Are European bioenergy targets achievable? : an evaluation based on thermoeconomic and environmental indicators

Nowadays, biomass has a well-known potential for producing energy carriers, such as electricity, heat (steam) and transport biofuels. However, biomass availability is rather limited and stochastically distributed. First generation technologies are now being questioned as they utilize edible crops, thus competing with agricultural practices for food production. Life cycle analyses also reveal that 1 generation biofuels frequently exceed the CO2 emission levels of fossil fuels. Currently, Second generation technologies are being developed as a possible better alternative to the 1 generation since they can use biowastes from different origins (e.g., forest, agriculture, industry, municipalities). Moreover, 2 generation biofuels are expected to be produced at higher efficiencies and lower production costs. In this chapter, we present the design and modeling of five different 2 generation biofuels: SNG, methanol, Fischer-Tropsch fuels, hydrogen and bioelectricity. The five processes have similar operational units (i.e., gasification, cleaning, water-gas-shift reactions, catalytic reactors, final upgrading), although operational conditions and reactors design are different among them. Pre-treatment steps are also considered in order to enhance the low energy density of biomass prior to gasification. All production chains have been modeled in Aspen Plus in order to analyze their technical performance. Mass and energy balances obtained from those simulations are later used for efficiency, economic and environmental impact evaluation. 3

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