A Hierarchical Methodology for Chemical Process Design Based on Life Cycle Assessment

Considering environmental impacts in the design phase of chemical processes is one of the greatest challenges for the chemical industry. In this work, we propose a systematic process design procedure that incorporates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as an environmental metric in addition to the conventional economic optimization. Integration Definition Function Modeling (IDEF0) is used to represent the hierarchical methodology. IDEF0 defines each step of the activities, the information required, and the tools needed, and enables a systematic and at the same time transparent definition of the complex process design procedure. This leads to the systematic integration of tools that are conventionally available but separately existing in each field, such as the process simulator and LCA tools. A case study on the design of chemical recycling processes of beverage PET bottles is used to demonstrate the proposed approach.