SIMULATION OF PROCESS CHAINS AND RECYCLING STRATEGIES FOR CARBON-BASED MATERIALS USING A CONVENTIONAL PROCESS SIMULATOR

in the field of non-energy use of fossil fuels, energy and material fl ows are very complex. We developed a process chain model to understand the interlinkages and the resulting CO2 emissions of such a system. T his work aims to assess the implications of structural changes in prod uction processes together with recycling strategies and production rat es. The model is based on data for West Germany in 1989. Starting from an Excel spreadsheet model for mass flows we began to transfer our mo del to a conventional process simulator in order to test the optimizin g capabilities and the balance options for material and energy flows. Due to the complexity of the task, we tested the usefulness of the sim ulator for the envisioned purposes using a small example for the produ ction of PVC. The first results of a sensitivity study and an optimiza tion run for recycling strategies are presented, Finally, the advantag es and disadvantages of using a process simulator for the modelling of process chains is discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right s reserved.