Novel propane dehydrogenation process design integrated with membrane reactor and solid oxide fuel cell: Economic and environmental aspects

Abstract

As environmental pollution worsens, many strategies are emerging to reduce CO2 in various chemical processes. The practical strategy of byproduct hydrogen utilization in propane dehydrogenation is also being reviewed a lot. In this work, a comprehensive analysis was conducted for propane dehydrogenation process design integrated with membrane reactor and solid oxide fuel cell. Especially, membrane reactor and sequential reactor were used to increase the yield of the process. All assessments were investigated based on Aspen Plus®, which is commercial software for process simulation. Levelized cost of electricity was derived through itemized cost estimation. The 2.81 $ kWh-1 of levelized cost of electricity was revealed through itemized cost estimation; it is higher than industrial electricity in general. Therefore, various scenarios were conducted to reduce the levelized cost of electricity compared to industrial electricity price on sale, currently. The optimistic case (1.20 $ kWh-1) can be priced close to industrial electricity price through 100 % of propane recycling rate and − 20 % of reduction in the price of the influential factors. For life cycle assessment, the environmental impact of global warming potential was assessed as 4.93 kg CO2 eq MJ-1 of CO2 emissions. Various scenarios had been proposed to reduce CO2 as with the economic assessment. Under pessimistic, realistic, and optimistic conditions, the results of global warming potential were 5.61, 4.93, and 4.25 kg CO2 eq MJ-1, respectively. The comprehensive analysis will be presented as guidelines for the actual use of byproduct hydrogen.