Sustainable Biomethanol and Biomethane Production via Anaerobic Digestion, Oxy-Fuel Gas Turbine and Amine Scrubbing CO2 Capture

Abstract

Energy policies around the world are increasingly highlighting the importance of hydrogen in the evolving energy landscape. In this regard, the use of hydrogen to produce biomethanol not only plays an essential role in the chemical industry but also holds great promise as an alternative fuel for global shipping. This study evaluates a system for generating biomethanol and biomethane based on anaerobic digestion, biogas upgrading, methanol synthesis unit, and high-temperature electrolysis. Thermal integration is implemented to enhance efficiency by linking the oxy-fuel gas turbine unit. The integrated system performance is evaluated through thermodynamic modeling, and Aspen Plus V12.1 is employed for the analysis. Our findings show that the primary power consumers are the Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) and Methanol Synthesis Unit (MSU), with the SOEC system consuming 824 kW of power and the MSU consuming 129.5 kW of power, corresponding to a production scale of 23.2 kg/h of hydrogen and 269.54 kg/h of biomethanol, respectively. The overall energy efficiency is calculated at 58.09%, considering a production output of 188 kg/h of biomethane and 269 kg/h of biomethanol. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted per biofuel production is equal to 0.017, and the proposed system can be considered a low-carbon emission system. Key findings include significant enhancements in biomethanol capacity and energy efficiency with higher temperatures in the methanol reactor.