Abstract
The Czech Republic is introducing new technological concepts for mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHG) in coal-based energy industries. One such technology, in power plants, is post combustion CO2 capture from flue gases by activated carbon adsorption. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was used as the assessment tool to determine the environmental impacts of the chosen technology. This article focuses on a comparative LCA case study on the technology of temperature-swing adsorption of CO2 from power plant flue gases, designed for the conditions of the Czech Republic. The LCA study compares the following two alternatives: (1) a reference power unit and (2) a reference power unit with CO2 adsorption. The most significant changes are observed in the categories of climate change potential, terrestrial acidification, and particulate matter formation. The adsorption process shows rather low environmental impacts, however, the extended LCA approach shows an increase in energy demands for the process and fossil depletion as a result of coal-based national energy mix. The feasibility of the study is completed by the preliminary economical calculation of the payback period for a commercial carbon capture unit.
Highlights
In the Czech Republic, around 52.4% of the total gross electricity production (87.6 TWh) is generated from coal, which is approximately 41% of the energy mix [1]
This study aims to identify the environmental impacts of a power plant with a carbon capture system integration using the designed adsorption method and comparing those impacts with a reference power plant without an adsorption system
Carbon dioxide capture by activated carbon adsorption seems to be a promising technology from an environmental perspective
Summary
In the Czech Republic, around 52.4% of the total gross electricity production (87.6 TWh) is generated from coal, which is approximately 41% of the energy mix [1]. The Czech industry emitted around 120.5 million tons CO2 , with the largest proportion of 98 million tons in 2017 [2]. It is commonly perceived that the implementation of CCS decreases local CO2 emissions and, if applied globally, supports mitigation efforts concerning the anthropogenic contribution to climate change. CCS technologies can be related to more complex, unexpected, or non-obvious environmental impacts. There is a common need for a holistic environmental approach that assesses and evaluates new industrial techniques and applications, which can significantly influence the environment. Results and conclusions based on such a holistic approach support the decision making of scientists, environmentalists, and governments concerning the implementation of new techniques and allow the environmental analysis in a wider and more detailed context. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for the assessment of technologies such as CCS, Energies 2020, 13, 2251; doi:10.3390/en13092251 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
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