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Sustainability metrics for eco-technologies assessment, Part II. Life cycle analysis

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Abstract

This work presents a sustainability analysis of CO2 reuse to produce dimethyl carbonate (DMC) via ethylene oxide (ROUTE A) and via urea methanolysis (ROUTE B). Two different technologies are considered in ROUTE A: reaction followed by separation and reactive distillation. Life cycle analyses of the ROUTES are presented employing sustainability analysis performed in HYSYS process simulator, along with WAR Algorithm. Process economical optimization is performed to maximize the processes profitability. A sustainability function, defined as a 2D indicator involving both economical and environmental aspects, is calculated for the optimized processes. Additional sustainability indexes are evaluated: material index, energy index, and ecoefficiency. The results, under both economical and environmental aspects, show that ROUTE A is the most sustainable. The study also points to the relevance of the frontier set between the domains cradle-to-gate and gate-to-gate in assessing process sustainability during LCA.

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Abbreviations

K :

Arrhenius pre-exp. factor

E A :

Activation energy

N :

Column’s number of trays

x i,top :

Molar fraction of component i in distillate

x i,bot :

Molar fraction of component i in bottoms

reci,top :

Molar fraction of component i recovered in distillate

reci,bot :

Molar fraction of component i recovered in bottoms

V :

Volume (m³)

SF i :

Sustainability function of route i

P i :

Profit of route (US$/year)

T i :

Temperature of stream i (°C)

EI i :

Environmental impact of route i (PEI/y)

EIm,i :

Modified environmental impact of route i (PEI/y)

ω P :

Weight of function P (year/US$)

ω EI :

Weight of function EI (year/PEI)

ω k :

Weighting factor associated to function k

M CO2,i :

Mass of CO2-eq emitted in route i (kg)

M product,i :

Mass product obtained in route i (kg)

C :

Equipment cost (US$)

Fc :

Correction factor

H :

Equipment height (ft)

D :

Equipment diameter (ft)

M&S:

Marshall and Swift index

A :

Heat transfer area (ft²)

LD50 :

Median lethal dose

M :

Material index

E :

Energy index (kJ/kg)

ε :

Ecoefficiency

p :

Products mass flow (kg/h)

rm:

Raw materials mass flow (kg/h)

e :

Energy consumption (kJ/h)

ec:

Economical indicator

en:

Environmental indicator

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Engenharia Química, Escola de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Horácio Macedo, 2030, Edifício do Centro de Tecnologia, Bloco E, sala 209, Cidade Universitária, 21941-909, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Juliana Garcia Moretz-Sohn Monteiro, Ofélia de Queiroz Fernandes Araújo & José Luiz de Medeiros

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  1. Juliana Garcia Moretz-Sohn Monteiro
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  2. Ofélia de Queiroz Fernandes Araújo
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  3. José Luiz de Medeiros
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Correspondence to Ofélia de Queiroz Fernandes Araújo.

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Monteiro, J.G.MS., de Queiroz Fernandes Araújo, O. & de Medeiros, J.L. Sustainability metrics for eco-technologies assessment, Part II. Life cycle analysis. Clean Techn Environ Policy 11, 459–472 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-009-0205-8

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