(760e) A Holistic Look to Carbon Capture and Use in Sustainable and Economically Enhanced Bio-Based Supply Chains

Carbon capture and storage is considered worldwide as an alternative to take into account for cost-effective mitigation of CO₂ emissions. Notwithstanding, recent years have shown significant drawbacks associated with carbon capture and storage (CCS) to secure the CO₂ geological storage from industrial sources or power plants. Geological storage faces the possibility of leakage, liability issues, long-term problems with public acceptance of storage sites on land, and limited cost-effective storage capacity in some key regions (Cuéllar and Azapagic, 2015). Otherwise, sustainability concerns, evidence that a more holistic view is necessary. This includes the whole energy supply chain and a deeper insight on the protagonist role of carbon capture and utilization (CCU), specifically for the chemical industry, and as a part of the share of the environmentally friendly technological options of the future.

CCU provides a CO₂ management solution for a limited amount of CO₂. For instance, the CO₂ generated by a single coal power plant could potentially supply much of the CO₂ demand for CO₂-based methanol plants that supply a growing demand in Europe. This would avoid the use of fossil fuel, like natural gas, which is used nowadays in the conventional synthesis of methanol (Pérez-Fortes et al., 2016).

This work combines a bio-based energy supply chain with CO₂ capture and utilization, for economic optimisation based on a CO₂ emissions constraint. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program in GAMS. This study presents a complete and flexible supply chain superstructure, as well as the supporting framework developed to answer pending issues on the actual economic and environmental benefits achievable in this complex scenario for both, the biomass-coal plant and the CO₂ utilization plant; i.e. location of intermediate steps, fraction of CO₂ emissions captured per plant, or size of the CO₂ utilization plants, among others. Moreover, eventual incentives and environmental revenues are discussed, to make an economically viable business case. A large-size, real case study is used in this analysis. Two key scenarios are taken into account: (i) No use of biomass, neither capture nor utilization of CO₂ is contemplated; (ii) Biomass, capture and CO₂utilization are all contemplated. Finally, conclusions and guidelines are given.

References

Cuéllar-Franca R, Azapagic A. Carbon capture, storage and utilisation technologies: A critical analysis and comparison of their life cycle environmental impacts. Journal of CO2 Utilization. Elsevier. Volume 9, March 2015, Pages 82â??102.

Available from: doi:10.1016/j.jcou.2014.12.001

Pérez-Fortes M, Laínez-aguirre JM, Puigjaner L. Economic and environmental assessment of CO₂ capture and utilisation technologies in bio-based supply chains. Computers and Chemical Engineering. 2016; in press.

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