Optimization of Solvent-Based Post-Combustion Capture Processes for Waste-To-Energy

Abstract

Waste-to-energy (WtE) facilities burn up to 70% biogenic waste and have the potential to deliver net-negative emissions when integrated with a CO2 capture plant. They commonly provide both heat and electricity to local district heating networks and operate at much smaller scales than conventional power stations. Due to constant changes in the district heating and electricity demand, as well as in the waste fuel properties, the amount of energy that is available for the absorption-based CO2 capture process may vary significantly, rendering successful optimization of the integration particularly important. In this work, such an absorption-based post-combustion CO2 capture process applied to a WtE flue gas is optimized with a multi-objective technical optimization algorithm for the benchmark amine solvent, i.e., aqueous piperazine and the promising alternative, aqueous ammonia. Preliminary results show that although piperazine shows better performance, the CAP has potential to outperform the amine-based process when further optimized. It also sets the basis for a more comprehensive analysis of the integration, where the characteristic features and challenges of the WtE are considered.

Keywords: CO2-capture, waste-to-energy, piperazine, ammonia-based capture process, optimization