Advance modeling and techno-economic analysis of plasma-assisted integrated carbon capture and utilization processes

To reduce the effect of global warming, one of the most pursued strategies consists of the electrification of industrial processes, which consists of replacing the usage of fossil fuels with electricity generated via renewable sources. However, this transition is not applicable to the socalled hard-to-abate sectors. In these cases, a different approach is needed, and research has focused on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU). The capture and conversion of CO2 can also be done in the same unit, referred to as Integrated Carbon Capture and Conversion (ICCU). One possibility is the reaction to CO via CO2 splitting; however, this is not industrially feasible with traditional processes, so the possibility to carry it out under plasma discharge has been investigated. The Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) reactor is especially interesting, since it works at ambient conditions and it is easily paired with sorbents. In this project, CCS and plasma-assisted CCU and ICCU are applied to a process of CO separation of the Linz-Donawitz gas. This by-product of steelmaking contains high quantities of CO, but also ~20% of CO2, usually emitted to the atmosphere. This study aims to design the different processes and evaluate their feasibility via Techno-Economic Analysis, compare them and give a possible outlook for the future. The processes are designed and modelled on Aspen HYSIS; in the case of plasma-assisted ICCU, values of performance parameters are derived from experiments. The equipment is sized and priced following specific guidelines, then CAPEX and OPEX are calculated. The processes are evaluated via economic and environmental indexes. The results indicate that CCS has potential from the economic and environmental point of view, while plasma-assisted CCU and ICCU via DBD reactor present limits related to the high energy demand. However, these processes could benefit from a reduction in energy consumption and in electricity prices.