Current and future challenges of optimization in the process industry are discussed. The gap between academic research and industrial workflow is analyzed. Moreover, issues arising from the shift from conventional fossil fuels as both feedstock and energy source to nonconventional feedstocks (shale gas, tar sands, CO₂ and biomass) and penetration of intermittent renewable energy are discussed. This manuscript focuses mainly on offline model-based optimization of design and operation, including the generation and selection of promising process alternatives for new feedstocks in conceptual design, multi-objective optimization, the estimation of thermodynamic parameters of new intermediates and the optimization of process operation under the volatile availability of the new feedstocks and energy sources. Moreover, a number of opportunities and needs for research and development are identified, including the simultaneous optimization of feedstocks, processes and products and a production able to process a variety of feedstocks and to utilize energy when it is cheap.

讨论了过程工业中当前和未来的优化挑战。分析了学术研究与工业工作流程之间的差距。此外，从既作为原料又作为能源的常规化石燃料向非常规原料（页岩气，焦油砂，CO ₂和生物质）和间歇性可再生能源的渗透。该手稿主要侧重于基于离线模型的设计和操作优化，包括概念设计中新原料的有希望的工艺替代品的产生和选择，多目标优化，新中间体的热力学参数估计以及工艺操作的优化在新的原料和能源的动荡情况下。此外，确定了许多研发机会和需求，包括同时优化原料，工艺和产品以及能够加工各种原料并在廉价时利用能源的生产。