The Research and Postgraduate Centre congratulates Desmond Goh Wai Hang, Lau Hui Shen, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yong Wai Fen from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering for the recent article published in Science of The Total Environment, an SCI Q1 journal with the latest impact factor of 10.754.
Lau Hui Shen is a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at Xiamen University Malaysia, while Desmond Goh Wai Hang is a graduate of the class of 2022 who conducted his final year project under the supervision of Dr. Yong Wai Fen.
Entitled “An integrated life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis: Evaluation on the production of polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) and UiO-66-NH2 as membrane materials”, this study aimed to appraise the greenest synthesis route based on both environmental and economic perspectives for the production of the main components in mixed matrix membranes – polymer and fillers. This assessment systematically evaluates five production routes of PIM-1 and UiO-66-NH2, and the route with the least environmental burden and cost was proposed. Alleviation of environmental burdens was found through utilizing solvent-free synthesis routes or adoption of novel monomers during synthesis, or by recovering solvents or substituting with a greener alternative (e.g., water). Moreover, the solvent reduction was found to have an apparent effect on cost-saving, whereby the production cost declined 13 % with a 30 % solvent reduction. Collectively, the fundamentals gained on the environmental impacts and economic feasibility of PIM-1 and UiO-66-NH2 production from this life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis study may provide a preliminary evaluation for the development of green and sustainable materials.
This research is funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 22108118), Xiamen University Malaysia Research Fund (grant number: XMUMRF/2021-C8/IENG/0042), and Hengyuan International Sdn. Bhd. (grant number: EENG/0003).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164582.
An integrated life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis were performed to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of the PIM-1 and UiO-66-NH2 production via a total of ten synthesis routes.
