The Environmental Analysis of Polymers Process

The Environmental Analysis of Polymers Process

Author: Ibrahim Altuwair

The  chemical  industrial  processes  with  their  energy intensive  production  methods  and  unpleasant  image  have  become  “business  as  usual”. Polycarbonate  (PC)  is  one  example  of  energy  intensive  methods  that  has  become  one  of  the  largest  industrial processes.  Moreover, a large number of hazardous chemicals are used throughout its manufacturing stages. This study is concerned with environmental aspects of PC production. It investigates life cycle based environmental performance evaluation of supercritical fluid (SCF) Application to PC production, more specifically  in  i) Environmental  performance  assessment  of  SFC  as  chlorinating  alternative  and  ii)  Environmental  performance Assessment of plasticizing  scenario  as  stabilizing  step  in  the  PC  production.  The  advantages  of  using  SCF  are  tied  to  the  cleaner  aspects  of  the  technology, minimization  of  raw  materials  and  energy  demand,  reduction  of  emissions  and  effluent  discharge  into  the  environment  and  maximization  of environmental  benefits.  Environmental  performance  of  polycarbonates  production  by  SCF  was  compared  with  that  of  traditional  production methods. It was observed that supercritical fluid technology has an impact on the emissions reduction compared with traditional methods. This research contributes to  understanding  the  challenges  that  the  industry  of  polycarbonate  production  will  face  in  the  future  where  the  chemical emissions are increased resulting from production and energy consumptions.

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