Optimal process design for the polygeneration of SNG, power and heat by hydrothermal gasification of waste biomass: Thermo-economic process modelling and integration

This paper presents a process model for the polygeneration of Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG), power and heat by catalytic hydrothermal gasification of biomass and biomass wastes in supercritical water. Following a systematic process design methodology, thermodynamic property models and thermo-economic process models for hydrolysis, salt separation, gasification and the separation of CH4, CO2, H2 and H2O at high pressure are developed and validated with experimental data. Different strategies for an integrated separation of the crude product, heat supply and energy recovery are elaborated and assembled in a general superstructure. The influence of the process design on the performance is discussed for some representative scenarios that highlight the key aspects of the design. Based on this work, a thermo-economic optimisation will allow for determining the most promising options for the polygeneration of fuel and power depending on the available technology, catalyst lifetime, substrate type and plant scale.

[1]  Byung-Ik Lee,et al.  A generalized thermodynamic correlation based on three‐parameter corresponding states , 1975 .

[2]  Frédéric Vogel,et al.  SunCHem: an integrated process for the hydrothermal production of methane from microalgae and CO2 mitigation , 2009, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[3]  S. A. Stern,et al.  Permeability of dense (homogeneous) cellulose acetate membranes to methane, carbon dioxide, and their mixtures at elevated pressures , 1996 .

[4]  François Maréchal,et al.  Thermodynamic comparison of the FICFB and Viking gasification concepts , 2009 .

[5]  Zhenhao Duan,et al.  An improved model calculating CO2 solubility in pure water and aqueous NaCl solutions from 273 to 533 K and from 0 to 2000 bar , 2003 .

[6]  Frédéric Vogel,et al.  Synthetic natural gas from biomass by catalytic conversion in supercritical water , 2007 .

[7]  Morgan Fröling,et al.  Thermochemical biofuel production in hydrothermal media: A review of sub- and supercritical water technologies , 2008 .

[8]  François Maréchal,et al.  Methodology for the optimal thermo-economic, multi-objective design of thermochemical fuel production from biomass , 2009, Comput. Chem. Eng..

[9]  Robin Smith,et al.  Cost optimum heat exchanger networks—2. targets and design for detailed capital cost models , 1990 .

[10]  M. Waldner,et al.  Renewable Production of Methane from Woody Biomass by Catalytic Hydrothermal Gasification , 2005 .

[11]  John H. Weare,et al.  An equation of state for the CH4-CO2-H2O system: II. Mixtures from 50 to 1000°C and 0 to 1000 bar , 1992 .

[12]  François Maréchal,et al.  The challenge of introducing an exergy indicator in a local law on energy , 2008 .

[13]  Richard Turton,et al.  Analysis, Synthesis and Design of Chemical Processes , 2002 .

[14]  G. Versteeg,et al.  Quantitative approaches for the description of solubilities of inorganic compounds in near-critical and supercritical water , 2008 .

[15]  Frédéric Vogel,et al.  In situ visualization of the performance of a supercritical-water salt separator using neutron radiography , 2008 .

[16]  F. Maréchal,et al.  Thermochemical production of liquid fuels from biomass: Thermo-economic modeling, process design and process integration analysis , 2010 .

[17]  Andrea Kruse,et al.  Supercritical water gasification , 2008 .

[18]  J. Tester,et al.  Normal-phase dynamic imaging of supercritical-water salt precipitation using neutron radiography , 2009 .

[19]  Zhenhao Duan,et al.  A thermodynamic model for calculating methane solubility, density and gas phase composition of methane-bearing aqueous fluids from 273 to 523 K and from 1 to 2000 bar , 2006 .

[20]  François Maréchal,et al.  Increasing Conversion Efficiency in Fuel Ethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass by Polygeneration - and a Paradoxon between Energy and Exergy in Process Integration , 2010 .

[21]  F. Vogel,et al.  Continuous salt precipitation and separation from supercritical water. Part 2. Type 2 salts and mixtures of two salts , 2010 .

[22]  S. Harvey,et al.  Extending existing CHP plants for SNG production – a process integration study , 2013 .

[23]  Tomoaki Minowa,et al.  Biomass gasification in near- and super-critical water: Status and prospects , 2005 .

[24]  A. Kruse.  Hydrothermal biomass gasification , 2009 .

[25]  François Maréchal,et al.  Combined mass and energy integration in process design at the example of membrane-based gas separation systems , 2010, Comput. Chem. Eng..

[26]  François Maréchal,et al.  Process Modeling and Integration of Fuel Ethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass Based on Double Acid Hydrolysis , 2009 .

[27]  François Maréchal,et al.  Hydrothermal gasification of waste biomass: process design and life cycle asessment. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[28]  F. Maréchal,et al.  Thermo-economic process model for thermochemical production of Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) from lignocellulosic biomass , 2009 .

[29]  François Maréchal,et al.  Integrated design of a gas separation system for the upgrade of crude SNG with membranes , 2009 .

[30]  Martin Gassner.  Process Design Methodology for Thermochemical Production of Fuels from Biomass , 2010 .

[31]  M Naqvi,et al.  Bio-refinery system of DME or CH4 production from black liquor gasification in pulp mills. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[32]  François Maréchal,et al.  Thermo-economic Evaluation of the Thermochemical Production of Liquid Fuels from Biomass , 2010 .

[33]  F. Maréchal,et al.  Optimal process design for the polygeneration of SNG, power and heat by hydrothermal gasification of waste biomass: Process optimisation for selected substrates , 2011 .

[34]  Douglas C. Elliott,et al.  Catalytic hydrothermal gasification of biomass , 2008 .

[35]  Junfeng Qin,et al.  Experimental measurements of vapor-liquid equilibria of the H2O+CO2+CH4 ternary system , 2008 .

[36]  F. Vogel,et al.  Continuous salt precipitation and separation from supercritical water. Part 1: Type 1 salts , 2010 .

[37]  John H. Weare,et al.  An equation of state for the CH4-CO2-H2O system: I. Pure systems from 0 to 1000°C and 0 to 8000 bar , 1992 .

[38]  D. Peng,et al.  A New Two-Constant Equation of State , 1976 .

[39]  Frédéric Vogel,et al.  Catalytic gasification of algae in supercritical water for biofuel production and carbon capture , 2009 .