Evaluating the economics and environmental friendliness of conceptual designs for new and retrofitted chemical processes

Abstract

This work describes a method for using spreadsheet analyses of process designs and retrofits to provide simple and quick economic and environmental evaluations simultaneously. The method focuses attention onto those streams and components that have the largest monetary values and potential environmental impacts. Through example processes, including the hydrodealkylation of toluene and the pyrolysis of dichloroethane, results show that alternative processes are easy to evaluate. The method reveals its power from the simple and quick results that are obtained. Thus, the method allows one to focus on more than just economics and meeting environmental regulations and to free time for considering aspects of pollution prevention.