Abstract
This EngD portfolio considers two important applications of Life Cycle Thinking to industrial processes. These are the use of Life Cycle Assessment in process selection, and the application of Life Cycle Thinking to process improvement. The portfolio can be broken down into two distinct parts: that associated with the most recent two years spent with The BOC Group and that related to the initial two years with Borax Consolidated. The work at The BOC Group shows how the environmental management tool of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be used at the process selection stage (specifically in industrial applications). This is demonstrated by applying LCA to the production of liquid carbon dioxide (and its downstream use), and through a comparative LCA of the oxygen-based Vitox technology with alternative mechanical aeration techniques in the activated sludge process for waste water treatment. The work further includes a comparative assessment of alternative production methods for the generation of liquid oxygen. The work carried out at Borax Consolidated focuses on fluidisation as a novel method of dehydrating boric acid, and shows how life cycle thinking can be applied during process improvement and selection. It includes a comparative assessment of the impact associated with fluidisation and current technology.