Getting the most from Reactants Flashcards
(12 cards)
How are industrial processes designed?
Industrial processes are designed to maximise profit and minimise the impact on the environment.
How does availability, sustainability, and cost of feedstocks impact profit gain?
If the process relies on locally available feedstocks, the cost will be cheaper and hence profit is maximised.
How does availability, sustainability, and cost of feedstocks impact profit loss?
If the feedstock is transported from further afield, scarce / rare, or prices are fluctuating due to times of tension in the producing areas, cost, safety, and environmental risks must be considered.
How does opportunity for recycling impact profit gain?
If unreacted starting materials can be fed back into the chemical reactor to form new products, efficiency and profitability of the process will be improved.
How does opportunity for recycling impact profit loss?
If it is very difficult to separate unreacted starting materials at the end of a reaction, the reaction is inefficient and wasteful.
How does energy requirements impact profit gain?
Exothermic reactions can be used to sustain heat in a reaction, and catalysts can speed up the rate of a reaction rather than increasing temperature, helping to control reaction products and save energy costs.
How does energy requirements impact profit loss?
Reactions which require heating can be costly as energy (gas, electricity) must be purchased, Equally, reactions requiring cooling are also costly as energy must be removed from the reaction by surrounding it with a coolant.
How does use of by-products impact profit gain?
Where a reaction produces a by-product, if it can be used elsewhere in the process or sold to other companies, it will save money / increase profit.
How does use of by-products impact profit loss?
If the by-product is very toxic, very corrosive, or environmentally damaging, it will be expensive to deal with.
How does yield of product impact profit gain?
A high yield of product is very profitable.
How does yield of product impact profit loss?
Low yields cost money as time and energy must be put in to run the reaction several times to produce enough of the desired product.
What are the three environmental considerations?
Minimising waste, avoiding the use or production of toxic substances, and designing products which will biodegrade if appropriate
