Biomass Co-firing Research Articles

A comprehensive evaluation of cofiring biomass with coal and slagging-fouling tendency in pulverized coal-fired boilers

Cofiring coal with various biomasses has received much attention due to environmental factors and is considered a low-cost option. Although cofiring coal with biomass seems feasible, it potentially produces ash, which causes issues in boilers, such as fouling and slagging. This paper comprehensively investigates combustion performances and slagging and fouling behaviors during cofiring biomass and coal. A thorough examination is conducted to investigate the slagging-fouling tendencies employing ash indices. Thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry and a pilot combustion experiment using a drop tube furnace (DTF) are performed to investigate the thermal behavior of the materials, including ash observation using scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray diffraction systems. Results show that cofiring coal with 25% biomass (mixture of empty fruit bunch and palm frond) has the best combustion performance. It is found that cofiring coal with 25% biomass, either empty fruit bunch or frond, increases the risk of slagging with evidence of the decrease of ash fusion temperatures, deposition material, and sticky material in the probe. The results can provide useful information about cofiring behavior and slagging-fouling tendencies before being implemented into a real plant.

Effect of additives in increasing ash fusion temperature during co-firing of coal and palm oil waste biomass

Biomass has the potential to cause slagging and fouling during combustion due to its high potassium and high chlorine contents, as well as its low ash melting temperature. This study aims to identify suitable additives for co-firing of coal with palm oil waste. Magnesium, aluminosilicate, aluminum, silicate, calcium, and potassium-based additives were tested at a dosage of 6 wt%. The results indicate that magnesium-based additives significantly increase MgO content, while aluminum-based additives considerably decrease the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio. Both of these effects contribute to an increase in the ash fusion temperature (AFT) of the four samples, with an average percentage increase in the ash fusibility index (AFI) above 25 %. Additionally, additives like CaHPO4, CaO, kaolin, and K2CO3 consistently raise the AFT, although the average percentage increase in AFI is lower than 25 %. However, further investigation is required to determine optimal dosage of additives and address other issues, such as corrosion tendency.

Accelerate Large-Scale Biomass Residue Utilization via Cofiring to Help China Achieve Its 2030 Carbon-Peaking Goals.

Cofiring biomass with coal for power generation is an affordable and ready-to-deploy technology to help reduce carbon emissions and resolve residual biomass. Cofiring has not been widely applied in China primarily because of some practical limitations, i.e., biomass accessibility, technological and economic constraints, and lack of policy support. We identified the benefits of cofiring with consideration of these practical limitations based on Integrated Assessment Models. We found that China produces 1.82 Bts/year of biomass residues, 45% of which is waste. 48% of the unused biomass can be utilized without fiscal intervention and 70% can be utilized with the subsidized Feed-in-Tariffs for biopower and carbon trading. The average Marginal Abatement Cost of cofiring is twice that of China's current carbon price. Cofiring can help China create 153 billion yuan of farmers' income annually and reduce 5.3 Bts of Committed Cumulative Carbon Emissions (CCCEs, 2023-2030), contributing to the needed CCCE mitigations to China's overall sector and the power sector by 32 and 86%, respectively. About 201 GW of coal-fired fleets are not compliant with China's 2030 carbon-peaking goals, and 127 GW can be saved by implementing cofiring, representing 9.6% of the total fleets in 2030.

Study of Ash Sintering Temperature and Ash Deposition Behavior during Co-Firing of Polish Bituminous Coal with Barley Straw Using Non-Standard Tests

The need to reduce CO2 emissions forces the use of biomass as a fuel in the conventional energy conversion process implemented by combustion. Burning biomass alone can be problematic because of the high potential for slugging and fouling on boiler heating surfaces. Therefore, co-firing of biomass with coal is used. This article presents the results of a study of biomass blends of barley, straw, and hard coal biomass from the Polish Makoszowy mine. The sintering of ash from biomass-coal blends was studied by experimental non-standard methods, such as the fracture stress and the pressure drop test. The results were confirmed with the result of thermodynamic modeling using FactSage 8.0 software. Additionally, ash deposition tests were performed in a 3.5 m boiler. The tests conducted showed a significant effect of the addition of biomass to hard coal on the formation of ash deposits on the heating surfaces of the boiler. In addition, the usefulness of non-standard methods in the assessment of the degree of fouling and slugging hazard was confirmed.

Evaluasi pemilihan teknologi Co-firing Biomassa pada PLTU batu bara dengan Metode Analytical Hierarchy Process (Studi Kasus: PLTU XYZ)

Biomass co-firing technology is one way to accelerate the transition to renewable energy in Indonesia. Co-firing is currently used for the mixed combustion of coal and biomass in steam power plants with a certain blending ratio. One of the PLTU’s that has implemented co-firing technology in Indonesia is PLTU XYZ. However, as the co-firing technology progresses, PLTU XYZ experiences a number of problems, both in technical and non-technical areas. This study aims to evaluate the most appropriate co-firing technology that can be used for PLTU XYZ. The method used in this study is the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results of this study indicate that the most effective criteria are economic and environmental, with weights of (0.4383) and (0.3024) followed by technical (0.1904) and social (0.0689). The most appropriate biomass co-firing technology currently used for PLTU XYZ is direct co-firing with the highest weight (0.7080) followed by indirect co-firing (0.1753) and parallel co-firing (0.1165).

Effect of preheating Co-firing of biomass and coal on the synergistic reduction of PM and NO source emissions

Co-firing of biomass and coal is a prevalent method in modern thermal power plants to reduce pollutant emissions. This study focuses on the preheating co-firing behavior of coal and biomass to explore the effect of preheating combustion and preheating co-firing on PM (particle matter) and NO source emissions, and different coals were selected to verify the effect of coal rank on this behavior. Coal and biomass were fed into a mixing device through two independent feeders and uniformly mixed before entering the furnace. PM and NO emissions after preheating combustion were measured using an Electrical Low-Pressure Impactor and flue gas analyzer. The results showed that preheating combustion reduced the production of PM1, PM1-10, and NO from coal by 22.30%, 10.75%, and 49.84% respectively, and also reduced the production from biomass by 28.61%, 15.16%, and 53.01% respectively compared to conventional combustion. Preheating co-firing experiments revealed that as the co-firing ratio increases, NO production decreased, but the production of PM1 initially decreased and then increased, reaching a minimum point at a co-firing ratio of 25%. Meanwhile, the lower the rank of the coal, the better the effect of preheating combustion and preheating co-firing, and the ash content and composition of coal also had an impact on the generation of PM1.

How do multiple policy incentives influence investors’ decisions on biomass co-firing combined with carbon capture and storage retrofit projects for coal-fired power plants?

In the face of the challenges posed by carbon-neutral actions, this study explores the economic viability of using biomass co-firing and carbon capture and storage technology to retrofit current coal-fired power plants as a feasible option for decarbonization. The study uses the real options approach to evaluate the potential project value under different uncertainties and policy scenarios. It is found that while feed-in tariff offers the highest policy value, the existing policy mix falls short of meeting investor criteria for retrofit investments. Raising carbon prices may encourage investment in retrofit projects that combine biomass co-firing with carbon capture and storage by improving investment value and advancing investment time. The study recommends the formulation of a composite policy scheme that includes electricity price subsidy and carbon tax credit for carbon capture and storage to promote retrofit projects. It also suggests higher carbon prices, minimum utilization hours guarantees, and increased technical innovation support to promote the development of retrofit projects in existing coal-fired power plants. In summary, the study provides a robust framework for investors and policymakers to devise optimal investment and policy strategies that can effectively promote decarbonization efforts worldwide.

Coal power decarbonization via biomass co-firing with carbon capture and storage: Tradeoff between exergy loss and GHG reduction

Co-firing of coal and biomass is a feasible pathway for low- or even negative-carbon transformation of power sector in countries that rely on coal. There are two main kinds of coal and biomass co-firing pathways: biomass gasification co-firing with pulverized coal (BGCPC) and biomass direct co-firing with pulverized coal (BDCPC). However, few attentions have been paid to the comparative study of techno-environmental assessments for the above two main technologies with or without carbon capture and storage (CCS). Here we present a comparative system evaluation framework based on chemical simulation and life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare the energy performances and environmental impacts of different biomass co-firing and CCS technology combinations. A new metric, global warming potential of per unit exergy efficiency loss (GWPUEL) is proposed to reveal the trade-off between greenhouse gas (GHG) emission abatement and exergy efficiency loss. Results show that BGCPC-CCS units of all capacities can achieve negative life-cycle GHG emissions under 25% co-firing ratio scenario, but only 1000 MW BDCPC-CCS units can achieve near-zero life-cycle GHG emissions. Though 300 MW units show the minimum carbon reduction potential among all the selected capacities, they can achieve the most promising GWPUEL benefits for their mild exergy efficiency loss after CCS retrofit. This indicator provides a comprehensive viewpoint to weigh the compromise between energy performance and environmental burdens of different bio-based and CCS technology combinations, further facilitating various decarbonization schemes of global power sector under the carbon neutrality target.

Co-firing of coal and woody biomass under conditions of reburning technology with natural gas

It is a continuous imperative to establish the most efficient process of conversion of primary energy from fuel through combustion, which also has the least possible harmful effect on the environment. In this time of expressed demands for decarbonisation, it also means the affirmation of the use of renewable fuels and the indispensable application of appropriate primary measures in the combustion furnace. At the same time, the efficiency of the combustion process depends on several factors, from the type and properties of the fuel to the ambient and technological settings for the process. In this regard, with the aim of determining the static characteristics of combustion, experimental laboratory research was carried out on the combustion of mixtures of brown coal with low heating value and a high ash content with waste woody biomass and different process conditions: temperature, staged combustion air supply (air staging) and in conditions of application of a third or additional fuel (natural gas, reburning technology). Applied experimental methods included the analysis of the combustion process on the basis of input (reactants) - output (products), including the analysis of the composition of flue gases, i.e. the determination of the emission of the key components of flue gases CO2, CO, NOx and SO2, as well as the analysis of the composition of slag, ash and deposits ash, i.e. assessment and evaluation of the behaviour of ash from fuel in that process. Based on the obtained research results, this paper shows the significant positive effects of the application of primary measures in the furnace - compared to conventional combustion: air staging - reduction of net CO2 emissions during co-firing with biomass and reduction of NOx emissions by up to 30%; reburning technology - additional reduction of CO2 and NOx emissions in proportion to the share of natural gas, e.g. at a combustion process temperature of 1350 °C and at a 10% energy share of natural gas during the co-firing of a mixture of brown coal and waste woody biomass, compared to the emission without the use of natural gas, a reduction of NOx emissions by 185 mg/mn3 or by almost 30% was recorded. It was concluded, at the same time, the application of these primary measures in the furnace does not negatively affect the behaviour of ash from the fuel in the given settings of the combustion process.

93 Microbial Contaminants and Pro-Inflammatory Properties of Organic Dust From Different Occupational Settings

Abstract The study aimed to characterize the microbial contamination of dust samples from various occupational environments and to assess their impact on the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from cell culture. The research was conducted in six occupational settings, including waste sorting and composting plants, a sewage treatment plant, a cement plant using alternative fuel, a power plant co-firing biomass as well as a poultry farm. In total, 76 organic dust samples were collected at 26 workplaces in the above-mentioned plants to assess the concentrations of: inhalable dust fraction, crystalline silica, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, fungi as well as peptidoglycans, endotoxins and (1→3)-β-D-glucans. The alveolar epithelial cells (A549) were exposed to dust extracts and the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8) were determined. The highest inhalable dust concentrations were found in the power plant samples – 5.60 mg/m3 (SD=9.13). In poultry houses, the highest concentrations were noted for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria – 201129 cfu/m3 (SD=62795) and 72702 cfu/m3 (SD=13532), respectively. In turn, the waste sorting plant workplaces were the most contaminated with fungi – 36335 cfu/m3 (SD=27270), endotoxins – 23.9 ng/m3 (SD=21.5) and SiO2 – 0.024 mg/m3 (SD=0.026). The highest levels of peptidoglycans – 7930 ng/m3 (SD=6049) and (1→3)-β-D-glucans – 180.5 ng/m3 (SD=46.4) were found at workplaces in composting plant. The release of cytokines was significantly dependent (p<0.05) on dust concentrations for composting and cement plants; however, to a lesser extent, their production were also stimulated by aerobic bacteria, fungi, endotoxins and crystalline silica. The microbial characteristics of organic dusts may trigger the pro-inflammatory reactions in workers.

Frequently Asked Questions on Biomass Co-Firing

Frequently Asked Questions on Biomass Co-Firing

Effect of turbulent mixing on combustion behaviours of a single biomass pellet

Biomass co-firing in coal-fired power plants is an appealing technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to the abundant biomass resource and low cost of retrofitting the existing power plants. Burning larger biomass particles is inevitable in real boilers due to the energy-consuming grinding process. A profound understanding of the combustion characteristics of larger biomass particles in a strong turbulent gas environment inside the boiler is essential for designing and operating biomass conversion facilities. This paper presents a detailed experimental study of the effects of turbulent mixing on the combustion of biomass particles. An impinging arranged four-fan stirred turbulent furnace was established in the laboratory. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was adopted to measure the turbulent flow field characteristics under various fan speeds. The combustion behaviours of a 5 mm homemade cylindrical cellulose pellet were investigated under natural convection and turbulent flow at 700 °C. The centre and surface temperature of the particle, the shape and peak temperature of the volatile flame, and the sequential combustion history were measured and analysed. The results show that the turbulent fluctuation velocity Velrms increases linearly with increasing fan speed. Whether the gas environment is natural convection or turbulence has an essential impact on the combustion behaviours of the biomass particle. Increasing turbulence intensity accelerates the heating rate and significantly shortens the burnout time from 94 s to 55 s. The volatile flame area fluctuates randomly and generally decreases with the turbulent intensity due to the dilution of gas-phase volatiles by the turbulent eddies motion. Volatile flame has higher local luminosity and peak combustion temperature at a low turbulent fluctuation velocity of 0 ∼ 0.8 m/s but gradually weakens due to heat dissipation at a higher turbulent fluctuation velocity of 0.8 ∼ 1.6 m/s. The present results are the first to study the combustion behaviours of a single biomass pellet in different turbulent intensities, indicating that the effect of enhanced heat and mass transfer in turbulent environments on biomass combustion is essential and deserves further study.

Effects of the addition of RPF and woody biomass on PM emissions during co-firing with coal

Two Cl-free refuse plastic and paper fuels (RPFs) produced by hydrothermal treatment with Ca(OH)2, as well as two biomasses, were co-fired with bituminous coal in a lab-scale drop tube furnace (DTF). The results indicate that the addition of biomass and RPF partially reduced the emission of SO2, which can readily cause corrosion, deposition and pollution. For the biomass co-firing, the particulate matter (PM) emissions from the black pellet (BP) series were 5.0% higher than those from the white pellet (WP) series because more sticky particles were formed with the increment of Ca-Al-Si and K-Al-Si, which absorbed alkali vapor and fine grains in the gas bulk to inhibit the PM emissions. For RPF, the major origins of sticky particles turned into Ca-Al-Si and Ca-K-Al-Si, the proportion of which was dramatically higher than that from the biomass, resulting in a stiffer suppression of PM formation. In general, the promotion of Ca from additives conversely restrained its transformation into PMs during both biomass and RPF co-firing. It can be concluded that the co-firing of RPF with bituminous coal provides an alternative approach to simultaneously control the emissions of greenhouse gases, gaseous pollutants and PM while remediating plastic waste.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Co-firing for Pulverized Coal Boilers Power Plant in Indonesia

The utilization of co-firing (coal-biomass) in existing coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) is the fastest and most effective way to increase the renewable energy mix, which has been dominated by pulverized coal (PC) boilers, particularly in the Indonesian context. This study aims to investigate the technical and economic aspects of co-firing by conducting a pilot project of three PC boiler plants and capturing several preliminary figures before being implemented for the entire plants in Indonesia. Various measured variables, such as plant efficiency, furnace exit gas temperature (FEGT), fuel characteristic, generating cost (GC), and flue gas emissions, were identified and compared between coal-firing and 5%-biomass co-firing. The result from three different capacities of CFPP shows that co-firing impacts the efficiency of the plant corresponding to biomass heating value linearly and has an insignificant impact on FEGT. Regarding environmental impact, co-firing has a high potential to reduce SO2 and NOx emissions depending on the sulfur and nitrogen content of biomass. SO2 emission decreases by a maximum of 34% and a minimum of 1.88%. While according to economic evaluation, the average electricity GC increases by about 0.25 USD cent/kWh due to biomass price per unit of energy is higher than coal by 0.64×10-3 USD cent/kcal. The accumulation in the one-year operation of 5%-biomass co-firing with a 70% capacity factor produced 285,676 MWh of green energy, equal to 323,749 tCO2e and 143,474 USD of carbon credit. The biomass prices sensitivity analysis found that the fuel price per unit of energy between biomass and coal was the significant parameter to the GC changes.

Integrated Assessment of Economic Supply and Environmental Effects of Biomass Co-Firing in Coal Power Plants: A Case Study of Jiangsu, China

The technical supply potential of biomass and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are widely studied in the literature. However, relatively few studies have examined the role of biomass co-firing for future electricity in China by integratedly considering the economic supply potential and GHG effects. To fill this gap, we choose the Jiangsu Province in China as a case study and build up a partial equilibrium model with multiple agricultural commodities. Using this model combined with a life cycle assessment, we jointly determine the economic potential of the biomass supply for a biomass co-firing purpose and social benefits, including the agricultural producers’ surplus and GHG mitigation potential. The simulation incorporates the county-level biomass market of various crop residues as well as endogenous crop prices and transportation costs. We find that 0.7–12.5 M MT of residue-based biomass are economically viable for co-firing in coal-based power plants (up to 20%) at biomass prices between USD 50 and USD 100/MT. The net GHG savings achieved at these biomass prices are from 3.2 to 59 M MTCO2e. Our findings indicate that biomass co-firing with coal in power plants would be a feasible low-carbon energy transition pathway if the biomass price is above USD 50/MT. In addition to biomass prices, other factors such as crop yields, production costs of residues, and transportation costs are found to be impactful on the economic viability of biomass and GHG savings. Our results can inform policy to develop localized carbon reduction strategies in provinces with abundant biomass resources and a high share of coal-fired electricity.

Sustainable Long-Term Energy Supply and Demand: The Gradual Transition to a New and Renewable Energy System in Indonesia by 2050

The objective of this work is to evaluate long-term energy demand and supply decarbonization in Indonesia. On the demand side, electric vehicles and biofuels for transportation and induction stoves and urban gas networks for households were considered. Based on the National Energy Policy, primary energy supply projections optimized NRE power plant use and increase NRE's position in the national energy mix. A Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) model evaluates 2020–2050 energy demand predictions and low-carbon energy systems. This study's sustainable transition options require two basic technical advances. First, electric vehicles and induction stoves would reduce oil fuel usage by 228.34 million BOE and LPG consumption by 24.65 million BOE. Second, power generation should be decarbonized using NRE sources such as solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal, and nuclear. In 2050, solar power (40 GW), hydropower (38.47 GW), geothermal power (10 GW), and other NRE (24.45 GW, 18.67 GW of which would be biomass power) would dominate NRE electrical capacity. Biomass co-firing for coal power plants would reach 36.35 million tons in 2050. In 2035, the Java-Bali or West Kalimantan system will deploy 1 GW of nuclear power reactors, rising to 4 GW by 2050. Under the Transition Energy (TE) scenario, by 2025 and 2050, new and renewable energy would make up 23% and 31% of the primary energy mix, respectively, reducing GHG emissions per capita. According to predictions, annual GHG emissions per capita will decline from the BAU scenario's 4.48 tonne CO2eq/capita in 2050 to the TE scenario's 4.1 tonne.

Economic, environmental and multi objective optimization of a clean tri-generation system based co-firing of natural gas and biomass: An emergy evaluation

There is a recognized need for developing the novel clean systems to solve the environmental and energy issues. In this regard, a novel tri-generation system of power, cooling and freshwater triggered by was developed. Emergy analysis was utilized for simultaneously evaluation of system from economic and environmental viewpoints. The effects of gasification temperature, combustion temperature and natural gas contribution in the input fuel to the supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle were studied on system performance. Environmental loading ratio, Emergy sustainability index, Emergy investment ratio, Renewability scale, Emergy yield ratio and energy efficiency were considered as system performance indicators. Response surface methodology was utilized for four-objective optimization of the system performance. The results showed that natural gas contribution in the input fuel was the most effective parameter on system energy efficiency and increasing natural gas contribution in the input fuel resulted in improving the system energy efficiency. Maximization of Emergy sustainability index, minimization of Environmental loading ratio, minimization of Emergy investment ratio and maximization of energy efficiency were considered as the targets of the multi-objection optimization. The findings revealed that natural gas contribution in the input fuel of 1, gasification temperature of 1000 °C and combustion temperature of 1403 °C were the optimum conditions. Response surface methodology efficiently predicted the optimum outputs with errors smaller than 5%.

Desulfurization in co-firing of sewage sludge and wooden biomass in a bubbling fluidized bed combustor under air and oxy-fuel conditions

This work presents results of an experimental investigation of a direct addition of Ca-based sorbent for SO2 capture in a bubbling fluidized bed combustion. The fuel of interest was secondary biomass represented by a dried sewage sludge, which was mixed with primary biomass represented by wooden pellets in a weight ratio of 30:70. The performance of this SO2 capture approach is compared in air and oxy-fuel combustion conditions, since the different gas environment in the bed significantly affects the SO2 capture process. The experiments were carried out in an experimental bubbling fluidized bed combustor with a power load of about 30 kW.Sewage sludge is typical for its high ash content and has sufficient dimensions and attrition resistance to create the fluidized bed without the support of external bed materials. However, it typically consists of S-containing organic substances, resulting in the presence of SOX in the off-gas. A reference case was initially conducted without any sorbent addition in order to investigate the effect of sulfur self-retention in the fuel ash. The sulfur retention in the ash reached almost 45 % in air- and up to 55 % under oxy-combustion.In the next phase, the performance of Ca-based sorbents in sulfur capture was evaluated. The sorbents were represented by two types of limestone with diverse CaCO3 content produced at different locations. The experiments were carried out with three Ca/S mole ratios (1.5, 3, and 4.5). The effect of the fluidized bed temperature was also investigated as the most important parameter.The SO2 capture ratio (used as a performance indicator) was calculated based on emission factors, due to the different specific volumes of flue gas in the air and oxy-fuel modes. The results show in general a significantly higher SO2 capture ratio under oxy-fuel conditions. The differences are more significant in lower Ca/S ratios, where the SO2 capture ratio increased from 46 % under air conditions to 75 % under oxy-fuel for Ca/S = 1.5. In the case of the highest Ca/S ratio examined (Ca/S = 4.5), the increase in SO2 capture was from 90 % to 95 %.

Setting a just economic value in Indonesia’s biomass program

Abstract The Indonesian Government has targeted the new and renewable energy mix to achieve a minimum 23 per cent of the total energy use by 2025. Through its State Electricity Company (PLN) a Co-firing Program has been introduced by mixing 5–15 per cent of the biomass into its coal-fired steam power plants to be implemented in 2021 and 2022. However, the program appears to be unattractive for business due to the gap between the price and the highest purchase price regulated by PLN in procuring biomass despite the provision that the arrangement of energy price should represent the principle of just and economic value. This article aims at examining the application of the principle in the biomass Co-firing Program by employing the Energy Justice Theory by Heffron, the Theory of Justice by John Rawls and the Theory of State Intervention by W. Friedmann. It contributes to the literature on energy law by taking the experience of Indonesia because energy law in the country remains underexplored in the literature. At the practical level, this article proposes the direction through which an energy law reform in Indonesia based on the principle of the just economic value could be pursued. In order to make the biomass energy affordable and accessible but still considering the business’ aspects, the government should provide incentive, both fiscal and non-fiscal, to shift the biomass price closer to its just economic value in the form of public legal instruments.

Mapping the economy of coal power plants retrofitted with post-combustion and biomass co-firing carbon capture in China.

As a major carbon-emitting country, China has considerable potential for carbon capture and storage (CCS) applications, but economics is critical for CCS deployment. In this study, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) at province level was calculated for operational coal-fired power plants after post-combustion carbon capture (CC) retrofitting. The costs of captured CO2 and avoided CO2 were then compared. The economics of CC-retrofitted coal-fired power plants co-firing with biomass (BECC) were also analyzed. CC retrofitting is economical in North and Northwest China (except Qinghai) where coal prices are low. However, BECC retrofit is more suitable for coal-fired power plants in Central China where biomass prices are low. Therefore, the variation in the resource conditions among provinces should be considered when promoting CC and BECC retrofits. Compared with other power sources, coal-fired power generation becomes much more expensive after retrofits. We calculated the carbon price and capacity subsidy intensity that could support the retrofit of coal units. Effective carbon price should be 142.44-406.06 CNY/t for retrofits, and the capacity subsidy intensity ranges from 175.14-721.52 CNY/kW. The current carbon market and capacity market are not sufficiently developed to support retrofitting. The development of the carbon market with effective carbon price signals and proper power market mechanisms is critical to the rollout of CCS in China.