Process Systems Engineering
at Louisiana State University

Project: Development and Analysis of New, Sustainable Technologies for the Chemical Industry

Student: Debalina Sengupta
Advisor: Ralph W. Pike

The objective of this research is to expand the capabilities of the Chemical Complex Analysis System to include cogeneration, risk assessment, and assessment of environmental consequences from the production of nanomaterials. Using this System, research results include a new methodology developed to evaluate integrating new plants into an existing chemical production complex based on total cost assessment (the triple bottom line incorporated economic, environmental and sustainable costs). This System is an interactive Windows based program that incorporates total cost assessment and EPA’s environmental impact (pollution index) methodology.

The System was developed by industry-university collaboration to be used by engineers to develop new products from plants that are energy efficient and environmentally acceptable. It has been applied to and validated using an agricultural chemical complex with ten multiple plant production units in the lower Mississippi River corridor, and new carbon dioxide consuming plants incorporated in the complex can reduced carbon dioxide emissions and reduced sustainable costs.

Research is underway to refine the conceptual design of two processes for the commercial production of carbon nanotubes using the System. Carbon nanotubes (CNT), discovered in 1991, have huge potential for the development of advanced material and new products across many fields. Currently, carbon nanotubes are produced in the laboratory and in batch pilot plants at a cost of $100 per gram. If processes to manufacture carbon nanotubes are going to be commercially successful, they must be designed to satisfy economic, environmental and sustainable requirements. There has been essentially no research reported on evaluating the potential of batch or continuous processes for producing carbon nanotubes, much less than considering the potential environmental impact of the hazardous wastes produced from purifying the products and emissions from the energy-intensive, carbon consuming chemical reactors. We have completed the conceptual design of two 5,000 metric tons per year carbon nanotube plants based on laboratory results using high pressure carbon monoxide with iron carbonyl and cobalt–molybdenum catalyst. The economic price was $30 per kg which competes with carbon fibers, and total cost and life cycle assessments are being conducted to establish and improve the CNT process sustainability using the System.

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