Sustainability analysis of a large-scale calcium looping plant coupled with concentrated solar energy

• Published in: Computer Aided Chemical Engineering Vol. 53; pp. 2407 - 2412
• Main Authors: Dias, Ricardo N., Filipe, Rui M., Pinheiro, Carla I.C., Matos, Henrique A.
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Ca-Looping; LCA; Sustainability; Thermochemical Energy Storage; Ca-Looping; LCA; Thermochemical Energy Storage; Sustainability
• ISBN: 9780443288241; 0443288240
• ISSN: 1570-7946
• DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-443-28824-1.50402-6

Concentrated solar energy represents one potential solution for the energy transition of energy-intensive industries, including the cement industry, wherein temperatures exceeding 800 °C are required. The present study provides a sustainability analysis of a calcium looping plant coupled with a thermochemical energy storage system. Three process alternatives were evaluated: V0, which used CO2 as the fluidization fluid, and V1 and V2, were CO2 is replaced by water vapor as the fluidization fluid and different calciner temperatures are used (800 °C and 900 °C). The sustainability of each option was evaluated using the GREENSCOPE analysis tool and the four metrics provided by GREENSCOPE were analysed in detail. To determine the most sustainable alternative, TOPSIS was used and V2 was found to be the best alternative overall. V1 had a similar sustainability to V2 due to both using water vapor as the fluidization fluid, which was found to be the primary factor in improving sustainability. However, using water vapor to achieve fluidization instead of CO2 has some drawbacks, as significant process changes are necessary, which increase energy consumption and capital costs.