Technical and economic evaluation of solar hydrogen production by supercritical water gasification of biomass in China
TL;DR: In this article, a novel thermochemical method for solar hydrogen production was proposed by state key laboratory of multiphase flow in power engineering (SKLMFPE) of Xi'an Jiaotong University.
About: This article is published in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.The article was published on 2011-11-01. It has received 77 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Hydrogen production & Hydrogen economy.
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TL;DR: In this article, a review of the development in the field of solar thermochemical processing by considering experimental demonstrations, reactor technology development, thermodynamic, economic and life cycle analyses is presented.
Abstract: This paper reviews development in the field of solar thermochemical processing by considering experimental demonstrations, reactor technology development, thermodynamic, economic and life cycle analyses. The review then builds on these aspects and compares various solar thermochemical processes. Solar upgrading of carbon feed has been demonstrated on pilot scale. It is observed that for the thermochemical cycles, only iron and ceria based redox pair have been demonstrated on pilot scale. For industrial applications, solar thermochemical production of zinc, upgrading of landfill gas and organic waste have been demonstrated on pilot scale. However, long term performance data of these pilot plants is not reported in literature. Thermodynamic comparison reveals that the processes involving upgrading of carbon feed have energy and exergy efficiency at 50–90% and 46–48% respectively. Multistep thermochemical cycles operating at 900–1200 K have energy efficiency of 34–38%. Metal oxide redox pair based thermochemical cycles operating at 1900–2300 K have energy and exergy efficiencies of 12–32% and 20–36% respectively. Methane reforming and lime production processes have chemical efficiencies of 55% and 35% respectively and have demonstrated better performance than other solar thermochemical processes. A few processes like solar gasification of solid carbon feed have demonstrated lower chemical efficiency of around 10% even at pilot scale. The hydrogen production cost for solar upgrading of fossil fuels is estimated at 3.21–6.10$/kg and is lower than thermochemical cycles at 7.17–19.26$/kg and CSP driven electrolysis at 3.15–10.23$/kg. It is observed that there is limited actual data and significant uncertainty in cost. Under these circumstances, it is recommended that initial screening of processes be done by net energy, material and life cycle analysis.
285 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors take stock of the latest technologies for gasification of biomass and compare them with other thermochemical processes, and show that gasification is more advantageous because of the conversion of biomass into a combustible gas, making it a more efficient process.
Abstract: Biomass has been widely recognized as a clean and renewable energy source, with increasing potential to replace conventional fossil fuels in the energy market. The abundance of biomass ranks it as the third energy resource after oil and coal. The reduction of imported forms of energy, and the conservation of the limited supply of fossil fuels, depends upon the utilization of all other available fuel energy sources. Energy conversion systems based on the use of biomass are of particular interest to scientists because of their potential to reduce global CO2 emissions. With these considerations, gasification methods come to the forefront of biomass-to-energy conversions for a number of reasons. Primarily, gasification is more advantageous because of the conversion of biomass into a combustible gas, making it a more efficient process than other thermochemical processes. Biomass gasification has been studied widely as an efficient and sustainable technology for the generation of heat, production of hydrogen and ethanol, and power generation. Renewable energy can have a significant positive impact for developing countries. In rural areas, particularly in remote locations, transmission and distribution of energy generated from fossil fuels can be difficult and expensive, a challenge that renewable energy can attempt to correct by facilitating economic and social development in communities. This paper aims to take stock of the latest technologies for gasification.
281 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a broad-spectrum assessment of the above pathways is rare in literature in terms of technology used, biofuel yields, potential challenges and possible outcomes, as well as the potential solutions which do not restrict them to different biofuel production pathways.
Abstract: The increased worldwide demand for energy, particularly from petroleum-derived fuels has led to the search for a long-term solution of a reliable source of clean energy. Lignocellulosic biomasses appear to hold the key for a continuous supply of renewable fuels without compromising with the increasing energy needs. However, the major possible solutions to the current energy crisis include ethanol, bio-oils and synthesis gas (syngas) produced from lignocellulosic biomass. Recently, a great deal of research has been made in the fields of biomass conversion through biochemical, hydrothermal or thermochemical pathways to biofuels. However, a broad-spectrum assessment of the above pathways is rare in literature in terms of technology used, biofuel yields, potential challenges and possible outcomes. This review paper discusses different routes for biofuel production, particularly ethanol, bio-oil and syngas with the bio-oil upgrading techniques. This review highlights ethanol fermentation and available biomass pretreatment as the biochemical mode, not limiting to the pros and cons of the pretreatments. Supercritical water gasification (hydrothermal pathway) of biomass for syngas production followed by gas-to-liquid technologies (syngas fermentation and Fischer–Tropsch catalysis) has been discussed. In addition, thermochemical pathway dealing with biomass gasification for syngas and pyrolysis for bio-oils has been presented with compositional analysis of bio-oils and their upgrading technologies. The review focuses on various engineering limitations encountered during biomass conversion and bioprocessing with the potential solutions which do not restrict them to different biofuel production pathways.
246 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a thermodynamics cycle power generation system was proposed based on coal and supercritical water gasification and multi-staged steam turbine reheated by hydrogen combustion, which is characterized by its high coal-electricity efficiency, zero net CO2 emission and no pollutants.
210 citations
Cites background from "Technical and economic evaluation o..."
...So it is promising to couple coal and supercritical water gasification with solar concentrating system [136]....
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...[136] Lu Y, Zhao L, Guo L....
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TL;DR: A review of CSP hybridization strategies with coal, natural gas, biofuels, geothermal, photovoltaic (PV), and wind is given in this article, where different configurations for hybridizing CSP with these other energy sources are also provided.
Abstract: Concentrated solar power (CSP), or solar thermal power, is an ideal technology to hybridize with other energy technologies for power generation. CSP shares technology with conventional power generation and can be readily integrated with other energy types into a synergistic system, which has many potential benefits including increased dispatchability and reliability, improved efficiency, reduced capital costs through equipment sharing, and the opportunity for flexible operation by alternating between energy sources, which can lead to improved overall efficiency through synergy of the different energy sources. Another advantage of CSP technology is the ability to readily store via thermal energy storage (TES), making the intermittent solar resource dispatchable. A review of CSP hybridization strategies with coal, natural gas, biofuels, geothermal, photovoltaic (PV), and wind is given. An overview of different configurations for hybridizing CSP with these other energy sources is also provided. Hybridized CSP plants present different types and levels of synergy, depending on the hybrid energy source, the location of the plant, the CSP technology used, and the plant configuration. Coal, natural gas, and biofuel hybrids with CSP present many opportunities to inject solar heat at various temperatures. These combustible fuels provide reliability, dispatchability, and flexibility but are not entirely renewable solutions (with the exception of biofuels). Geothermal, wind, and PV hybrid designs with CSP can be entirely renewable, but lack some of the benefits of hydrocarbon fuels. Effective geothermal-CSP hybrid designs require low temperature operation where efficiency is limited by the power cycle. Wind-CSP and PVT (photovoltaic/thermal) lack dispatchability, but have other advantages. The pursuit of ideal CSP hybrid systems is an important research topic as it allows for further development of CSP technologies while providing an immediate solution that increases the use of solar power.
168 citations
Cites background from "Technical and economic evaluation o..."
...CSP can also be used as a supplemental heat source in the production of hydrogen [111,112] or liquid biofuels for transportation [113,114]....
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References
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01 Jan 1958
TL;DR: Plant design and economics for chemical engineers, Plant design for chemical engineering, and plant design for plant design and economic analysis are discussed in this paper, where the authors propose a plant design approach based on chemical engineering.
Abstract: Plant design and economics for chemical engineers , Plant design and economics for chemical engineers , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی
3,016 citations
TL;DR: The paper discusses the use of supercritical water in the following reactions: hydrogenation/dehydrogenation; C-C bond formation; rearrangements; hydration/ dehydration; elimination; hydrolysis; partial oxidation; H-D exchange; decomposition; and oxidation.
Abstract: Water near or above its critical point (374 C, 218 atm) is attracting increased attention as a medium for organic chemistry. Most of this new attention is driven by the search for more green or environmentally benign chemical processes. Using near-critical or supercritical water (SCW) instead of organic solvents in chemical processes offers environmental advantages and may lead to pollution prevention. Interest in doing chemistry in SCW is not entirely new, however. There has been much previous research in this area with applications in synthetic fuels production, biomass processing, waste treatment, materials synthesis, and geochemistry. Water near its critical point possesses properties very different from those of ambient liquid water. The dielectric constant is much lower, and the number and persistence of hydrogen bonds are both diminished. As a result, high-temperature water behaves like many organic solvents in that organic compounds enjoy high solubilities in near-critical water and complete miscibility with SCW. Moreover, gases are also miscible in SCW so employing a SCW reaction environment provides an opportunity to conduct chemistry in a single fluid phase that would otherwise occur in a multiphase system under more conventional conditions. The paper discusses the use of supercritical water in the following reactions:more » hydrogenation/dehydrogenation; C-C bond formation; rearrangements; hydration/dehydration; elimination; hydrolysis; partial oxidation; H-D exchange; decomposition; and oxidation.« less
1,244 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, three different tubular flow reactors were used to produce high yields of gas with a high content of hydrogen (57 mol %) at the highest temperatures employed in this work, and all three reactors plugged after 1−2 h of use with feedstocks.
Abstract: Biomass feedstocks, including corn- and potato-starch gels, wood sawdust suspended in a cornstarch gel, and potato wastes, were delivered to three different tubular flow reactors by means of a “cement” pump. When rapidly heated to temperatures above 650 °C at pressures above the critical pressure of water (22 MPa), the organic content of these feedstocks vaporized. A packed bed of carbon within the reactor catalyzed the gasification of these organic vapors in the water; consequently, the water effluent of the reactor was clean. The gas was composed of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, and traces of ethane. Its composition was strongly influenced by the peak temperature of the reactor and the condition of the reactor's wall. Extraordinary yields (>2 L/g) of gas with a high content of hydrogen (57 mol %) were realized at the highest temperatures employed in this work. Irrespective of the reactor geometry and method of heating, all three reactors plugged after 1−2 h of use with feedstocks t...
592 citations
482 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the degradation of biomass was studied in the ranges of 330−410 °C and 30−50 MPa and at 15 min of reaction time, and the chemistry of biomass degradation, key compounds which are interme...
Abstract: The degradation of biomass is studied in the ranges of 330−410 °C and 30−50 MPa and at 15 min of reaction time. To characterize the chemistry of biomass degradation, key compounds which are interme...
476 citations