Process integration methods for multi-period carbon trading

• Published in: Journal of cleaner production Vol. 447; p. 141131
• Main Authors: Migo-Sumagang, Maria Victoria, Aviso, Kathleen B., Bandyopadhyay, Santanu, Foo, Dominic C.Y., Tan, Raymond R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2024
• Subjects: Cap-and-trade; carbon; carbon dioxide; Carbon offsets; CO2 emission; Decarbonization; imports; Pinch analysis; Targeting; Cap-and-trade; Pinch analysis; Targeting; CO2 emission; Carbon offsets; Decarbonization
• ISSN: 0959-6526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141131

Emissions trading is one of the strategies that may be adopted by corporations seeking to reduce their carbon footprints. Carbon credits can be purchased from firms that perform better than their expected emissions cuts, or from companies that generate carbon dioxide removal using negative emissions technologies. Carbon trading is subject to constraints depending on the rate of generation or consumption of these credits, as well as the timeframe of these flows. In this work, a process integration-based approach is developed for planning carbon trading among corporations. A new pinch analysis methodology is proposed in this work for finding an optimal trading scheme among corporations buying and selling carbon credits. The combination of time intervals during which the credits are generated and purchased by different firms defines a planning horizon within which trading occurs. In the initial targeting step, the overall potential for carbon trading among firms is determined; this step also finds the temporal bottleneck (pinch point), the required import of carbon credits prior to this point in time, and opportunities to export surplus carbon credits afterward. The methodology can be implemented using either a new graphical tool called carbon trading pinch diagram, or the algebraiccarbon trading method. Both approaches lead to the construction of the grand composite curve (GCC), which gives in-depth information about how to meet the targets. Three illustrative case studies show how the methodology can be used to identify targets for performance benchmarking, and generate allocation networks that achieve these targets. The graphical approach generates the composite curves for easy visualization, while the algebraic approach is used for speed and accuracy. [Display omitted] •Pinch analysis for optimizing carbon credit trading.•Targets carbon credit import before pinch point.•Graphical and algebraic variants can be used.•Grand composite curve identifies the timing of imports and exports.