Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
15
Opportunities for Energy Saving from
Intensified Process Technologies in the
Chemical and Processing Industries
Dena Ghiasy and Kamelia Boodhoo
School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced Materials,
Newcastle University, UK
15.1
Introduction
In 2010 the UK industrial sector consumed more than 27.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent,
accounting for 18% of the total final energy spending [1]. Businesses are motivated to
reduce their energy consumption due to the associated economical and environmental
benefits, as well as the obligation to comply with legislations currently in place to cut CO
2
emissions. Energy savings in the chemical industry, which is the largest energy-consuming
industrial subsector, can be achieved by improving the existing processes, commercializing
new processes and novel technologies and making use of renewable energy sources,
recycling, waste minimization and so on.
Process intensification (PI) has been identified as a powerful tool for drastically reducing
the energy consumption of chemical processes. In the context of potential energy savings,
Neelis et al. [2] estimate that energy loss from poor selectivity in conventional processes
accounts for 500 PJ worldwide each year. Therefore, with increased selectivity being one
of the highlighted benefits of PI, technologies derived from intensification principles
may be exploited to increase the energy efficiency of processes across a range of sectors.
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