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▪ Abstract  The environment has emerged as an important determinant of the performance of the modern chemical industry. This paper reviews approaches for incorporating environmental issues into the design of new processes and manufacturing facilities. The organizational framework is the design process itself, which includes framing the problem and generating, analyzing, and evaluating alternatives. A historical perspective on the chemical process synthesis problem illustrates how both performance objectives and the context of the design have evolved to the point where environmental issues must be considered throughout the production chain. In particular, the review illustrates the need to view environmental issues as part of the design objectives rather than as constraints on operations. A concluding section identifies gaps in the literature and opportunities for additional research.

The concentrations of contaminants in the supply air of mechanically ventilated buildings may be altered by pollutant emissions from and interactions with duct materials. We measured the emission rate of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and aldehydes from materials typically found in ventilation ducts. The emission rate of VOCs per exposed surface area of materials was found to be low for some duct liners, but high for duct sealing caulk and a neoprene gasket. For a typical duct, the contribution to VOC concentrations is predicted to be only a few percent of common indoor levels. We exposed selected materials to ~100-ppb ozone and measured VOC emissions. Exposure to ozone increased the emission rates of aldehydes from a duct liner, duct sealing caulk, and neoprene gasket. The emission of aldehydes from these materials could increase indoor air concentrations by amounts that are as much as 20% of odor thresholds. We also measured the rate of ozone uptake on duct liners and galvanized sheet metal to predict how much ozone might be removed by a typical duct in ventilation IMPLICATIONSThe quality of air entering a building may be affected by pollutant emissions from ventilation system materials and by pollutant reaction on duct surfaces. This paper shows that primary emissions of VOCs from materials in ventilation systems should not significantly increase the total indoor concentration. However, ozone interactions with these materials can increase the emission rate of irritating compounds, resulting in concentrations that approach the odor threshold. Ozone is also removed at duct surfaces, which can potentially improve indoor air quality. However, ozone loss on duct surfaces probably does not greatly reduce indoor concentrations.systems. For exposure to a constant ozone mol fraction of 37 ppb, a lined duct would initially remove ~9% of the ozone, but over a period of 10 days the ozone removal efficiency would diminish to less than 4%. In an unlined duct, in which only galvanized sheet metal is exposed to the airstream, the removal efficiency would be much lower, 0.02%. Therefore, ducts in ventilation systems are unlikely to be a major sink for ozone.

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