06/06/2026
We are pleased to share our recent publication in the Journal of Cleaner Production, entitled “Sustainable Intensification Index: A Flexible Strategy for Assessing the Role of Process Intensification in Achieving the 2030 Agenda and Beyond".
As industries face increasing pressure to improve sustainability while maintaining competitiveness, the development of reliable and comprehensive assessment frameworks becomes essential. Process Intensification has been widely recognized as a promising strategy to reduce energy consumption, minimize waste generation, enhance process efficiency, and improve economic performance. However, evaluating the true sustainability benefits of intensified technologies remains a significant challenge due to the diversity of technical, economic, environmental, and social indicators involved.
In this work, we introduce the Sustainable Intensification Index (SII) and the Overall Sustainable Intensification Index (OSII), novel methodologies designed to evaluate and compare process technologies through a sustainability-oriented lens directly aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The proposed framework integrates multiple performance dimensions, including economic viability, environmental impact, safety, operability, energy efficiency, and technology maturity, into a unified and comparable assessment structure.
A key contribution of this research is the development of a flexible decision-support framework capable of reducing the bias associated with individual assessment methods. By combining different evaluation strategies into a single overall indicator, the OSII provides a more robust basis for identifying technologies that can contribute effectively to sustainable industrial development and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
The methodology was successfully applied to several intensified alternatives for lactic acid purification, demonstrating its ability to identify the most sustainable process configurations while highlighting opportunities for further technological improvement. The results confirm that sustainability assessments should move beyond isolated metrics and embrace integrated approaches capable of capturing the complex interactions among economic, environmental, technological, and social dimensions.
We are grateful to my co-authors for their collaboration and dedication throughout this research. I hope this work contributes to advancing the discussion on sustainable process design, process intensification, and the role of chemical engineering in addressing global sustainability challenges.