Bala Subramaniam
Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/Chemical_Roadmap_2013_Final_WEB.pdf
Energy intensity of Top 18 chemicals
Oxidation C+C bond formation
Cracking
Hydrogenation
• The US chemical industry uses approximately 5 Quads (quadrillion Btu)/yr or 5.9% of US energy use
- 18 products consume 80% of the energy & emit 75% of GHGs • 90% of all chemical processes use catalysts
Chemical targets from shale gas components
Quantitative sustainability analysis-aided discovery and development
• M. Ghanta, “Is the Liquid-Phase H2O2-based Ethylene Oxide Process More Economical and
Greener Than the Gas-Phase O2-based Silver-Catalyzed Process?” Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2013
52 18.
- New technology eliminates CO2 as byproduct but uses H2O2 (more expensive oxidant)
- Is the process economically viable? Does H2O2 usage cancel CO2 elimination as byproduct?
- Yan et al., J. Catal., 2016336, 75; Lu et al., App. Catal. A: Gen., 201651551.
• M. Li et al., “Terephthalic Acid Production Via Greener Spray Process: Comparative
Economic and Environmental Impact Assessment with Mid-Century Process,” ACS Sus Chem Eng. 2014 2 823.
- New technology eliminates hydrogenation step to purify crude TPA, reduces solvent burning - TE/LCA analyses help show clear economic and environmental advantages
Summary
• Switching to NGL feedstocks presents an excellent
opportunity for developing new catalytic technologies that reduce the impact of some of the most energy-intensive chemical processes.
• Techno-economic and LCA analyses of novel catalytic
process concepts for shale gas utilization are essential to rationally guide
- research and process design for practical viability
- business decisions by industry
• Resource-efficient catalytic technologies, that conserve
feedstock and energy, favor both economics (i.e., practical viability) and sustainability.
