Digital Strategies for a Circular Economy

Digital Strategies for a Circular Economy Aspen Technology, Inc.

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WASTEWASTE WASTE WASTE

Circular Economy Impacts the Entire Value Chain

Redesign processes and products to reduce waste and emissions

RECYCLE

RECYCLE

LINEAR LIFECYCLE FLOW

DisposeConsumeDesign &

Manufacture

ExtractRaw

Materials

ENERGY ENERGY ENERGY ENERGY


Circular Economy Impacts the Entire Value Chain

Redesign processes and products to eliminate waste and emissions

CIRCULAR LIFECYCLE

FLOW

Collect

Process

Consume

Design &Manufacture


Resource EfficienciesReduce usage of resources such as energy, water or feedstock

Sustainability Metrics for Process Industries

Energy Transition & DecarbonizationRenewable/alternative

energy sources, biofuels

Circular EconomyWaste reduction, recycling, renewable feedstocks, innovation

Reduce Emissions &

Waste

Metrics to Track Progress

Immediate Progress:

▪ Carbon Intensity

▪ Energy use

▪ Water use

▪ Harmful Emissions: SOX, NOX

▪ Safety (process & people)

▪ % Renewables

▪ Waste diverted from landfill

Long-term Goals:

▪ Net Zero Emissions

▪ Design out Pollution & Waste

▪ Toxic substance elimination


Redesign Products and Processes ▪ Design new processes for less

waste and energy use

▪ Speed scale-up of new high-performance products and processes

Improve Recycling Efficiencies ▪ Optimize recovery process

across the value chain

▪ Develop new Advanced Recycling processes

Integrate renewable, non-toxic feedstocks ▪ Redesign processes to use

bio-based feedstocks

▪ Develop alternatives to toxic chemicals

Technology Solutions for the Circular Economy

Redesign Product and Processes to extend use, eliminate waste and emissions, and integrate renewable feedstocks

Use Renewable Energy for operations ▪ Integrate alternative

energy sources

▪ Optimize processes and operations for alternative energy














Chemical RecyclingCore Processes Can be Modeled With Aspen Plus®

PyrolysisThis process breaks down the macrostructure of the polymer to form smaller molecules at moderate to high temperature. Products can be decomposed into three fractions: gas, liquid and solid residue.

Mechanical and chemical recycling of solid plastic wasteWaste Management, Volume 69, November 2017, Pages 24-58

Advantages

▪ Suitable for highly heterogeneous mixtures of plastics

▪ Simple technology

Challenges

▪ Complex reactions

▪ Requires high volumes to be cost effective

▪ Stable waste supply▪ Co-mingled waste may

lead to emissions challenges (HCl)


Product(s):

CHALLENGE SOLUTION

Circular Economy: Designing Polyester Recycling Process

Evaluate PET Recycling Process

Aspen Plus, Aspen Polymers

Model used as basis for operational changes for significant improvement in plant performance & process design

▪ Evaluate technical & economic feasibility of PET recycling process

▪ Evaluate feedstock blends

▪ Leverage models for process improvements in greenfield

▪ Develop rigorous models for chemical recycling process and downstream separations


Product(s):

CHALLENGE SOLUTION

Reduce CO2 Emissions with Precise Production and Distribution Planning

aspenONE Supply Chain Management Solutions

Reduce CO2

emissions by 160,000 MT

▪ 160,000 MT* less in CO2 emitted in FY2019 enabled by improved distribution and planning solutions ▪ Recycling initiative results 443 kMT less waste landfilled

▪ Provide stable and responsive food distribution in environmentally-friendly, efficient way

▪ Minimize CO2 Emissions

▪ Sell recycled products as an economically sustainable activity

▪ Aspen Supply Chain Plannerprovides a “high degree ofprecision” to production and distribution planning toFPCO’s network

▪ Distribution network utilizesreturning trucks to collectused containers

▪ 19% improvement in FY2019











Product(s):

CHALLENGE SOLUTION

Innovation & Optimization in Methanol Process to Reduce CO2 Emissions

Aspen Plus

New process feasibility & optimization

▪ Target to achieve CO2 -neutral growth by 2030

▪ Power plants and syngas generation identified as largest contributors of CO2

emission

▪ Avoid fired heater normally used in syngas generation

▪ Utilized Aspen Plus to develop and optimize CO2 emission-free methanol production process

– Partial oxidation (POx) for methanol synthesis

– Recovered CO2 recycled into syngas feed

▪ Kinetics developed with Visual Basic and connected through Calculator block

▪ Aspen Plus® was able to support technical feasibility of new methanol production process for carbon-free syn gas generation in alignment with BASF emission targets.

▪ Simulation models were used to improve methanol synthesis and methanol distillation process▪ Model is used in operations to understand key parameters in the reactor, such as heat transfer.


Product(s):

”“CHALLENGE SOLUTION

Accurate performance & economics

Aspen Plus, ACCE , IP.21

Addressing Key Technical and Economic Challenges of Carbon Capture

The rigorous and thermodynamically consistent model was validated with TCM CO2 capture test results, making this a successful platform for design and costing of industrial scale projects.

- Matthew Campbell & Ismail Shah, TCM

▪ Maximize CO2 Capture Performance

▪ Minimize Energy and Solvent Costs of CO2 Capture

▪ Minimize solvent degradation and maximize reclamation

▪ Understand how to control key performance variables

▪ Predict performance and economics of full industrial scale projects

▪ Technology Centre Mongstad is largest test center for carbon capture, capturing both power generation (IGCC) and refining carbon emissions

▪ Aspen Plus Rate-based modeling Approach models the entire Mongstad carbon capture system, validated with plant data

▪ Next step is integrating Aspen Economics for accurate CAPEX estimates











energy sources



Product(s):

CHALLENGE SOLUTION

Multilevel Optimization of a Hydrogen Production Enterprise

Aspen Plus

>1% savings in operating costs

▪ Optimize the entire hydrogen enterprise, from stand-alone plants to large pipeline systems.

▪ Large scope means single optimization problem not tractable

▪ Need same approach and tools for all plants

▪ Single Aspen Plus simulation used for all modes:

– Data Reconciliation, Plant Optimization, MPC Analysis

▪ Plant-level optimization accomplished with:

– Offline Optimization, Sequential-Modular modelling mode using SQP optimizer

▪ Global hydrogen production enterprise has been optimized ▪ Solution possible after splitting into three optimization levels: equipment, plant, enterprise▪ Optimal plant costs then used for Enterprise Optimization








Integrate renewable, non-toxic feedstocks ▪ Redesign processes to use






energy sources



Product(s):

“ ”CHALLENGE SOLUTION

Industrial-scale innovative process to manufacture hand sanitizer with gelling agent made from wood cellulose

Aspen Plus, Aspen Process Economic Analyzer

Fast time-to-market for new process

Moments like the current one demand intense collaboration and agility in the search for solutions that mitigate the effects of the pandemic. - João Bruno Valentim, Coordinator of SENAI Institute for Innovation in Biosynthetics and Fibers

▪ High demand of hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic was an area of opportunity for production

▪ Higher costs of polymer thickening agent (carbomer) increased manufacture costs

▪ Need to quickly scale-up and commercialize innovative process for thickening agent based on renewable feedstock

▪ Technical evaluation for a formula to replace thickening agents in hand sanitizer using micro fibrillated cellulose (MFC) from wood

▪ Technical feasibility of process to manufacture alcohol gel with the same properties, quality and effectiveness

▪ Evaluation of process economics to confirm viability of industrial-scale process


Redesign Products and Processes (Aspen Plus, ACCE)▪ Design new processes for less



Improve Recycling Efficiencies (Aspen Plus, ACCE, Supply Chain)▪ Optimize recovery process



Integrate renewable, non-toxic feedstocks (Aspen Plus)▪ Redesign processes to use





Use Renewable Energy for operations (Aspen Utilities, Aspen Plus) ▪ Integrate alternative

energy sources


Thank You

Documents

Digital Strategies for a Circular Economy