LCI and LCIA) metrics.

Diagnostic indicators such as indicator species and community metric approaches are useful in extrapolation between smaller test units to landscapes and between landscapes themselves. The use of these indicators in extrapolation can be improved by constructing databases with information on the life-cycle characteristics of species, their occurrence and mobility in the landscape, and their sensitivity to the chemicals of concern. In the extrapolation of site-specific ecological impacts of chemical stressors, it is important to use more than one indicator to increase the discriminatory power of identifying impaired sites and to reduce the possibility of false negatives (type 2 errors, in which responses are present but not observed). 

The measure for assessing the sustainability of a process design should consider the complete manufacturing supply chain over the predictable plant life cycle. The metrics should be simple, understandable by a larger public, useful for decisionmaking agents, consistent and reproducible. The metrics described below [3] have... 

Sustainability metrics can be used as decision-support instruments. Among the most important tools in life-cycle analysis of processes we mention ... 

Safety Considerations, Life Cycle Assessment and Green Metrics... 

Why is Life Cycle Assessment important 13) How can analytical techniques be used to follow the course of a reaction 14) What is the Toxics Release Inventory 15) What are green metrics Are mass and energy good enough indicators of environmental impact 16)... 

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