Holistically green and sustainable pathway prioritisation for chemical process plant systems via a FAHP-TOPSIS framework
Holistically green and sustainable pathway prioritisation for chemical process plant systems via a FAHP-TOPSIS framework
Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) presents a novel approach towards truly holistic green sustainability, particularly within the context of chemical process plants (CPPs). ASPEN Plus v12.0 was utilised for two representative CPP cases: isopropanol (IPA) production via isopropyl acetate, and green ammonia (NH3) production. An integrated Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was modelled in MATLAB v24.1 to prioritise the holistically green and sustainable pathways. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) were employed to select the pathways, and the most suitable sub-criteria per the four criteria are as follows: social, economic, environmental, and technical. In descending order of optimality, the pathways were ranked as follows for green NH3 and IPA, respectively: Hydropower (HPEA) > Wind Turbine (WGEA) > Biomass Gasification (BGEA)/Solar Photovoltaic (PVEA) > Nuclear High Temperature (NTEA), and Propylene Indirect Hydration (IAH) > Direct Propylene Hydration (PH) > Acetone Hydrogenation (AH). Sensitivity analysis evaluated the FAHP–TOPSIS framework to be overall robust. However, there are potential uncertainties within and/or among sub-criteria, particularly in the social dimension, due to software and data limitations. Future research would seek to integrate FAHP with VIKOR and the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE-II).
AHP, Multi-criteria decision making, TOPSIS, ammonia, isopropanol, life cycle assessment, multi-criteria decision making
Li, Daniel
55e52892-4211-41a7-a4fb-ebb6b8753e2b
Hassan-Sayed, Mohamed Galal
ce323212-f178-4d72-85cf-23cd30605cd8
Bimbo, Nuno
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Li, Zhaomin
0b0aaea3-e265-44a4-a648-8cb71bc76863
Shigidi, Ihab M.T.
c6909a31-6709-45db-8247-3fe1b573753b
30 June 2025
Li, Daniel
55e52892-4211-41a7-a4fb-ebb6b8753e2b
Hassan-Sayed, Mohamed Galal
ce323212-f178-4d72-85cf-23cd30605cd8
Bimbo, Nuno
53d9fc24-e2c1-4e2d-8d75-8dc640d8adda
Li, Zhaomin
0b0aaea3-e265-44a4-a648-8cb71bc76863
Shigidi, Ihab M.T.
c6909a31-6709-45db-8247-3fe1b573753b
Li, Daniel, Hassan-Sayed, Mohamed Galal, Bimbo, Nuno, Li, Zhaomin and Shigidi, Ihab M.T.
(2025)
Holistically green and sustainable pathway prioritisation for chemical process plant systems via a FAHP-TOPSIS framework.
Processes, 13 (7), [2068].
(doi:10.3390/pr13072068).
Abstract
Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) presents a novel approach towards truly holistic green sustainability, particularly within the context of chemical process plants (CPPs). ASPEN Plus v12.0 was utilised for two representative CPP cases: isopropanol (IPA) production via isopropyl acetate, and green ammonia (NH3) production. An integrated Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was modelled in MATLAB v24.1 to prioritise the holistically green and sustainable pathways. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) were employed to select the pathways, and the most suitable sub-criteria per the four criteria are as follows: social, economic, environmental, and technical. In descending order of optimality, the pathways were ranked as follows for green NH3 and IPA, respectively: Hydropower (HPEA) > Wind Turbine (WGEA) > Biomass Gasification (BGEA)/Solar Photovoltaic (PVEA) > Nuclear High Temperature (NTEA), and Propylene Indirect Hydration (IAH) > Direct Propylene Hydration (PH) > Acetone Hydrogenation (AH). Sensitivity analysis evaluated the FAHP–TOPSIS framework to be overall robust. However, there are potential uncertainties within and/or among sub-criteria, particularly in the social dimension, due to software and data limitations. Future research would seek to integrate FAHP with VIKOR and the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE-II).
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processes-13-02068
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Accepted/In Press date: 27 June 2025
Published date: 30 June 2025
Keywords:
AHP, Multi-criteria decision making, TOPSIS, ammonia, isopropanol, life cycle assessment, multi-criteria decision making
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 503103
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/503103
ISSN: 2227-9717
PURE UUID: e4c3e798-15ee-4bb5-a9cd-44041a5567f7
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Date deposited: 21 Jul 2025 16:59
Last modified: 13 Sep 2025 02:25
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Author:
Daniel Li
Author:
Zhaomin Li
Author:
Ihab M.T. Shigidi
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