Economic aspect of environmentally sustainable processes and implementation of the zero-emission concept in the chemical industry

Abstract

One of the key issues in the field of process systems engineering is the issue of sustainability. In addition to economic and energy efficiency, the processes must also be environmentally sustainable, which will minimize the harmful impact on the environment. For this purpose, various methods are used that are based on the use of process heuristics, thermodynamic analysis and mathematical programming. In a systematic way, they enable the identification of places of inefficient use of raw materials, water and energy, as well as minimizing the discharge of waste streams from the process, while respecting the principles of reuse, regeneration, recirculation and prevention of pollution at source. From all the above, it can be concluded that systemic methods are of great importance in the development of environmentally sustainable processes and the implementation of the concept of zero emissions in the chemical industry. The paper presents the possibility of obtaining a conceptual solution in which the complete integration of water in the process (zero liquid discharge) is achieved on a concrete example of designing and optimizing an integrated water network based on superstructure and mathematical programming.