A methodology for chemical process route selection based on assessment of inherent environmental hazard

At the preliminary design stage of chemical plant development and design the choice of the chemical process route is the key decision. Methods are lacking for assessing routes for environmental friendliness. The Environmental Hazard Index (EHI) allows routes to be ranked by the estimated environmental impact of a total release of chemical inventory. The EHI is a function of the environmental effects of these chemicals and their estimated inventory in a plant that, if designed and built, would implement the route. The lower the EHI the more environmentally friendly a route is. The index has been tested on six potential and established routes to Methyl Methacrylate (MMA).