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Applied Sciences
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CCUS: Paving the Way to Net Zero Emissions Technologies
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CCUS: Paving the Way to Net Zero Emissions Technologies

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2024 | Viewed by 9100

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Grazia Leonzio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Process Systems Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Interests: renewable energies; carbon dioxide; carbon dioxide removal; modelling of chemical processes; carbon supply chains; environmental analysis of chemical processes; methanol
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Filippo Bisotti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
SINTEF Industry, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: CO2 capture; CO2 utilization; methanol; hydrogen; amines; hydrogen technologies; process simulation; process decarbonization; process electrification; green hydrogen; Aspen Plus; ASPEN HYSYS; modelling; DME; thermodynamic modelling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In 2019, a total of 36.70 billion tons of CO2 was emitted worldwide, affecting and impacting climate change and global warming. Conventional methods and negative emission technologies for CO2 capture and utilization need to be enhanced to cope with the international agreements to keep the temperature increase below 1.5°C. The chemical and energy sectors can largely contribute to this goal by means of innovative solutions, the optimization of existing ones, and the development of further improvements.

We are pleased to present this Special Issue for Applied Sciences,

“CCUS: Paving the way to Net Zero Emissions Technologies”,

where we will collect significant works on:

  • The CCUS review of CO2 footprint reduction;
  • Modelling of a new CCUS;
  • Biorefineries;
  • The LCA of CCUS and novel technologies for CO2 hydrogenation to a chemical reaction;
  • Experimental works, both on piloting and novel catalysts.

Dr. Grazia Leonzio
Dr. Filippo Bisotti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • CO2
  • industry decarbonisation
  • CO2 reduction
  • CO2 valorisation, emissions reduction
  • CCUS technologies
  • DAC
  • amine capture
  • capture and storage, capture and utilization
  • modelling of CCS, models for CCU technologies
  • LCA
  • techno-economic assessment (TEA)
  • CO2 hydrogenation
  • CO2-to-chemicals
  • methanation
  • methanol production
  • DME synthesis
  • fischer-tropsch synthesis
  • synthetic fuels
  • e-fuels
  • biorefineries
  • electrochemical conversion of CO2
  • experimental research

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 1800 KiB  
Article
Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Supply Chains: State of the Art and Methodology Description
by Grazia Leonzio
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14010385 - 31 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1382
Abstract
Due to the increase of carbon dioxide emissions, a target for their reduction has been defined in the Paris Agreement for 2030. This topic is extremely important, and urgent actions are required so that the attention of the scientific community is mainly focused [...] Read more.
Due to the increase of carbon dioxide emissions, a target for their reduction has been defined in the Paris Agreement for 2030. This topic is extremely important, and urgent actions are required so that the attention of the scientific community is mainly focused on emission reduction. In this context, carbon supply chains have an important role because they can help in carbon dioxide mitigation. In fact, in these systems, carbon dioxide is captured to be stored or used to produce valuable products. However, carbon supply chains involve many energy consumptions during the operation (causing carbon dioxide emissions and resource depletion), and an analysis of the environmental impact of the system is required. Different green metrics exist but the most effective is the life cycle assessment. The methodology of the life cycle assessment is presented in this work, with particular considerations for its application to carbon supply chains. An overview of the research presented in the literature is also considered here, with suggestions for future analyses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue CCUS: Paving the Way to Net Zero Emissions Technologies)
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25 pages, 5035 KiB  
Article
Parametrical Assessment of Polyacrylamide Polymer Membrane Used for CO2 Post-Combustion Capture
by Maytham Alabid and Cristian Dinca
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(20), 11333; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132011333 - 16 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 930
Abstract
A sensitive analysis of CO2 capture from a coal-fired power plant of 600 MW with membrane technology based on post-combustion process is demonstrated. This study aimed to determine the influence of the membrane materials used (e.g., CO2 permeability was considered at [...] Read more.
A sensitive analysis of CO2 capture from a coal-fired power plant of 600 MW with membrane technology based on post-combustion process is demonstrated. This study aimed to determine the influence of the membrane materials used (e.g., CO2 permeability was considered at 300, 1000, and 3000 GPU) on coal-fired power plant performance by investigating various parameters, such as the membrane number of stages, membrane surface area, and compressors’ pressure. The membrane surface area required varied from 200,000 to 800,000 m2 to procure no less than 99% purity. The total power plant efficiency was reduced by different values after integrating membrane CO2-capture technology based on the process design; nevertheless, the efficiency is profitable by around 13.5% when three membrane stages were harnessed instead of a two-stage configuration. Consequently, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) decreased from 157 EUR/MWh (two stages of membrane) to 134 EUR/MWh (three stages of membrane). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue CCUS: Paving the Way to Net Zero Emissions Technologies)
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15 pages, 2426 KiB  
Article
Integrated Carbonate-Based CO2 Capture—Biofixation through Cyanobacteria
by Alberto Ughetti, Fabrizio Roncaglia, Biagio Anderlini, Veronica D’Eusanio, Andrea Luca Russo and Luca Forti
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(19), 10779; https://doi.org/10.3390/app131910779 - 28 Sep 2023
Viewed by 991
Abstract
Microalgae, renowned for their high photosynthetic efficiency and minimal competition with land-based crops, hold great promise in the biofixation of CO2 from waste sources, making them valuable for diverse applications, including biofuels, food production, and biomaterials. An innovative technology, the integrated carbonate-based [...] Read more.
Microalgae, renowned for their high photosynthetic efficiency and minimal competition with land-based crops, hold great promise in the biofixation of CO2 from waste sources, making them valuable for diverse applications, including biofuels, food production, and biomaterials. An innovative technology, the integrated carbonate-based carbon capture and algae biofixation system is emerging as an alternative to traditional carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) methods. This closed-loop system utilizes bicarbonates as inorganic carbon sources, which can directly enter microalgae photosynthesis, subsequently regenerating carbonates for another cycle of carbon capture. This system offers significant advantages, including cost savings in carbon supply, simplified photobioreactor development, and reduced labor and energy requirements. Nevertheless, further research is essential to evaluate the suitability of various microorganisms and search for optimal growth conditions. In this study, we assessed the performance of two strains of Spirulina within the integrated system. Employing a Design of Experiments approach, we simultaneously varied temperature, bicarbonate concentration, and light irradiation while operating within a lab-scale photobioreactor. We achieved remarkable results, with a biomass productivity of 875 mg/L·d and an impressive CO2 utilization efficiency of 58%. These findings indicate a genuine opportunity for further exploration and scaling of this approach in industrial settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue CCUS: Paving the Way to Net Zero Emissions Technologies)
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11 pages, 1467 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Additives for the Production of Hydrogen via Sodium Borohydride Hydrolysis
by Lucía Gómez-Coma, Diogo L. Silva, Alfredo Ortiz, Carmen M. Rangel, Víctor Manuel Ortiz-Martínez, Alexandra M. F. R. Pinto and Inmaculada Ortiz
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(12), 6995; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13126995 - 09 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1925
Abstract
Finding stable solutions for hydrogen storage is one of the main challenges to boosting its deployment as an energy vector and contributing to the decarbonization of the energy sector. In this context, sodium borohydride (NaBH4) has been largely studied as a [...] Read more.
Finding stable solutions for hydrogen storage is one of the main challenges to boosting its deployment as an energy vector and contributing to the decarbonization of the energy sector. In this context, sodium borohydride (NaBH4) has been largely studied as a hydrogen storage material due to its significant advantages, such as low pressure, stability, and high hydrogen storage density. The development of catalysts and additive materials for the on-demand hydrolysis of NaBH4 for hydrogen release is a key research area. This work studies the effects of non-toxic and environmentally friendly additives for the hydrolysis process in terms of yield, lag time, hydrogen generation rate, and gravimetric density. Specifically, four additives, including sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), polyacrylamide (PAM), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and β-cyclodextrin (BCD), were studied for their application in the storage and release of hydrogen. The best results were provided by the use of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and polyacrylamide. In the first case, a hydrolysis yield of 85%, a lag time of 70 s, a hydrogen production rate of 1374 mL·min−1·gcat−1, and a storage capacity of 1.8 wt% were obtained. Using polyacrylamide as additive, a hydrolysis yield of almost 100% was achieved, although it required a significantly higher time period for complete conversion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue CCUS: Paving the Way to Net Zero Emissions Technologies)
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16 pages, 4399 KiB  
Article
Optimal Energy Integration and Off-Design Analysis of an Amine-Based Natural Gas Sweetening Unit
by Amine Berchiche, Mohamed Guenoune, Salah Belaadi and Grégoire Léonard
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 6559; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13116559 - 28 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1250
Abstract
The present paper focuses on the efficiency enhancement of the energy-intensive natural gas (NG) sweetening process in the context of upstream natural gas production. A bi-level heat integration scheme is proposed including direct recycling of available high-temperature waste heat and harnessing the excess [...] Read more.
The present paper focuses on the efficiency enhancement of the energy-intensive natural gas (NG) sweetening process in the context of upstream natural gas production. A bi-level heat integration scheme is proposed including direct recycling of available high-temperature waste heat and harnessing the excess low-temperature waste heat in an optimized organic Rankine cycle (ORC) for power production. The energy performance of the whole model was studied under a range of possible reservoir conditions. A particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was adopted to simultaneously optimize the parameters of the heat recovery network as well as the ORC cycle parameters. Finally, in order to account for the impact of perturbations of the heat source and sink, an off-design performance analysis was conducted using real-time data from an industrial plant. The proposed integration methodology was found to be effective across most of the reservoir conditions covered in this study. At optimal integration, a reduction of 40% up to 100% in heating requirements of the amine process was reported, as well as a net electricity production of 30% up to 190% of the electrical demand of the background process. The use of propane (R290) as a working fluid resulted in the highest energy output, whereas higher carbon number fluids allowed a better energy/working pressure trade-off. The off-design analysis allowed for the quantification of the impact of operational fluctuations of the background process on integration performance. Energy savings resulting from direct heat integration were found to range from 68% up to 103% of the expected design value, whereas the ORC net energy output respective to the use of R290, R600a, and R601a was found to range from 60% to 132%, 47% to 142%, and 52% to 135%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue CCUS: Paving the Way to Net Zero Emissions Technologies)
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11 pages, 2035 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Photosynthetic Carbon Capture versus Carbon Footprint of an Industrial Microalgal Process
by Arthur Oliver, Cristobal Camarena-Bernard, Jules Lagirarde and Victor Pozzobon
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 5193; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13085193 - 21 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1480
Abstract
It is often read that industrial microalgal biotechnology could contribute to carbon capture through photosynthesis. While technically accurate, this claim is rarely supported by sound figures nor put in regard to the carbon emissions associated with said processes. In this view, this work [...] Read more.
It is often read that industrial microalgal biotechnology could contribute to carbon capture through photosynthesis. While technically accurate, this claim is rarely supported by sound figures nor put in regard to the carbon emissions associated with said processes. In this view, this work provides a quantitative assessment of the extent microalgal processes compensation for their carbon dioxide emissions. To do so, microalgae were cultivated under photolimited conditions. Their growth dynamic and photosynthetic apparatus status were monitored by daily cell density measurement and fluorescence assays. Ultimate analyses were used to determine microalgal carbon content. Simultaneously, the power consumption of the process was recorded, and the associated carbon dioxide emissions were computed using European electrical production carbon intensity. All in all, the recorded values confirmed microalgae growth under good physiological conditions and allowed computing the carbon capture rate, the energy storing rate, and the carbon dioxide emissions of the process. The process captured 0.72 ± 0.19 gCO2/day while emitting 182 gCO2/day, on average (over 15 days). The photoconversion efficiency was 4.34 ± 0.68%. Even if it were highly optimized (red/blue LED instead of white, for example), the process could only capture 1.02 ± 0.40% of its emissions. From these figures, the claim stating that a biotechnological microalgal production process could partly compensate for its emission seems rather bold. Authors should, therefore, emphasize other ecosystemic benefits of microalgal cultivation, such as phosphorous intake. Finally, we were also able to evaluate Chlorella vulgaris light and dark respiration (0.0377 ± 0.042 day−1 and 7.42 × 10−3 ± 3.33 × 10−3 day−1), which could help to assess carbon emission by biomass respiratory activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue CCUS: Paving the Way to Net Zero Emissions Technologies)
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