Sustainable Energy & Fuels

Journal: Sustainable Energy & Fuels

Abbreviation

Sustainable Energy Fuels

Publisher

Royal Society of Chemistry

ISSN

2398-4902

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Publications 1 - 10 of 26

Contribution of electrolyte in nanoscale electrolysis of pure and buffered water by particulate photocatalysis
Qureshi, Muhammad; Garcia-Esparza, Angel T.; Shinagawa, Tatsuya; et al. (2018)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Hydrogen from wood gasification with CCS-a techno-environmental analysis of production and use as transport fuel
Antonini, Cristina; Treyer, Karin; Moioli, Emanuele; et al. (2021)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
The use of biomass as a resource for hydrogen production can contribute to the transition towards carbon neutral or carbon negative energy systems. This paper offers a comprehensive investigation of the technical performance and life cycle environmental footprint of three gasification technologies for H2 production, using dry biomass (wood) as input. These are compared with H2 production from reforming of natural gas or biomethane and electrolysis as presented in our previous work. This is followed by an evaluation of the use of H2 as fuel for passenger cars and trucks. The quantity of biomass required for the production of 1 MW H2 is calculated with an integrated process simulation approach on the basis of Aspen Plus simulations and real-plant literature data. We observe that all the technologies analysed provide negative CO2 emissions when coupled with CCS. However, the sorption enhanced reforming and the entrained flow gasifiers are more suited to this scope than the heat pipe reformer, because higher overall CO2 capture rates can be achieved. As CO2 is from biogenic sources, the life cycle carbon footprint of the produced H2 is only slightly positive (without CCS) or negative (with CCS). This negative carbon footprint is not obtained at the cost of important trade-offs with regards to ecosystem quality, human health or resource depletion, with the exception of high forest land use. Fuel cell electric vehicles using hydrogen from biomass (both wood and biomethane) with CCS as fuel turn out to be the most climate friendly among all options, with even possible negative total greenhouse gas emissions. However, limited biomass resources and potential alternative uses need to be considered. This journal is
Hydrogen production from natural gas and biomethane with carbon capture and storage – A techno-environmental analysis
Antonini, Cristina; Treyer, Karin; Streb, Anne; et al. (2020)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
This study presents an integrated techno-environmental assessment of hydrogen production from natural gas and biomethane, combined with CO2 capture and storage (CCS). We have included steam methane reforming (SMR) and autothermal reforming (ATR) for syngas production. CO2 is captured from the syngas with a novel vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA) process, that combines hydrogen purification and CO2 separation in one cycle. As comparison, we have included cases with conventional amine-based technology. We have extended standard attributional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) following ISO standards with a detailed carbon balance of the biogas production process (via digestion) and its by-products. The results show that the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) performance of the VPSA and amine-based CO2 capture technologies is very similar as a result of comparable energy consumption. The configuration with the highest plant-wide CO2 capture rate (almost 100% of produced CO2 captured) is autothermal reforming with a two-stage water-gas shift and VPSA CO2 capture – because the latter has an inherently high CO2 capture rate of 98% or more for the investigated syngas. Depending on the configuration, the addition of CCS to natural gas reforming-based hydrogen production reduces its life-cycle Global Warming Potential by 45–85 percent, while the other environmental life-cycle impacts slightly increase. This brings natural gas-based hydrogen on par with renewable electricity-based hydrogen regarding impacts on climate change. When biomethane is used instead of natural gas, our study shows potential for net negative greenhouse gas emissions, i.e. the net removal of CO2 over the life cycle of biowaste-based hydrogen production. In the special case where the biogas digestate is used as agricultural fertiliser, and where a substantial amount of the carbon in the digestate remains in the soil, the biowaste-based hydrogen reaches net-negative life cycle greenhouse gas emissions even without the application of CCS. Addition of CCS to biomethane-based hydrogen production leads to net-negative emissions in all investigated cases.
Optimally designed solvent system for lignocellulosic biomass conversion supported by property predictions
Karacasulu, Kaan; Echtermeyer, Alexander; Kabatnik, Christoph; et al. (2022)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
The conversion of biomass with high sugar yields is enabled by a process using the solvent gamma-valerolactone. There, the lactone dissolves the organic species, and a co-solvent is used to switch the solvent system's number of phases for efficient separation of the sugars in the aqueous phase. However, selecting the right co-solvent, a key economic driver for this process, currently involves several material-intensive and labor-intensive steps, from selecting candidates by experts to extensive experimental evaluation, and can lead to suboptimal choices. Here, we report a cost-optimal solvent-based biorefinery by combining process-based co-solvent screening and experimental validation of the best co-solvent candidate found. Assisted by property predictions, the solvent system we propose results from screening a broad range of molecules while reducing the manual effort compared to conventional solvent selection. The integration of reduced-order models embedded in process optimization allows identifying a cost-optimal co-solvent systematically. Additionally, environmental, health, and safety (EHS) evaluations assist in excluding hazardous co-solvents. The best candidate is validated experimentally inside the co-solvent hydrolysis reaction. Our findings show that through process optimization and the use of ethylbenzene as a co-solvent, we can enable 15% savings in operating costs and achieve a better EHS score than the reported benchmark toluene. Ethylbenzene shows lower performance than toluene in the analysis of phase partitioning and, therefore, would not be a leading co-solvent based on a laboratory-based evaluation alone. Here, we demonstrate that we can improve the final co-solvent choice, and a process-based co-solvent selection is needed.
Determining the uncertainty in microstructural parameters extracted from tomographic data
Pietsch, Patrick; Ebner, Martin; Marone, Federica; et al. (2018)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Methane dry reforming via a ceria-based redox cycle in a concentrating solar tower
Zuber, Mario; Patriarca, Moritz; Ackermann, Simon; et al. (2023)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Drop-in fuels produced using solar energy can provide a viable pathway towards sustainable transportation, especially for the long-haul aviation sector which is strongly dependent on jet fuel. This study reports on the experimental testing of a solar reactor using concentrated solar energy for the production of syngas, a mixture of mainly H2 and CO, which serves as the precursor for the synthesis of kerosene and other liquid hydrocarbon fuels. The thermochemical conversion route is based on the dry reforming of CH4 via a 2-step redox cyclic process utilizing the intermediation of non-sacrificial ceria (CeO2), comprising: (1) the endothermal reduction of CeO2−δox with CH4 to form CeO2−δred and syngas (δ denoting the non-stoichiometry); and (2) the exothermal oxidation of CeO2−δred with CO2 to form CO and the oxidized state of CeO2−δox. The solar reactor consists of a cavity-receiver lined with a reticulated porous ceramic (RPC) structure and an axial tubular section at the cavity's rear filled with a packed-bed of agglomerates, both RPC and agglomerates made of pure ceria. Testing is performed at a high-flux solar tower at conditions and scale relevant to industrial implementation. For a solar radiative power input of 10 kW (corresponding to a mean solar flux of 560 suns) at temperatures in the range 800–1000 °C, with reacting gas flow rates of 105 normal L min−1 and concentrations of CH4 (reduction step) and CO2 (oxidation step) of up to 20% in Ar, the solar-driven redox reforming process yields a peak CH4 molar conversion of 70% and a peak H2 selectivity of 68%. Co-feeding of CH4 and CO2 during the reduction step resulted in the highest solar-to-fuel energy efficiency of 27%, defined as the ratio of the higher heating value of the syngas produced over the sum of the solar radiative power input through the solar reactor's aperture and the higher heating value of CH4 fed to the solar reactor. Regardless of the operational mode, the syngas product composition was similar at equal δ attained during the reduction. The addition of the tubular packed bed increased the syngas yield by 32%.
An integrated techno-economic, environmental and social assessment of the solar thermochemical fuel pathway
Falter, Christoph; Valente, Antonio; Habersetzer, Antoine; et al. (2020)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Solar fuels could solve one of the most pressing energy-related issues of the present time: the switch to a renewable energy base in the transportation sector. Especially aviation and heavy-duty transport will mostly rely on liquid fuels, which makes solar fuels an enabling technology for future mobility. Here, an analysis of the solar thermochemical fuel pathway that converts CO(2)and H2O into liquid "drop-in"-capable fuels is presented, taking into account its life-cycle, economic, environmental and social performance. For a baseline plant layout in Morocco, nominal production costs of 1.97 euro per litre of jet fuel are estimated, with greenhouse gas emission savings of 80% with respect to conventional fuel. Social concerns such as child labour or forced labour arise mostly through the import of materials and components from other developing countries. Alternative production locations are analysed, finding that in Chile - the country with the highest solar irradiation - nominal production costs of 1.72 euro per L could be attained at an improved environmental life-cycle performance but at a higher risk of permitting child labour. The potential use of fossil CO2(instead of CO(2)directly captured from the air) is discussed and it is found that it cannot be used for the production of solar fuels with significantly lower emissions than conventional fuels. Regarding the potential use of grid electricity (instead of on-site concentrated solar power), the specific carbon intensity should be lower than 0.15 kg CO(2)eq. per kW h to meet the EU RED II targets. Overall, the solar thermochemical fuel pathway using both renewable energy and CO(2)has the potential to supply sustainable fuels to aviation in principally unlimited amounts.
FeNC catalysts for CO2 electroreduction to CO: effect of nanostructured carbon supports
Karapinar, Dilan; Tran, Ngoc-Huan; Giaume, Domitille; et al. (2019)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Future costs of power-to-liquid sustainable aviation fuels produced from hybrid solar PV-wind plants in Europe
Seymour, Kyle; Held, Maximilian; Stolz, Boris; et al. (2024)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) produced from renewable electricity via Power-to-Liquids (PtL), also called e-jet fuel, can reduce net greenhouse gas emissions of aircraft by up to 90%, but they are markedly more expensive than fossil jet fuel. Their future production costs are particularly dependent on the cost of renewable electricity and, to date, not analysed with high geographical scope and resolution. This study assesses the future production costs of PtL-SAF produced via electrolysis and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis from hybrid solar PV-wind power plants and CO2 captured from ambient air. At 5390 locations across Europe, plant configurations have been optimised considering spatial and temporal restrictions on electricity generation. Thus, cost-optimal production regions are identified for 2030, 2040 and 2050. By 2030, PtL-SAF costs in Europe could already be as low as 1.21 EUR per litre (1510 EUR per tonne) and decrease to 0.71 EUR per litre (880 EUR per tonne) by 2050. If the blending mandate for renewable fuels of non-biological origin within the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation were to be supplied purely from PtL-SAF production regions within Europe, the average PtL-SAF cost would rank at 1.22 EUR per litre (1525 EUR per tonne) in 2030 - 3 times the historical market price of fossil jet fuel - and at 0.81 EUR per litre (1000 EUR per tonne) by 2050. Consequently, the impact on ticket prices would be less than 1% by 2030, 3% by 2040, and 7% by 2050.
Safe seasonal energy and hydrogen storage in a 1 : 10 single-household-sized pilot reactor based on the steam-iron process
Heiniger, Samuel P.; Fan, Zhiyuan; Lustenberger, Urs B.; et al. (2024)
Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Our society is gradually moving from traditional energy sources to renewables. Due to the temporal mismatch between the production and demand of renewables, seasonal energy storage is proposed as a way to bridge the gap and ensure reliable power supply throughout the year. In this article, we demonstrate a seasonal energy storage process based on the redox pair iron/iron oxide, where energy is stored in the form of fine iron powder produced on-site by reducing iron oxide with electrolytic hydrogen, and released by oxidizing iron with steam. We prove its feasibility at a technically relevant scale, in a 1 : 10 scaled-down pilot reactor representing the electricity need of a typical European household. The operating data of the reactor, together with physico-chemical analysis of the iron/iron oxide during this process, and calculated estimation of its investment cost, provide a solid foundation for its future application in the field of energy storage.

Publications 1 - 10 of 26

Journal: Sustainable Energy & Fuels

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