Intensified production of zeolite A: Life cycle assessment of a continuous flow pilot plant and comparison with a conventional batch plant

This study investigates on the environmental impact of an intensified technology for the manufacturing of Zeolite A, one of the largest zeolites employed worldwide by volume and value. The technology under consideration is an oscillatory continuous‐flow synthesis, developed industrially by Arkema, and currently at pilot‐scale. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used in this work to measure the sustainability of this emerging technology in an anticipatory fashion, before its full deployment, with the aim of driving the process development toward the minimization of the environmental footprint. The assessment explores the full life‐cycle of the production system and comprises comparative analysis, scenario analysis, and a hotspot analysis. Finally, the continuous‐flow technology is benchmarked against the environmental impact of a conventional batch production of zeolite A, based on a full‐scale commercial plant. The results evidence that significant benefits would stem from shifting from batch to continuous‐flow production. The comparative analysis reveals that the extent of the latter advantages depends on the impact category under consideration and directs the next steps of CF system's process development toward pivotal aspects such as the recirculation system to further reduce the system's environmental impacts. Regardless of the chosen production technology, a large share of the total environmental impact hinges on the production of NaOH, a building block of the synthesis, and hence is hardly mitigatable. On the whole, the findings of this work emphasize the need of prioritizing LCA during the development phase of emerging technologies and underline its efficacy to prevent waste of resources and capitals.