Abstract
This article addresses the problem of in-plant pollution prevention for processes with multiple streams, containing pollutants and environmentally undesirable properties through mass exchange networks (MEN). In-plant interception is used to adjust the concentrations and properties of the wastewater streams. A pinch-based disjunctive-optimization approach is adopted. The determination of the pinch point (being the most constrained thermodynamic and practical operating condition) is critical for determination of optimum design conditions. The selection of the appropriate mass separating agent(s) (MSAs) is based on thermodynamic and economic considerations. A screening procedure modeled through mathematical programming is developed with disjunctive constraints to screen alternatives and invoke the proper models when a certain technology is to be utilized. A case study is solved to illustrate the proposed approach.