Difference between revisions of "Emerging technologies & Process intensification"

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Back to [[Subsection DA food|EFFICENCY FINDER OF FOOD INDUSTRY]]
 
Back to [[Subsection DA food|EFFICENCY FINDER OF FOOD INDUSTRY]]
  
  
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===General information===
  
=Process Intensification=
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Food is vital and the processing of food has been essential since the beginning of humankind as known today. In the last 50 years, revolutionary developments have been taking place in the food processing industry and new technologies are emerging continuously towards safer food, with better taste and with an each time more relevant nutritional content. In the same way, new challenges emerge in the sector coming from a growing global population and its highly diverse demands. The security of the food supply is fundamental and one of the main treats to this supply lies on the dependency on non-renewable energy sources that additionally contribute to an acceleration of the climate change on which the base of food lies. In this project, a collection of emerging technologies is presented with a potentially large range of application in the food processing industry. Non thermal emergent technologies (high pressure processing, ultrasound, etc.) are found with a low level of intervention on food and with a broad range of application enabling great potential towards minimal processing of food using less energy and potentially diversifying the energy sources. All the emergent technologies found have an edge on conventional technologies that may enable their substitution or important synergies towards a faster processing, higher quality or the development of new food products.
  
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New technologies can lead towards different critical directions in the development of an industrial system (Process intensification or emergent technologies), therefore the implementation and management of the implantation of the technology is fundamental in order to achieve the set goals.
  
===Process Intensification as a method of optimization technology===
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For each typical process, a brief description of the applications of different emerging technologies is made. For each technology there is a link to the detailed sheet containing an overview of the technology starting with the brief historical origin of the technology and its main advantages and disadvantages. Then the scientific base of the technology, the natural principles and phenomena involved. Following, the description of the application on the different unit operations is made. Finally, there is an energy potential section about the findings regarding energy savings and change in the energy system.
  
<br/>The current developments of the rising commodity prices of energy and other raw materials give great occasion to think about technologies that minimize the energy and capital costs of the business processes, thoughts. With these developments, a quick and broad application of innovative process intensification , the consumption of raw materials can be minimized. Earlier it was with PI often a reduction of the company and its processes (planning miniaturization) (eg, by merging of process steps, substitution by new technologies, etc.) linked and this is still a hallmark of PI.
 
  
By reducing the size of equipment and  when the safety of processes is greatly increased, as eg in the processing of hazardous substances by the smaller plant size,  smaller amounts come at once for use in hazardous situations and thus the potential of an explosion or fire, etc. is reduced. In addition to the miniaturization of the process units and the increase in process reliability ,PI plays a significant role in improving the quality and reducing the costs of energy use, material use and waste .
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[[File:Information_content_of_technology_description.jpg]]
  
In PI , the limiting factors (eg heat transfer, heat conduction) can be overcome by use of Emerging Technologies. Processes which increase process efficiency, by exploiting synergies between processes and targeted process control are more efficient "Producing much more with much less " can occur in smaller devices. Such optimization technology creates great potential for process efficiency improvements and the integration of renewable energies in the processes is made possible reinforced. PI thus contributes significantly to sustainable production.
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Figure 1: Information content of technology description
  
  
  
[[File:pi.png]]
 
  
Figure 1: Process Intensification- An overview
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The development of the industrial ecosystem is in great part the development of its technology. It is proposed two ways to proceed beyond the best available techniques in the processing industry, process Intensification and Emerging Technologies implementation.
  
  
  
In addition to system optimization and optimization technology, it is another approach to reducing energy and resource consumption, especially of fossil fuels. The use of renewable resources offers the possibility, especially in the provision of energy to conserve resources and reduce the consumption of non-renewable.
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===Emerging technologies (ET)===
  
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Emerging technologies are those technical innovations in which technologies considered previously from distinct fields are converging towards a stronger inter-connections and similar goals. An emerging technology can be the case of a mature technology on certain field that finds new applications in another field. The development of the emerging technology in the new field can capitalize on the maturity of the same technology in the other field creating an effective close to market situation. All the emerging technologies in this work has this characteristic explicitly pointed out in the first section of the technology format.
  
===Process Intensification principles and strategies===
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In the case of emerging technologies for the food processing industry there are two main categories, thermal and non-thermal. The thermal ET is a technology that involve directly thermal energy in order to achieve the goal of the process. The effect of this category of emerging technology is related to improve limiting factor of the production process or fully overcome the limiting factors.
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Non-thermal Emerging Technologies fulfil the unit operation goal using a different forms of energy or procedures that do not involve thermal energy directly, usually replacing heat leading often to lower process temperature levels. They include membrane processes, micro or radio frequency waves, pulsating method, inductive and resistive heating methods, ultrasound, ultraviolet light and other irradiation technologies, high pressure processing technologies, etc. As a result, thermal degradation of the product due to high temperatures and an improved solar thermal integration can be further reached, since the panels work more efficiently at lower temperatures
  
<br/>The goal of PI is to achieve optimal function of the process . Four basic principles are taken into account :
 
  
  
:;* Maximize the effectiveness of intra-and intermolecular events
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===Process intensification (PI)===
  
:;* Give each molecule the same processing experience
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The goal of PI is to achieve optimal function of the process. Four basic principles are taken into account:
  
:;* Optimize the driving forces on every scale and maximize the specific areas to Which Those driving forces apply
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*Maximize the effectiveness of intra-and intermolecular events
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*Give each molecule the same processing experience
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*Optimize the driving forces on every scale and maximize the specific areas to which those driving forces apply
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*Maximize the synergistic effects from events and partial processes.
  
:;* Maximize the synergistic effects from events and partial processes
 
  
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By the use of emerging technologies limiting factors can be overcome making the space for a great improvement in process intensification. This leads to more efficient processes that exploit the synergies between processes and targeted process control, producing much more with much less.
  
  
In order to obtain an optimized and enhanced process, three different PI strategies that are not expected to be independent and can be integrated with each other,have to  be pursued:
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Examples of new technologies applied to process intensification are:  
  
::# minimize the equipment size: merging of two or more process steps through the use of synergy effects to a new or equipment that allow to combine several functions in one step; and structures (eg, structured tower floors) in apparatuses lead to smaller equipment  sizes                                                                                       
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*A micro-structured device can be used for reaction, heat exchange, mixing, separation (microchannel reactor)
::#maximize process efficiency: among other things, Reduce energy consumption and increase throughput / productivity through improvements or overcoming limitations in mass and heat transfer, eg by the use of new forms of energy (microwaves, infrared radiation, etc.) by selective application of energy to a particular molecule or particle, or through the use of structures (structural floors in distillation columns)                                                                                                 
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*Microwave irradiation can be used for reaction, product engineering, polymer processing (e.g. curing, welding), food processing (e.g. pasteurization, drying)
::#maximize process control: among other things, Change from batch processes to continuous processes, enhancing quality)
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*A Rotating Packed Bed can be used for reaction, distillation, absorption, stripping and nano-product formation (precipitation)
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As the use of Emerging Technologies is an essential criterion for obtaining Process Intensification  and a consideration of such ET for selected processes is essential.
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= Emerging Technologies =
 
 
<br/>This mainly includes membrane processes, micro or radio frequency waves, pulsating method, inductive and resistive heating methods, ultrasonic, ultraviolet light and other lighting technologies, high-pressure processes, etc. In addition to the reduction of thermal energy consumption, the use of ET also for reduction of the process temperature levels are significant. As a result, thermal degradation of the product due to high temperatures and long processing times can be prevented. By lowering the temperature level , an improved solar thermal integration can be further achieved, since the panels work more efficiently at lower temperatures.
 
  
Emerging Technologies defines those technologies that do not correspond to the state of the art and have not yet reached market maturity for specifically examined applications, but can be where there is sufficient based on data from laboratory and pilot plants .There is great potential for for this work in the future for widespread industrial applications primarily due to higher energy efficiency,higher process reliability and due to an improvement in product quality. In order to follow a holistic approach to the ET also offers good possibilities for the integration of renewable energy sources.
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===Integrated technology development===
  
===Categorization of Emerging Technologies===
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Very often emerging technologies and process intensification are vaguely separated or even mixed. Given the insights from the systems approach for industrial development and sustainability, the two main factors for the development of a system can be associated to emerging technologies and process intensification respectively, this is to the development of an industrial system in the same way that general development of a system.
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Pereira et al takes a categorization of ET by thermal and non-thermal technologies. The non-thermal ET is technologies without the action of thermal energy to reach the "target" of the process (concentration, drying, pasteurization or sterilization) and thereby to overcome the limiting factors of the conventional thermal process. These include, for example, some membrane separation process (osmotic membrane distillation, reverse osmosis, microfiltration or ultrafiltration, etc.) for the concentration of food or the high-pressure pasteurization process.
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Comparing the two possibilities for technology development (process intensification and emerging technologies) with the main parameters of systems sustainability development in the literature (efficiency and resilience), it can be observe that processes intensification is oriented towards efficiency and emerging technologies have a higher potential to build resilience in the system.  
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[[File:Technology_development_in_the_processing_industry.jpg]]
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Figure 2: Technology development in the processing industry
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The traditional focus of technology development is oriented towards improving the efficiency of the production processes with little or no formal space for resilience. As the system sustainability studies have shown, the relevance of the resilience has a major role in keeping a natural system running and reaching the “windows of vitality”. The technology development based on emerging technologies may have a major role in the developing of a sustainable industry.
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Emerging technologies can enable results that do not lead to direct efficiency improvements. These results can lead to improvements in the flexibility of the production processes, to the development of new products, to an easier incorporation of renewable energy in the production system and/or to the creation of connections with other fields. This results of emerging technologies can be associated with increased levels of diversity and connectedness in the production system. From a system perspectives in this same way, the management of emerging technologies can lead to a more resilient system.
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The collection of technologies presented in this section can be used for processes intensification or emerging technologies. It depends on the management of the implementation of them.
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===Reference===
  
The thermal ET is technologies that produce or use thermal energy in order to achieve the goal of the process . These include, inter alia, also microwaves while generated by electric power, but their use is accompanied by the generation of thermal energy and thus heating of the product. In the thermal ET, a further subdivision could be identified. Those technologies that improve the limiting factors (eg heat transfer) and those technologies that achieve overcoming the limiting factors. During the drying process, novel thermal dryer, eg structured beds , only to improve the heat transfer by the creation of a larger surface, while through the use of microwaves, in which the water is evaporated in the inside of the product and is pressed by the increasing internal vapor pressure of the water from the inside to the outside , the limiting factors can be completely overcome.
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*This section is based on the Thesis for obtaining the Master of Science degree on Industrial Ecology of Francisco Méndez at the University of Graz in collaboration with TU GRAZ (MIND Erasmus Mundus Programme):  [https://www.academia.edu/14171780/Sustainable_and_energy_efficient_emerging_technologies_for_food_processing Sustainable and energy efficient emerging technologies for food processing]
  
[[File:et.png]]
 
  
Figure 2: Overview of Emerging Technologies
 
  
  
 
Back to [[Subsection DA food|EFFICENCY FINDER OF FOOD INDUSTRY]]
 
Back to [[Subsection DA food|EFFICENCY FINDER OF FOOD INDUSTRY]]

Latest revision as of 08:50, 20 July 2016

Back to EFFICENCY FINDER OF FOOD INDUSTRY


General information

Food is vital and the processing of food has been essential since the beginning of humankind as known today. In the last 50 years, revolutionary developments have been taking place in the food processing industry and new technologies are emerging continuously towards safer food, with better taste and with an each time more relevant nutritional content. In the same way, new challenges emerge in the sector coming from a growing global population and its highly diverse demands. The security of the food supply is fundamental and one of the main treats to this supply lies on the dependency on non-renewable energy sources that additionally contribute to an acceleration of the climate change on which the base of food lies. In this project, a collection of emerging technologies is presented with a potentially large range of application in the food processing industry. Non thermal emergent technologies (high pressure processing, ultrasound, etc.) are found with a low level of intervention on food and with a broad range of application enabling great potential towards minimal processing of food using less energy and potentially diversifying the energy sources. All the emergent technologies found have an edge on conventional technologies that may enable their substitution or important synergies towards a faster processing, higher quality or the development of new food products.

New technologies can lead towards different critical directions in the development of an industrial system (Process intensification or emergent technologies), therefore the implementation and management of the implantation of the technology is fundamental in order to achieve the set goals.

For each typical process, a brief description of the applications of different emerging technologies is made. For each technology there is a link to the detailed sheet containing an overview of the technology starting with the brief historical origin of the technology and its main advantages and disadvantages. Then the scientific base of the technology, the natural principles and phenomena involved. Following, the description of the application on the different unit operations is made. Finally, there is an energy potential section about the findings regarding energy savings and change in the energy system.


Information content of technology description.jpg

Figure 1: Information content of technology description



The development of the industrial ecosystem is in great part the development of its technology. It is proposed two ways to proceed beyond the best available techniques in the processing industry, process Intensification and Emerging Technologies implementation.


Emerging technologies (ET)

Emerging technologies are those technical innovations in which technologies considered previously from distinct fields are converging towards a stronger inter-connections and similar goals. An emerging technology can be the case of a mature technology on certain field that finds new applications in another field. The development of the emerging technology in the new field can capitalize on the maturity of the same technology in the other field creating an effective close to market situation. All the emerging technologies in this work has this characteristic explicitly pointed out in the first section of the technology format.

In the case of emerging technologies for the food processing industry there are two main categories, thermal and non-thermal. The thermal ET is a technology that involve directly thermal energy in order to achieve the goal of the process. The effect of this category of emerging technology is related to improve limiting factor of the production process or fully overcome the limiting factors.

Non-thermal Emerging Technologies fulfil the unit operation goal using a different forms of energy or procedures that do not involve thermal energy directly, usually replacing heat leading often to lower process temperature levels. They include membrane processes, micro or radio frequency waves, pulsating method, inductive and resistive heating methods, ultrasound, ultraviolet light and other irradiation technologies, high pressure processing technologies, etc. As a result, thermal degradation of the product due to high temperatures and an improved solar thermal integration can be further reached, since the panels work more efficiently at lower temperatures


Process intensification (PI)

The goal of PI is to achieve optimal function of the process. Four basic principles are taken into account:

  • Maximize the effectiveness of intra-and intermolecular events
  • Give each molecule the same processing experience
  • Optimize the driving forces on every scale and maximize the specific areas to which those driving forces apply
  • Maximize the synergistic effects from events and partial processes.


By the use of emerging technologies limiting factors can be overcome making the space for a great improvement in process intensification. This leads to more efficient processes that exploit the synergies between processes and targeted process control, producing much more with much less.


Examples of new technologies applied to process intensification are:

  • A micro-structured device can be used for reaction, heat exchange, mixing, separation (microchannel reactor)
  • Microwave irradiation can be used for reaction, product engineering, polymer processing (e.g. curing, welding), food processing (e.g. pasteurization, drying)
  • A Rotating Packed Bed can be used for reaction, distillation, absorption, stripping and nano-product formation (precipitation)


Integrated technology development

Very often emerging technologies and process intensification are vaguely separated or even mixed. Given the insights from the systems approach for industrial development and sustainability, the two main factors for the development of a system can be associated to emerging technologies and process intensification respectively, this is to the development of an industrial system in the same way that general development of a system.

Comparing the two possibilities for technology development (process intensification and emerging technologies) with the main parameters of systems sustainability development in the literature (efficiency and resilience), it can be observe that processes intensification is oriented towards efficiency and emerging technologies have a higher potential to build resilience in the system.

Technology development in the processing industry.jpg

Figure 2: Technology development in the processing industry


The traditional focus of technology development is oriented towards improving the efficiency of the production processes with little or no formal space for resilience. As the system sustainability studies have shown, the relevance of the resilience has a major role in keeping a natural system running and reaching the “windows of vitality”. The technology development based on emerging technologies may have a major role in the developing of a sustainable industry.

Emerging technologies can enable results that do not lead to direct efficiency improvements. These results can lead to improvements in the flexibility of the production processes, to the development of new products, to an easier incorporation of renewable energy in the production system and/or to the creation of connections with other fields. This results of emerging technologies can be associated with increased levels of diversity and connectedness in the production system. From a system perspectives in this same way, the management of emerging technologies can lead to a more resilient system.

The collection of technologies presented in this section can be used for processes intensification or emerging technologies. It depends on the management of the implementation of them.


Reference



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