Chemical Engineering August 2011 - 52

'R&D foR gReen' - Some iDeaS on how to focuS R&D
activitieS on key enviRonmental challengeS
Environmental Manager
munity, stockholders and competitors.
Together, these drivers create tremendous
pressure for companies to carry
out their operations in a more environmentally
friendly way.
For the chemical process industries
(CPI), it might not be precise to talk
about " clean processes " as the word
" clean " implies zero emissions which,
being an admirable stretch goal, is
not always a practical goal for these
industries. Similarly, by definition,
the CPI routinely handle flammable,
volatile and hazardous materials and
operate at high pressures and extreme
temperatures, so in spite of their accomplishments
in the green arena, it
is much more difficult for them to be
perceived as green companies compared
to, for example, a company in
the software business.
Perhaps for those reasons, some
people have a negative perception -
or at least one that is not as positive
compared to other industries - of the
CPI. Unfortunately, many in the general
public are relatively unaware of
the contributions that these industries
bring to society, and many may not
fully realize that our lives would be
dramatically changed if we attempted
to eliminate chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals
and other CPI products
from everyday life.
However, regardless of their contributions
to society, the CPI can and
must talk about becoming cleaner and
greener. While setting a goal of zero
is achievable as far as zero personal
injuries, zero process safety incidents
and zero accidents are concerned, for
some other metrics (such as emissions
and other waste streams), setting a
goal of zero might be too aggressive
or even unrealistic [1]. Nonetheless,
striving for zero is an easy-to-visualize,
symbolic goal, which can give
way to more-specific goals for different
functions (an example of a valid
goal for manufacturing would be
to achieve zero waste due to operational
mistakes).
For operators throughout the chemical
process industries (CPI). operating
in a more environmentally sustainable
way also brings some intangible benefits.
These include improved company
image and brand recognition, better
acceptance and support by customers
* Work on issues that have a large impact to society and focus on delivering practical
solutions. These include air pollution, CO2 emissions, carbon capture and storage,
renewable energy sources, food production (including pest control to minimize
crop losses), water supply, and quick and economic mass production of vaccines
and drugs
* Develop new production processes that provide competitive advantages from the resource-usage
point of view, including higher yields, reduced waste and vent streams,
reduced energy consumption, reduced raw material usage, minimized environmental
impact and more
* Develop new production processes with competitive advantages from the safety point
of view. These include processes that do not require dangerous raw materials or intermediates,
can operate at lower pressures or temperatures and more
* Consider biotechnology-based routes or other non-traditional processes that could
result in the benefits described above [4, 5]
* Develop new biodegradable plastics and develop processes for the commercially viable
production of them [1]
* Develop processes that use renewable raw materials
* Consider new or improved catalyst systems to improve efficiency, reduce byproducts
or costs, or provide other competitive advantages [6]
* Consider different technology options that could eliminate some process steps
* Consider different chemical routes, including raw material changes
* Consider utilization of byproducts from other processes as raw materials
* Consider membrane-based separation routes as an alternative to distillation and other
energy-intensive separation techniques
* Include environmental considerations in the selection of any solvents required by
the process
* Replace organic solvents with water [1], where possible
and by society in general, enhanced
trust by regulating agencies, enhanced
employee morale (in general, people
like to work for noble causes and companies
that they can feel proud of),
improved stockholder acceptance [2],
and more. These intangibles become
very important when we consider that
the " book value " of most companies is
typically much lower than their market
capitalization - one big difference
being the intangible aspects of the
company's image and reputation.
Why chemical engineering?
Becoming green requires the best engineering
minds, especially the best
chemical engineering minds, and commitment
from the entire organization.
Engineering is all about practicality,
improving living conditions and finding
solutions to challenges. Excellent
understanding of the chemical
engineering fundamentals are key to
helping industrial operations to
become greener.
In particular, when it comes to environmental
health and safety (EH&S)
activities - specifically those related
to improving safety and minimizing
all forms of emissions - chemical
engineers are in an ideal position to
contribute to the development and implementation
of technologically sound,
cost-effective solutions.
42 ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com august 2011
❏
Green initiatives represent a big
and growing business, so the opportunities
in that area for innovative
companies and innovative engineers
are gigantic, with some sources saying
that environmental initiatives will
create a business opportunity in the
order of trillions of dollars for this decade
[2].
'Green R&D,' 'R&D for green'
" Green R&D " and " R&D for green "
represent two different concepts. The
former deals with making sure that
green considerations are taken into
account during R&D work; the latter
deals with the tremendous R&D opportunities
that exist to make all types
of activities throughout the CPI more
environmentally sustainable. There
are two types of examples of R&D for
green, as follows:
* In certain cases, the use of moredirect
chemistry routes can reduce
the number of intermediate stages required,
which can, in turn, minimize
or even eliminate additional reactions,
additional byproducts or waste
streams, and may curtail the overall
number of operations required (with
related reductions in waste generation
and energy consumption)
* Developing innovative processes
and products that address environmental
problems can provide many
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Chemical Engineering August 2011

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