Life Cycle Inventory Assessment as a Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering Education Tool

Chemists and chemical engineers are involved in and responsible for the life of a product from the discovery stage to manufacturing, market introduction, and end of life. They participate in and contribute to all segments of the supply chain, from cradle to grave. In the industrial sector, they work hand in hand with other professionals in engineering, business, intellectual property, and environmental safety and health. To better prepare students to understand industry-focused grand challenges and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the enterprise, we designed a course for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the Schools of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The pilot class of 26 students was introduced to chemical manufacturing, the eight sustainability grand challenges, intellectual property, regulatory and registration, and process hazard and safety. Invited speakers from industries such as Albemarle, BASF, Dow, ExxonMobil, GSK, Solvay, and PepsiCo presented their companies’ approach to sustainability. Life cycle inventory (LCI) assessment of an existing product in the market was the main thrust of course, whereby student teams were charged to develop a virtual manufacturing process based on their review of patented literature. The groups completed nine LCI assessment projects, and by applying mass metrics and GC&E principles, they offered recommendations for rendering the processes more sustainable. This perspective presents the course objectives, approach, LCI methodology, results, conclusions, and lessons learned.