Publication

Sustainable Biofuels Via Biomass Gasification Towards Fossil-Free Aluminium Production

2024

Abstract

This study evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of integrating a biomass gasification system to produce biofuel within an aluminium melting plant. This work begins with assessing the available biomass energy potential in the industrial site’s region (Switzerland) and modelling the wood supply chain to estimate feedstock’s purchasing and transportation costs. Subsequently, the energy integration between the biomass conversion processes and the aluminium plant is investigated. This involves identifying and analyzing potential sources of waste heat to maximize the exergy conversion embodied in the wood. The energy integration phase includes modelling a biomass gasifier, including different syngas upgrading processes, and furnace technologies capable of utilizing the biofuels produced. An optimization process is solved to choose the right combination of technologies in order to find optimal solutions, in terms of economic and environmental criteria.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/6ea4e228-5868-48aa-9dc5-2f6ca31afa3a

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2024

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/6ea4e228-5868-48aa-9dc5-2f6ca31afa3a

About this result

Related concepts (32)

Biomass (energy)

Biomass, in the context of energy production, is matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms which is used for bioenergy production. Examples include wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues including straw, and organic waste from industry and households. Wood and wood residues is the largest biomass energy source today. Wood can be used as a fuel directly or processed into pellet fuel or other forms of fuels. Other plants can also be used as fuel, for instance maize, switchgrass, miscanthus and bamboo.

Gasification

Gasification is a process that converts biomass- or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials into gases, including as the largest fractions: nitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (). This is achieved by reacting the feedstock material at high temperatures (typically >700 °C), without combustion, via controlling the amount of oxygen and/or steam present in the reaction. The resulting gas mixture is called syngas (from synthesis gas) or producer gas and is itself a fuel due to the flammability of the H2 and CO of which the gas is largely composed.

Biofuel

Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricultural, domestic or industrial biowaste. The climate change mitigation potential of biofuel varies considerably, from emission levels comparable to fossil fuels in some scenarios to negative emissions in others. Biofuels are mostly used for transportation, but can also be used for heating and electricity.

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Sustainable Biofuels Via Biomass Gasification Towards Fossil-Free Aluminium Production

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