Life cycle assessment of alternatives for waste-solvent valorization: batch and continuous distillation vs incineration

Purpose The goal and scope of this research is focused on the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate two alternatives (batch and continuous distillation and incineration with energy recovery) for the treatment of four waste-solvent mixtures typically produced in the chemical industry: acetonitrile–toluene, acetonitrile–toluene–tetrahydrofuran (THF), ethyl acetate–water and methanol–THF, with several compositions in order to determine the most appropriate technology depending on the characteristics of the mixture.