Process Design for Waste Minimization

From the PFS the overall mass balance can be calculated water should be included in this since it is of vital importance in energy-balance calculations, determining distillation efficiencies and in assessing waste treatment options. From evaluation of the flow sheets the various routes can be compared in terms of  

Total solvents recovered for recycle = Y Total waste = Z 

This will normally lead to a narrowing down of the possible routes and will lead to in-depth questioning of the process. Typical questions may include  

Can we use an alternative to solvent 1, whieh is volatile and is lost from the process in significant quantities  

Reaction 1 is fairly energy intensive, slow and expected to produce only a moderate yield. Is there an alternative  

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