Comparative energetic assessment of methanol production from CO₂: chemical versus electrochemical process
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Al-Kalbani, H
Xuan, J
García, S
Wang, H
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Emerging emission-to-liquid (eTL) technologies that produce liquid fuels from CO₂ are a possible solution for both the global issues of greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel depletion. Among those technologies, CO₂ hydrogenation and high-temperature CO₂ electrolysis are two promising options suitable for large-scale applications. In this study, two CO₂ -to-methanol conversion processes, i.e., production of methanol by CO₂ hydrogenation and production of methanol based on high-temperature CO₂ electrolysis, are simulated using Aspen HYSYS. With Aspen Energy Analyzer, heat exchanger networks are optimized and minimal energy requirements are determined for the two different processes. The two processes are compared in terms of energy requirement and climate impact. It is found that the methanol production based on CO₂ electrolysis has an energy efficiency of 41%, almost double that of the CO₂ hydrogenation process provided that the required hydrogen is sourced from water electrolysis. The hydrogenation process produces more CO₂ when fossil fuel energy sources are used, but can result in more negative CO₂ emissions with renewable energies. The study reveals that both of the eTL processes can outperform the conventional fossil-fuel-based methanol production process in climate impacts as long as the renewable energy sources are implemented.
Date Issued
2016-03-01
Date Acceptance
2015-12-08
Citation
Applied Energy, 2016, 165 (1), pp.1-13
ISSN
0306-2619
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
1
End Page
13
Journal / Book Title
Applied Energy
Volume
165
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261915016001
Subjects
Energy
09 Engineering
14 Economics
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2015-12-28