Integration of product, process and supply chain design for the production of added-value products

Tesis por compendio de publicaciones[EN]The optimization in the design, production and distribution of valueadded products is a key issue in an increasingly competitive market, due to globalization. The most efficient way (economically, environmentally and socially) to design a production process is to consider simultaneously the design of the product, the process and the supply chain, since it allows taking advantage of the synergies of each stage, reducing costs and launching times and increasing the possibilities of customization. This integrated design system is also very useful in waste recovery due to the large number of multi-scale variables that affect recovery. Therefore, this thesis proposes different methodologies for the integrated design of products, processes, and supply chains applied to the production of formulated products and the valorization of different types of waste, from a multi-objective, multiperiod , and multi-scale approach. To find the optimal value of the analyzed variables, different procedures are used, such as reformulations, multistage optimization, as well as the development of linearization and decomposition algorithms. The results showed that, through integrated process, product and supply chain design, it is possible to find a detergent powder formulation that can reduce the environmental impact by up to 40% without reducing the economic benefit by more than 1.5%.Similarly, by applying this integration to animal feed design, meat and crop production can be integrated, using the circular economy of waste. These integrated systems can reduce the environmental impact by up to 62% compared to the decoupled system. The optimal size and location of these facilities was also established. Regarding waste valorization, the integrated design showed that determining the best technology depended on the waste composition, the amount to be treated, and the capital available to invest in its treatment. In the case of coffee valorization, the best treatment process consists of a extraction-filtration system, obtaining a caffeine and pigments. Regarding wine production waste, the most promising process was a hexane and ethanol extraction system, which allows obtaining essential oils, polyphenols and biochar. Finally, this integrated approach is also used to analyze how a country’s energy security can be increased through the treatment of its waste, determining that it is possible to cover a demand for natural gas of up to 43%. [ES]La optimización en el diseño, producción y distribución de productos de valor añadido es una cuestión clave para competir en un mercado global. La forma más eficiente (económica, medioambiental y socialmente) de diseñar un proceso es considerar simultáneamente el diseño del producto, del proceso y de la cadena de suministro, aprovechando las sinergias entre cada etapa, reduciendo costes y tiempos de lanzamiento y aumentando las posibilidades de personalización. Este sistema de diseño integrado también es muy útil en la valorización de residuos debido a las variables multiescala que afectan a la valorización. Por ello, esta tesis propone diferentes metodologías para el diseño integrado de productos, procesos y cadenas de suministro aplicadas a la producción de productos formulados y a la valorización de residuos, desde un enfoque multiobjetivo , multiperiodo y multiescala. Para encontrar el valor óptimo de las variables analizadas, se utilizan diferentes procedimientos, como reformulaciones, optimización multietapa, así como el desarrollo de algoritmos de linealización y descomposición. Los resultados mostraron que, mediante el diseño integrado del proceso, el producto y la cadena de suministro, es posible encontrar una formulación de detergente en polvo que puede reducir el impacto ambiental hasta en un 40% sin reducir el beneficio económico en más de un 1,5 %. Del mismo modo, aplicando esta integración al diseño de piensos, es posible integrar la producción de carne y de cultivos, utilizando la economía circular de los residuos. Estos sistemas integrados pueden reducir el impacto ambiental hasta un 62% en comparación con el sistema desacoplado. También se estableció el tamaño y la ubicación óptimos de estas instalaciones. En cuanto a la valorización de residuos, el diseño integrado mostró que la determinación de la mejor tecnología dependía de la composición de los residuos, la cantidad a tratar y el capital disponible para invertir en su tratamiento. En el caso de la valorización del café, el mejor proceso de tratamiento consistió en un sistema de extracción-filtración, obteniéndose cafeína y pigmentos. En cuanto a los residuos de la producción de vino, el proceso más prometedor fue un sistema de extracción con hexano y etanol, que permite obtener aceites esenciales, polifenoles y biocarbón. Por último, este enfoque integrado también se utiliza para analizar cómo se puede aumentar la seguridad energética de un país mediante el tratamiento de sus residuos, determinando que es posible cubrir una demanda de gas natural de hasta el 43 %

Towards energy security by promoting circular economy: A holistic approach.

[EN]Dependence on fossil fuels, coupled with continuous supply disruptions by the most important natural gas suppliers, has jeopardized the energy security of most European countries. Therefore, determining the regions that can significantly increase their natural gas independence through the circular economy of their wastes is more important than ever. This work presents a multi-scale analysis to determine the possibility of implementing a circular economy towards reducing the regions dependency on fossil natural gas. A holistic approach is used to evaluate the availability of waste (manure, municipal solid waste, sludge, and lignocellulosic waste) and model the waste treatment processes (gasification and anaerobic digestion), together with a techno-economy analysis of the infrastructure required. A facility location problem optimizes the selection of the technology, the production capacity and the location of the facilities, according to the available budget. The analysis is focused on Spain, where, at the national level, an investment of 9458 M€ and an operating cost of 5000 M€ per year would allow covering 35% of the natural gas demanded. The regional analysis shows that a total of 19 provinces can be self-sufficient with this budget. These provinces have a high biomethane production potential through lignocellulosic waste gasification and a low demand for natural gas. Since energy is a basic commodity, the ability to produce enough biomethane to cover the entire demand for natural gas gives waste valorization strategic importance at both the social and economic levels.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research, innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement & PI Ph.D. Junta de Castilla León

Evaluation of the Economic, Environmental, and Social Impact of the Valorization of Grape Pomace from the Wine Industry

The increase in the world population has led to intensive food production systems that are generating increasing amounts of solid waste. In this work, the valorization of the most important waste generated during wine production, grape pomace, is evaluated. Eight processes are proposed to approach different types of valorization (production of energy and value-added products), from economic, environmental, and social points of view. The best process depends on the budget available, the production capacity, and the weight of each impact produced by the factory (economic, environmental, or social). For small (less than 0.1 kg/s) or very large (greater than 10 kg/s) capacities, the production of high-value-added products outperforms the other processes in all three impacts and in profitability. For intermediate capacities, combustion and gasification stand out as having the highest greenhouse emissions and intermediate economic benefits. Anaerobic digestion is remarkable for its low greenhouse gas emissions, while tannin production is the best-balanced process from both economic and environmental points of view. Pyrolysis is the worst process of all three impacts

Addressing the contribution of agricultural systems to the phosphorus pollution challenge: a multi-dimensional perspective

The intensification of agricultural systems has increased the food production efficiency, increasing the productivity while the production costs are reduced. Although these factors are key to global food security in a context of continued human population growth, the use of intensive agricultural techniques results in different environmental issues. Mitigating these negative impacts is a requirement for adopting sustainable food production systems. Notably, nutrient pollution is one of the main environmental issues associated with both livestock and crop production. These activities result in different point and non-point source releases of phosphorus, which eventually reach surface and ground waterbodies. This might result in the accumulation of phosphorus over time, contributing to the eutrophication of water ecosystems, and the development of harmful algal bloom (HABs) episodes. The releases of nutrients from agricultural activities can be abated through different management strategies, including the implementation of nutrient recovery techniques at livestock facilities, embracing precision fertilization methods, and developing integrated crop-livestock systems for achieving circular food production systems. In this work, we describe opportunities for Process System Engineering (PSE) to address the development of phosphorus management techniques for mitigating phosphorus pollution from agricultural systems balancing trade-offs between recovery cost and environmental impact mitigation. These techniques integrate the spatial analysis of nutrient pollution from agriculture using geographical information systems (GIS) with the assessment and the selection of phosphorus management techniques combining techno-economic analysis (TEA) and environmental metrics through multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) frameworks, and use mathematical programming for the conceptual design of integrated crop-livestock systems

Laboratorio Virtual en Ingeniería Química

Memoria ID-127. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2020-2021

Píldoras audiovisuales como herramienta para la adquisición de conocimientos de programación en Ingeniería Química

Memoria ID2022-... Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2022-2023

Lignocellulosic biorefineries: A multiscale approach for resource exploitation.

[EN]Biomass can become the source for chemicals towards a sustainable production system. However, the challenges it presents such as the variety of species, their widespread and sparse availability, and the expensive transportation claims for an integrated approach to design the novel production system. Multiscale approaches have not been properly extended to biorefineryes design and deployment, due to the comprehensive experimental and modelling work they require. A systems perspective provides the systematic framework to analyze the availability and composition of raw materials across regions, how that affects process design, the portfolio of products that can be obtained by evaluating the strong link between the biomass features and the process design. The use of lignocellulosic materials requires for a multidisciplinary work, that must lead to new process engineers with technical competences in biology, biotechnology but also process engineering, mathematics, computer science and social sciences towards a sustainable process/chemical industry.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 778168. G.G. appreciates the FPU Ph.D. fellowship from the Spanish Government (FPU18/06516). M.T. appreciates the FPI Ph.D. fellowship from the Junta de Castilla y Leon