Title: Sustainability assessment of chemical processes via sustainability evaluator in conjunction with Aspen HYSYS

Authors: M.R. Aliff Radzuan; T.A. Faizal; Nor Zalina Kasim; A.H. Norfazilah

Addresses: Malaysia Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering Technology, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Lot 1988, Kawasan Perindustrian, Bandar Vendor, 78000 Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia ' Malaysia Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering Technology, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Lot 1988, Kawasan Perindustrian, Bandar Vendor, 78000 Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia ' Malaysia Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering Technology, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Lot 1988, Kawasan Perindustrian, Bandar Vendor, 78000 Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia ' Malaysia Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering Technology, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Lot 1988, Kawasan Perindustrian, Bandar Vendor, 78000 Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia

Abstract: One of the crucial problems that engineers in the industry are dealing with today is considering sustainability in chemical process. The simulation of DME processes comprises two reaction routes; methanol and natural gas. Both processes were simulated in Aspen HYSYS with the same production rate and purity level. Prior to that, costs and mass and energy balance from Aspen HYSYS for both processes were imputed to the sustainability evaluator (SE). SE is used for sustainability evaluation of a process during the early stage of design that addressed the three dimensions of sustainability; economic, environment, and social. The impact score is ranging from 0 to 1. Based on the results obtained, the SUI produced from the SE revealed production via methanol was the most sustainable process compared to production via natural gas with a value of 0.13 and 0.31, respectively.

Keywords: assessment; Aspen HYSYS; sustainability evaluator; dimethyl ether; DME.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2021.112948

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2021 Vol.27 No.2, pp.147 - 158

Received: 10 Feb 2019
Accepted: 29 Aug 2019
Published online: 11 Feb 2021 *

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