A Method for Chemical Process Sustainability Evaluation and Design

This contribution describes the GREENSCOPE methodology for the quantitative assessment and modeling of process sustainability. GREENSCOPE provides a sustainability evaluation by employing a set of indicators capable of transmitting and translating process performance, feedstocks, utilities, equipment, and output information into a sustainability measurement scale. These process characteristics (indicators) are categorized in the areas of environment, efficiency (material), energy, and economics. Thus, existing or in-development new processes can be evaluated according to their relative indicator scores, and process modifications can strive towards realizable targets.
Finally, the manufacture of biodiesel is undertaken as a case study to demonstrate and describe a successful implementation and use of GREENSCOPE for a sustainability performance assessment. Results from this study show the positive features of this process and identify opportunities for sustainability improvement during the production of this important biofuel. Therefore, GREENSCOPE is proposed as a fundamental tool for evaluating and designing more sustainable chemical processes.