Design Support for VOC Control in SMEs by Simulation-Based Life-Cycle Engineering Part 2: Case Study of Metal Cleaning Process

Abstract

Although small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in economy and use a significant amount of chemicals in their manufacturing processes, little support has been offered in their process improvement for chemicals management. In this series of two papers, we proposed a design support framework for strategic chemicals management in SMEs, and the supporting mechanisms in the framework were informatized as software tool developed in the case study of metal cleaning. In part 2, a software tool which informatized supporting mechanism in process design was developed for chemicals management in SMEs operating metal cleaning processes utilizing chlorinated organic solvents with an open-top washing machine. The developed tool was reviewed by trial users in cleaning industry. Such highly user-friendly tool dedicated for specific industry can strongly facilitate a strategic chemicals management by firm-level decision makers. An informatization approach through analysis scrutinizing industry-specific conditions can lead to familiarize SMEs with assessment methods of health and environmental impacts through practice of LCA and RA.