Recycling Course of Improvement with Built-in Life Cycle Evaluation – A Case Research on Oxygen Transport Membrane Materials

The transformation in direction of a round financial system primarily based on sustainable applied sciences requires future-oriented supplies growth, which considers supplies recycling with a minimal environmental affect (EI). This calls for a holistic method in direction of supplies design, together with a mixed evaluation of practical and environmental efficiency. Scientific strategies for environmental evaluation, e.g., life cycle evaluation (LCA), are nicely established however hardly ever built-in into the chemical course of growth at early levels. Consequently, sustainability claims usually lack scientific verification. Right here, we check the method of integrating a screening LCA into the event of a chemical (recycling) course of. As a related use case, we chosen the lately developed oxygen transport membrane (OTM) materials (La_0.9Ca_0.1)₂Ni_0.75Cu_0.25O_4±δ (LCNC). An preliminary LCA recognized the consumption of main steel nitrates as a serious contributor to the EI of the first synthesis. To handle this difficulty, a Pechini-based chemical recycling course of for LCNC was developed, which entails microwave-heated dissolution and subsequent re-gelation. Experimental outcomes reveal the synthesis of recycled LCNC powder with primary-like properties, comparable response behaviour, and > 96 % yield. Primarily based on the LCA outcomes, the EI of recycling is diminished by as much as 76 % in comparison with the first synthesis in 12 of 14 affect classes. Measures for the simultaneous enchancment of the method performance and environmental efficiency had been recognized. The method of integrating LCA in chemical course of growth is mentioned critically primarily based on the given use case. The outcomes strongly encourage the mixing of LCA as a regular technique into the longer term growth of sustainable chemical processes.