An energy-efficient and cleaner production of hydrogen by steam reforming of glycerol using Aspen Plus

Abstract

Hydrogen (H2) is produced in an efficient and sustainable manner using steam reforming of glycerol in this work. Two models are used to provide anticipation about how efficiently H2 can be produced: Model 1, a stoichiometric model, and Model 2, a thermodynamic model. Model 1 helps determine the water/glycerol molar input ratio and reaction pathway. The thermodynamic feasibility of Model 1 is examined using Model 2, which then determines the optimum conditions for maximal H2 generation. Model 2 produced 1275 kmol/h of H2 with an H2 mole fraction of 0.49 at 658 °C and 1 atm of pressure. The reactor's net heat load is greatly reduced through heat integration in this study. The energy required is reduced by 29.5% as compared to when no heat integration is used. The process of separating and eliminating CO2 is accomplished by employing the principles of mass and energy balance in the Aspen Plus.