Mass integration is a holistic approach to the optimal allocation, generati
on, and separation of streams and species. It addresses pollution using a c
ombination of strategies including manipulation of process equipment, struc
tural changes in the flowsheet, rerouting of streams and addition of new un
its. In the past, systematic mass integration techniques were developed to
determine optimal strategies for the recycle and separation of process stre
ams. The purpose of this paper is to introduce two novel contributions that
can greatly expand the scope of mass integration for pollution prevention.
First, maximum achievable pollution targets will be determined ahead of de
sign and with little input data. In? this context, we will illustrate the u
se of interval arithmetic to determine these targets. Second, pollution pre
vention through unit manipulation will be addressed. The devised interval-b
ased targets posess the attractive feature that they are global regardless
of the nonlinearity nature of the process model. These new concepts are ill
ustrated with a case study. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser
ved.