A safety-driven approach for the scale-up of membrane production processes

The development and scale-up of innovative chemical processes require the simultaneous optimisation of performance, sustainability, and safety. However, safety is often marginally considered in early-stage design, leading to suboptimal scale-up. In this work, a phenomenology-driven methodology is proposed for inherent safety assessment by integrating mechanistic interaction mapping with targeted experimental validation. The approach combines identification of key monitoring and influencing parameters with production of interaction matrices and controlled thermal-stress data to detect critical process-material interactions at low technology readiness levels. The methodology was applied to novolac-based carbon membranes, focusing on replacingN-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) with gamma-valerolactone (GVL). Cone calorimeter tests (7-50 kW/m(2)) were conducted to assess ignitability, flame behaviour, and exhaust emissions. The novolac/NMP system showed rapid ignition and sustained combustion, with peak heat release rates above 1000 kW/m(2). In contrast, novolac/GVL exhibited reduced ignition propensity (similar to 10-15%) and lower smoke and CO emissions (up to similar to 30%), as quantified through normalised safety-ranking indicators derived from cone calorimeter measurements (based on time-to-ignition, heat release rate, mass loss rate, and gas emission metrics), while maintaining similar thermal activation of the polymer. These results demonstrate that the proposed framework enables comparison of alternative formulations by jointly addressing performance and safety under thermal stress, supporting safer and more sustainable early-stage process design.