(165e) Decision-Making Framework for Batch Process Design Including Different Stages of Environmental, Health and Safety Ehs Assessment

In recent years, many chemical companies have adopted the
concept of sustainable development as a core business value. With focus on
early phases of batch process design, we present a novel design framework that
comprises four stages of process modeling and multiobjective evaluation
considering monetary and non-monetary aspects. Each stage is characterized by
the available information, e.g. reaction route, yield, reaction time,
separation scheme and scheduling, as a basis for process modeling and assessment.
Appropriate modeling approaches, and evaluation indicators for economy,
life-cycle environmental impacts, EHS hazard and technical aspects are selected
for each defined stage. The proposed framework is demonstrated on the design of
a 4-(2-methoxyethyl)-phenol process: considering seven synthesis routes, the
framework is mimicked step-by-step, to select the route with the best
multiobjective performances and to produce an optimized process flowsheet. As a
validation of the framework, evaluation profile of several routes over all
stages are compared, and crucial points are identified that should be estimated
considerably well in early stages of the framework.

Keywords

Early development phase; design framework; environment,
health and safety (EHS); life-cycle assessment (LCA); batch process; 4-(2-methoxyethyl)-phenol.