Computers & Chemical Engineering, Vol.18, No.S, 603-607, 1994
Envirocad - A Design Tool for Efficient Synthesis and Evaluation of Integrated Waste Recovery, Treatment and Disposal Processes
The successful design and evaluation of integrated waste recovery, treatment and disposal processes is a difficult task that can be facilitated by the use of expert systems and advanced computer-aided process design tools. Such a software tool, called EnviroCAD, is under development at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in collaboration with a number of industrial partners. EnviroCAD is being designed to enable scientists and engineers to evaluate the environmental impact of new processes and minimize waste generation during the early stages of process development when it is easy to make process modifications. EnviroCAD takes as input data the waste streams of a process plant and based on their flowrates and compositions it recommends alternatives for waste recovery and recycling. For whatever cannot be recovered, it recommends alternatives for treatment and disposal. In addition to generation of feasible flowsheets for waste recovery and treatment, EnviroCAD provides the facilities to analyze and evaluate those alternatives and select the best among them. EnviroCAD’s user interface makes use of advanced graphics to improve the human/computer communication and reduce the learning period.