Advancing syngas production: A comparative techno-economic analysis of ICCU and CCU technologies for CO2 emission reduction

Abstract

The Paris Agreement stresses the need to cut CO2 emissions, a global priority. Innovative methods like carbon capture and utilization (CCU) aim to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C by 2100. Traditional CCU involves separate CO2 collection and purification steps, while integrated carbon capture and utilization (ICCU) streamlines the process by capturing CO2 using CaO adsorbents and using it with CH4 on-site to produce syngas. ICCU reduces CO2 conversion costs by eliminating intermediaries, potentially resulting in lower operational costs than traditional CCU. This study employs the Aspen Plus model to evaluate ICCU and CCU processes, analyzing parameters such as CaCO3 consumption, purge production, annual CO and H2 production, energy balance, total annual costs, and CO production costs. Results show that ICCU generates 1.39 million tons of CO annually, with lower CH4 and CaCO3 consumption along with improved energy efficiency at 46.75% compared to CCU for 42.49%. ICCU incurs an annual capital outlay of $554.92 million with $396.94/ton of CO, while CCU costs M$853.10/year with $325.11/ton of CO. Notably, ICCU reduces costs of CO2 avoidance to $380.44/ton compared to $513.59/ton for CCU. These findings highlight ICCU as a more efficient and cost-effective approach to reducing CO2 emissions, aligning with the Paris Agreement goals and providing insights for future deployment and regulatory considerations. The use of Aspen Plus simulation software has been instrumental in facilitating the analysis, modeling, and validation of these conclusions.