Chapter 2 - Process intensification and sustainability

Abstract

Facing numerous challenges such as minimizing energy and waste generation or improving economic as well as environmental metrics, the chemical industry constantly seeks new solutions to fulfill ever-evolving demands. Process intensification (PI) has received significant attention, due to its potential to realize innovative and more sustainable processes. In practice, PI has been characterized by novel equipment designs that produce dramatic process improvements including reduction in size, waste production, energy consumption, and process safety. Biomass-based chemical building blocks are being used more to replace fossil-fuel–based chemicals. It is hoped that these sustainable alternatives will reduce dependence on fossil feedstocks for chemicals, materials and fuel, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout production chains. The intensification of chemical engineering process, in the production of bio-based chemical building blocks, has the characteristics to provide more cost savings, less energy consumption, emissions and pollutants reduction, higher-quality products with safety constraints consideration. It is a new green chemical technology that can significantly reduce the size of the equipment. Furthermore, it has advantages of high efficiency, energy saving, and clean, therefore can promote green sustainable development in the area of chemical bioblocks.