An Integrated Process Analysis for Producing Glycerol Carbonate from CO2 and Glycerol.

Glycerol carbonate (GC) is one of the most attractive green chemicals involved in several applications such as polymer synthesis, e. g., the production of polyurethanes and polycarbonates. This relevant chemical can be produced, in a green way, using CO2 (from carbon capture) and glycerol (a byproduct from biodiesel manufacturing). Therefore, in this work, a comprehensive analysis of the GC production process is conducted based on the following synthesis route: urea-dimethyl carbonate-GC using carbon dioxide and glycerol as the main raw materials where the synthesis pathway was efficiently integrated using Aspen Plus. A techno-economic analysis was performed in order to estimate the required capital investment and operating cost for the whole GC process, providing insights on individual capital cost requirements for the urea, dimethyl carbonate, and GC production sections. A total capital cost of $192.1 MM, and a total operating cost of $225.7 MM/y were estimated for the process. The total annualized cost was estimated as $1,558 USD/t of GC produced, competitive with current market price.

Process Design for Value-Added Products in a Biorefinery Platform from Agro and Forest Industrial Byproducts.

Agroforestry wastes are industrial byproducts available locally such as eucalyptus sawdust (EUC) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB). These byproducts can be used as lignocellulosic raw materials to produce high-value products. This study is a techno-economic analysis of four potential scenarios to produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and levulinic acid (LA) from hemicellulosic sugars by a fermentative pathway in a biomass waste biorefinery. Mass and energy balances were developed, and technical and economic assessments were carried out to obtain gas, char, and tar from residual solids from autohydrolysis treatment. It was determined that microbial culture could be an attractive option for added-value product production. More than 1500 t/year of PHB and 2600 t/year of LA could be obtained by the proposed pathways. Microbial and enzymatic conversion of LA from sugars could significantly improve energy consumption on the conversion strategy. The products from solid residual valorization (char and tar) are the most important for economic performance. Finally, a variation in specific variables could mean substantial improvements in the final indicators of the processes, reaching a higher NPV than USD 17 million.

Comparison by Life-Cycle Assessment of Alternative Processes for Carvone and Verbenone Production.

Verbenone and carvone are allylic monoterpenoid ketones with many applications in the fine chemicals industry that can be obtained, respectively, from the allylic oxidation of α-pinene and limonene over a silica-supported iron hexadecachlorinated phthalocyanine (FePcCl16-NH2-SiO2) catalyst and with t-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant. As there are no reported analyses of the environmental impacts associated with catalytic transformation of terpenes into value-added products that include the steps associated with synthesis of the catalyst and several options of raw materials in the process, this contribution reports the evaluation of the environmental impacts in the conceptual process to produce verbenone and carvone considering two scenarios (SI-raw-oils and SII-purified-oils). The impact categories were evaluated using ReCiPe and IPCC methods implemented in SimaPro 9.3 software. The environmental impacts in the synthesis of the heterogeneous catalyst FePcCl16-NH2-SiO2 showed that the highest burdens in terms of environmental impact come from the use of fossil fuel energy sources and solvents, which primarily affect human health. The most significant environmental impacts associated with carvone and verbenone production are global warming and fine particulate matter formation, with fewer environmental impacts associated with the process that starts directly from turpentine and orange oils (SI-raw-oils) instead of the previously extracted α-pinene and limonene (SII-purified-oils). As TBHP was identified as a hotspot in the production process of verbenone and carvone, it is necessary to choose a more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient oxidizing agent for the oxidation of turpentine and orange oils.

Screening biorefinery pathways to biodiesel, green-diesel and propylene-glycol: A hierarchical sustainability assessment of process.

Plant design implies the best choice among a set of feedstock-to-product process pathways. Multiple sustainability performance indicators can blur the decision, and existing sustainability assessment methods usually focus only on environmental life-cycle performance and corporate metrics or solely on the gate-to-gate process. It is relevant to incorporate integrated system analysis to address sustainability comprehensively. To this end, the Sustainable Process Systems Engineering (S-PSE) method was previously introduced to select the most sustainable feedstock-process-product configuration via four-dimensional indicators (environment, efficiency, health-&-safety, and economic), and then pinpoint the sustainability hotspots of the best design to unveil possible improvements. This work expands S-PSE by adding new features: (i) cradle-to-gate environmental assessment; (ii) composition of flowsheets; (iii) new indicators; (iv) statistical screening of indicators; and (v) 2030 Agenda compliance. A biorefinery case-study demonstrates S-PSE: to select the best pathway from soybean-oil, palm-oil, and microalgae-oil to biodiesel, green-diesel, and propylene-glycol. Firstly, statistical screening reduces the indicator set by 62%. Results evince all routes from microalgae-oil as economically unfeasible due to oil cost, despite superior environmental performance. S-PSE evinces palm-oil-to-biodiesel as the most sustainable due to lower cradle-to-gate emissions and manufacturing cost, with sustainability hotspots associated to hazardous methanol input and energy-intensive distillations. 2030 Agenda analysis also outlines palm-oil-to-biodiesel as best for 5 out of 10 Sustainable Development Goals linked to the reduced indicator set.

Life Cycle Inventory and Assessment Datasets on the Operational Sustainability of the Ammonia Process.

This article presents data affiliated with life cycle inventories, environmental impact and operational sustainability used in, the influence of raw material availability and utility power consumption on the sustainability of the ammonia process [1]. Scenario specific operating conditions were used to simulate the ammonia process based on unique constraints occurring within the Trinidad and Tobago energy sector. The data was collected using AspenⓇ Plus simulations and validated against plant operating data. The data consists of an economic cost evaluation as well as environmental impact using the CML-IA Baseline midpoint approach. The data was derived from life cycle inventories aligned to input/output material and energy flows within the ammonia process as well as life cycle assessment databases utilizing Ecoinvent v3.4. The data can be applied to the wider ammonia supply chain, aiding in achieving greater sustainable development within ammonia-based process industries.

Techno-economic analysis of aniline production via amination of phenol.

The purpose of this research is to demonstrate through a techno-economic assessment that aniline can be industrially produced using a profitable and inherently safer process than the ones currently employed. The aniline production process was designed using process simulation software. From this, the mass and energy balances were determined, the equipment sizing was performed and the net present value (NPV) was calculated to be USD 93.5 million. Additionally, a heat integration analysis was carried out in order to improve process profitability, obtaining a new NPV of USD 97.5 million. The economic sensitivity analysis showed that the process could withstand fixed capital investment changes of up to +89%, weighted average cost of capital changes between 16-24% and a decrease in cyclohexylamine demand of up to 44%. The conceptual design is still profitable when aniline price is varied in a range of 1224-1840 $/t and phenol cost in a range of 815-1178 $/t.

Comparison of Lactic Acid Production by L. casei in Batch, Fed-batch and Continuous Cultivation, Testing the use of Feather Hydrolysate as a Complex Nitrogen Source

Abstract A comprehensive comparison of the main fermentation parameters, productivity, yield and final L-lactic acid concentration, obtained through batch, fed-batch and continuous cultivations using Lactobacillus casei CCDM 198 and a model cultivation medium was carried out. Using this data, a pulse-feed fed-batch process was established for testing chicken feather hydrolysate as a replacement for all complex nitrogen sources (yeast and beef extracts and peptone) in the medium. As comparably high values of productivity (about 4.0 g/L/h) and yield (about 98 %) were reached under all cultivation conditions, the maximum final L-lactic acid concentration (116.5 g/L), as achieved through pulse-feed fed-batch fermentation, was chosen as the most important criterion for process selection. Fed-batch cultivation with chicken feather hydrolysate as both a complex nitrogen source and a neutralizing agent for maintaining constant culture pH yielded half the concentration of L-lactic acid compared to the model medium. We demonstrate here that chicken feather hydrolysate has potential for use in the production of L-lactic acid but its utilization requires further optimization

Perspectives on the integration of a supercritical fluid extraction plant to a sugarcane biorefinery: thermo-economical evaluation of CO2 recycle systems

Abstract In the present study, the software Aspen Plus® was used to analyse two different systems for CO2 recycle in a SFE process for extraction of more polar compounds using ethanol as co-solvent, the most common co-solvent used due to its environment-friendly nature. The extraction process of β-ecdysone from Brazilian ginseng roots was considered as example in the computational simulations. The first CO2 recycle system, named Recycle A, considered the compression of the CO2 separated in the second flash to the recycle pressure assumed at the first flash tank, its cooling to 25 °C and recirculation, while the second recycle system, named Recycle B, considered the cooling and pumping of the CO2 separated in the second flash, its heating to 25 °C and recirculation. The best techno-economic condition to operate the recycling step would be using Recycle A at 40 bar and 30 °C considering a stand-alone SFE process; and using Recycle B at 40 bar and 40 °C, considering this process in close proximity of a hypothetical sugarcane biorefinery. Therefore, these results suggest that the selection where would be located the SFE plant should be taken into account during the first steps of the process design.

Propuesta de proceso de planificación de sistemas de información para la industria biofarmacéutica cubana / Proposal of an information systems planning procedure for the Cuban biopharmaceutical industry

El objetivo del presente trabajo es realizar una propuesta parala planificación de sistemas de información de empresas de la industria biofarmacéutica cubana, mediante el diseño de proceso. Como métodos se emplearon casos de estudio, estándares de modelado de gestión de proceso y de diseño de proceso para facilitar la comprensión de los retos en la planificación objeto de estudio y fundamentar la solución propuesta y sus beneficios. Mediante el diseño de proceso realizado para la planificación de sistemas de información, se definen registros que han facilitado la diferenciación de sistemas de información de sistemas informáticos, la definición de indicadores más precisos y la realización de apreciaciones financieras para la planificación de proyectos de desarrollo de software acorde con las necesidades de la empresa. El proceso de planificación propuesto permite ajustar la evolución de los sistemas de información a las necesidades de la organización, en función del logro de sus objetivos estratégicos(AU)

The paper proposes an information systems planning procedure based on process design for enterprises from the Cuban biopharmaceutical industry. Study cases and process management and design modeling standards were used to facilitate understanding of the challenges posed by the planning of the object of study and to substantiate the solution proposed and its advantages. Based on the process design developed for the planning of information systems, a definition is made of records facilitating differentiation between information systems and computer systems, as well as the description of more accurate indicators and the performance of financial assessments aimed at planning software development projects to meet the needs of the enterprise. The planning procedure proposed makes it possible to adjust the evolution of information systems to the needs of the organization, with a view to achieving its strategic goals(AU)

Propuesta de proceso de planificación de sistemas de información para la industria biofarmacéutica cubana / Proposal of an information systems planning procedure for the Cuban biopharmaceutical industry

El objetivo del presente trabajo es realizar una propuesta parala planificación de sistemas de información de empresas de la industria biofarmacéutica cubana, mediante el diseño de proceso. Como métodos se emplearon casos de estudio, estándares de modelado de gestión de proceso y de diseño de proceso para facilitar la comprensión de los retos en la planificación objeto de estudio y fundamentar la solución propuesta y sus beneficios. Mediante el diseño de proceso realizado para la planificación de sistemas de información, se definen registros que han facilitado la diferenciación de sistemas de información de sistemas informáticos, la definición de indicadores más precisos y la realización de apreciaciones financieras para la planificación de proyectos de desarrollo de software acorde con las necesidades de la empresa. El proceso de planificación propuesto permite ajustar la evolución de los sistemas de información a las necesidades de la organización, en función del logro de sus objetivos estratégicos.

The paper proposes an information systems planning procedure based on process design for enterprises from the Cuban biopharmaceutical industry. Study cases and process management and design modeling standards were used to facilitate understanding of the challenges posed by the planning of the object of study and to substantiate the solution proposed and its advantages. Based on the process design developed for the planning of information systems, a definition is made of records facilitating differentiation between information systems and computer systems, as well as the description of more accurate indicators and the performance of financial assessments aimed at planning software development projects to meet the needs of the enterprise. The planning procedure proposed makes it possible to adjust the evolution of information systems to the needs of the organization, with a view to achieving its strategic goals.

Fulguración con láser de la recidiva de tumores vesicales superficiales bajo anestesia local: diseño de procesos / Laser fulguration of superficial bladder tumor recurrence under local anesthesia. design process

Introduction: The process design is one of the most interesting tools to ensure the quality of health care before the start of an activity. Although the gold standard treatment of superficial bladder tumors remains transurethral resection (TUR), the onset of laser energy source with better endourological systems allows us to adopt alternative therapies. The aim of this pilot study is to describe the design and protocol in 37 patients with a novel process consisting of outpatient treatment under local anesthesia of bladder tumors with holmium laser. Material and Methods: Pilot study includes 37 patients between January 2012 and December 2013, for the development of a process of holmium laser bladder fulguration without anesthetic infiltration in outpatient study. It analyzes and studies the procedure tolerance, development of immediate complications, visual analog scale (VAS) of pain, patient satisfaction, hospital stays avoided, problems during the application process and development. Results: The mean age of the patients was 69.2 +/- 10.3 years, 100 percent of patients prefer this procedure instead conventional transurethral resection and VAS rating presenting ≤ 3. There were no important complications. Only one patient was admitted at hospital due to hematuria resolved without surgical treatment. Conclusions: The development and implementation of fulguration of superficial papillary bladder tumors with holmium laser process is simple, well tolerated, ambulatory and without complications, with no need of hospital stay.

Introducción: El diseño de procesos es una de las herramientas de mayor interés para asegurar la calidad de la asistencia sanitaria antes del comienzo de una determinada actividad. Aunque el gold standard del tratamiento de los tumores vesicales superficiales sigue siendo la resección transuretral (RTU), la aparición de la fuente de energía láser con mejores medios endourológicos nos permite adoptar otras alternativas terapéuticas. El objetivo de este estudio piloto es describir el diseño y protocolo en 37 pacientes de un proceso novedoso consistente en el tratamiento en régimen ambulatorio y bajo anestesia local intravesical de los tumores de vejiga con láser de holmium. Material y Métodos: Estudio piloto que incluye 37 pacientes entre enero de 2012 y diciembre de 2013, para la elaboración de un proceso de fulguración vesical con láser de holmium sin infiltración anestésica en régimen ambulatorio. Se analiza y estudia tolerancia al procedimiento, desarrollo de complicaciones inmediatas, escala visual analógica (EVA) del dolor, satisfacción del paciente, estancias hospitalarias evitadas, problemas durante la aplicación del proceso y desarrollo del mismo. Resultados: La edad media de los pacientes fue 69,2 +/- 10,3 años, presentando puntuación EVA ≤ 3. No existieron complicaciones importantes. Hubo un ingreso por hematuria tardía que se resolvió de forma conservadora. Conclusiones: La elaboración y aplicación del proceso de fulguración de tumores vesicales papilares superficiales con láser holmium es una técnica sencilla, con buena tolerancia, ambulatoria y sin complicaciones de interés, con eliminación de estancias hospitalarias.