Design and thermo-enviro-economic analyses of an innovative environmentally friendly trigeneration process fueled by biomass feedstock integrated with a post-combustion CO2 capture unit

• Published in: Journal of cleaner production Vol. 443; p. 141137
• Main Authors: Liu, Caibo, Hsu, Chou-Yi, Agrawal, Manoj Kumar, Zhang, Jinxin, Ahmad, Sayed Fayaz, Seikh, Asiful H., Mohanavel, V., Tahir Chauhdary, Sohaib, Chi, Fangfei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Aspen HYSYS software; Biomass combustion; Carbon dioxide capture unit; Economic evaluation; Environmentally friendly design; Sustainable production; Aspen HYSYS software; Sustainable production; Biomass combustion; Carbon dioxide capture unit; Economic evaluation; Environmentally friendly design
• ISSN: 0959-6526; 1879-1786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141137

The utilization of biomass feedstock in the energy system for sustainable production is essential due to its renewable nature and high energy density. However, the primary challenge lies in designing environmentally friendly biomass-use structures. This research introduces a novel trigeneration system that integrates power, cooling, and heat production through biomass combustion to address this issue. As another novelty in system development, the proposed system includes a carbon dioxide capture unit, further enhancing the system. The proposed framework consists of several subsystems: an organic Rankine cycle, an absorption chiller, a carbon dioxide capture cycle utilizing monoethanolamine solvent, a liquefied natural gas regasification unit, and a low-pressure steam production boiler. The newly developed system is modeled using the Aspen HYSYS software and is assessed from thermodynamic, economic, and environmental perspectives. Also, a parametric analysis is conducted to examine the impact of key design parameters on the system’s performance. Based on the study’s findings, it can be observed that the energy and exergy efficiencies amount to 58.4 % and 17.09 %, respectively. In addition, the suggested procedure exhibits a total exergy destruction of 53,636 kW. The findings of the environmental impact assessment indicate that the shift from power generation to trigeneration scenario results in a substantial decrease in carbon dioxide emissions. Specifically, the emission reduction potential ranges from 0.24 to 0.041 kg/kWh. Furthermore, the economic evaluation shows that the system reaches a cost per unit exergy of 0.249 $/kWh. This variable denotes a substantial decrease of 81.42 % compared to the power generation operational mode. •Multi-variable study and sensitivity analysis of a biomass-based trigeneration system.•Use of LNG cold energy and post-combustion CO2 capture for enhancing the operation.•The system is modeled by Aspen HYSYS software and is assessed from 4E perspective.•Total energy and exergy efficiencies amount to 58.4 % and 17.09 %, respectively.•CO2 emission intensity and products' unit cost are 0.041 kg/kWh and 0.249 $/kWh.