Paving the way for the integration of synthesis, assessment, and design tools within an ontological framework

Abstract

The constant development of new alternatives to treat waste aids in closing material loops towards the circular economy and improving sustainability through the use of new renewable materials and energy. This fact leads to the increasing need for decision-making tools for process synthesis and assessment, which can be addressed with an integrated framework that employs ontologies for knowledge management and optimization tools to perform a hierarchical assessment of alternatives. The systematization of these procedures raises the need for tools to automate techno-economic and life cycle analyses. In this work, such a challenge is addressed through the additional integration of add-on modules such as the CapEx-Opex estimation tools and surrogate modeling within this framework. A case study on plastic waste is proposed with the inclusion of several pyrolysis and gasification alternatives. Results show pyrolysis, followed by the subsequent purification of its products, as the best alternative and helped identify main drivers for technologies feasibility such as feedstock purity and energy consumption.