Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of manufacturing a cellulose nanocrystal-based hybrid membrane

Moisture-selective polymer-based membranes can be a promising method for energy saving in drying systems of different industries that vent moisture vapor-rich air to the atmosphere, such as wood drying, biorefinery, food processing, and pharmaceutical industry. Developing a sustainable product with bio-based materials reduces the environmental impacts. This study assessed the techno-economic feasibility and life-cycle environmental impacts of producing a novel cellulose nanocrystal/polydimethylsiloxane hybrid moisture-selective membrane. The cradle-to-gate assessment was facilitated by developing an industrial-scale membrane production process model guided by optimized experimental results. The estimated plant capital, operating cost, and annual revenue of a 10 MT/day capacity cellulose nanocrystal/polydimethylsiloxane membrane production plants were $136 million, $139 million, and $198 million respectively. The estimated minimum selling price of the final product, 1 m2 80 μm thick cellulose nanocrystal/polydimethylsiloxane membrane was $3.68/m2, which is lower or comparable to the current alternative market retail price. The environmental impacts of the cellulose nanocrystal/polydimethylsiloxane production process were lower for all evaluated environmental impact categories, with an estimated global warming impact of 8.7 kg CO2 eq/m2 of 80 μm thick cellulose nanocrystal/polydimethylsiloxane membrane, representing a 12 % reduction compared to polydimethylsiloxane membrane production without cellulose nanocrystal. The small addition of cellulose nanocrystal to the polydimethylsiloxane membrane provided relatively lower environmental impacts with a similar cost and thus ought to be the preferred choice.