Valorization of carbon dioxide by conversion into fuel using renewable energy in Algeria

Abstract

Reducing the emissions of the main anthropogenic greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), is one of the major challenges of this century. A partial solution to these environmental problems could be the capture and the conversion of carbon dioxide. The main objective of the present work is to study the opportunities and prospects of recycling carbon dioxide to produce synthetic fuel, particularly methanol, which is a complementary technology to carbon capture and storage (CCS). This methanol will be produced by using several renewable energies, such as solar, wind and geothermal, for the purpose of using it in the transportation sector in Algeria. In 2013, Algeria’s total amount of CO2 emissions (created by energy consumption) was 143 million tonnes. It is estimated that 44.4 million tonnes of CO2 can be captured from the exhaust of stationary units (factories and power stations) and converted to methanol every year. By adopting this process, approximately 32 million tonnes of methanol can be produced with an energy value of 580,000TJ. The methanol produced from CO2 can be used as an alternative transportation fuel. For this reason, the Geographical Information System (GIS) is used to present the spatial distribution of the methanol demand in short and long terms, based on market penetration rates, vehicle fleet and population data. An analysis of the energy balance, environment and economics of CO2 recycling process is presented. In terms of environmental performance, the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions that come from the transport sector was remarkable in 2045.