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Life Cycle Assessment and Economic Analysis of an Innovative Biogas Membrane Reformer for Hydrogen Production

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Life Cycle Assessment and Economic Analysis of an Innovative Biogas Membrane Reformer for Hydrogen Production processes Article Life Cycle Assessment and Economic Analysis of an Innovative Biogas Membrane Reformer for Hydrogen Production Gioele Di Marcoberardino 1,* , Xun Liao 2, Arnaud Dauriat 2, Marco Binotti 1 and Giampaolo Manzolini 1 1 Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Energia, via Lambruschini 4, 20156 Milano, Italy; [email protected] (M.B.); [email protected] (G.M.) 2 Quantis, EPFL Innovation Park building D, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; [email protected] (X.L.); [email protected] (A.D.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-02-2399-3935 Received: 21 December 2018; Accepted: 4 February 2019; Published: 8 February 2019 Abstract: This work investigates the environmental and economic performances of a membrane reactor for hydrogen production from raw biogas. Potential benefits of the innovative technology are compared against reference hydrogen production processes based on steam (or autothermal) reforming, water gas shift reactors and a pressure swing adsorption unit. Both biogas produced by landfill and anaerobic digestion are considered to evaluate the impact of biogas composition. Starting from the thermodynamic results, the environmental analysis is carried out using environmental Life cycle assessment (LCA). Results show that the adoption of the membrane reactor increases the system efficiency by more than 20 percentage points with respect to the reference cases. LCA analysis shows that the innovative BIONICO system performs better than reference systems when biogas becomes a limiting factor for hydrogen production to satisfy market demand, as a higher biogas conversion efficiency can potentially substitute more hydrogen produced by fossil fuels (natural gas). However, when biogas is not a limiting factor for hydrogen production, the innovative system can perform either similar or worse than reference systems, as in this case impacts are largely dominated by grid electric energy demand and component use rather than conversion efficiency. Focusing on the economic results, hydrogen production cost shows lower value with respect to the reference cases (4 €/kgH2 vs 4.2 €/kgH2) at the same hydrogen delivery pressure of 20 bar. Between landfill and anaerobic digestion cases, the latter has the lower costs as a consequence of the higher methane content. Keywords: biogas; hydrogen production; fluidized bed membrane reactor; life cycle assessment; economic analysis 1. Introduction Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier, that can replace fossil fuels in power generation and transports, when produced by renewable sources [1]. Nowadays H2 production mainly comes from steam reforming of natural gas [2], although H2 can be produced from others fossil sources by hydrocarbon reforming and pyrolysis of coal or natural gas, or from renewable feedstocks by biological or thermochemical processing of biomass or water splitting [3]. In Europe, the common biogas (BG) production process is the anaerobic digestion of agricultural waste, manure, and energy crops; then biogas, or biomethane (if the plant has an upgrading step) is currently fed to an internal combustion engine for electricity and heat production [4]. The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH-JU) project BIONICO, financed by the European Commission, aims at developing Processes 2019, 7, 86; doi:10.3390/pr7020086 www.mdpi.com/journal/processes Processes 2019, 7, 86 2 of 14 biogas, that mainly consists of methane and carbon dioxide, was identified as one of the cheapest and promising way for hydrogen production [1]. As shown in Figure 1, the conventional reforming process consists of a steam reformer (SMR) or autothermal reformer (ATR), typically working at 800 °C, followed by two water gas shift (WGS) reactors (high-temperature, HT-WGS, and low-temperature, LT-WGS) and by a pressure swing Processesadsorption2019, 7 ,(PSA) 86 unit for hydrogen separation [5]. The innovative membrane reactor technology,2 of 14 such as the autothermal catalytic membrane reactor (ATR-CMR) in Figure 1, developed within BIONICO, allows the production and separation of hydrogen in a single vessel, with advantages over an innovative concept for green hydrogen production from raw biogas. Steam reforming of raw traditional biogas reforming related to the increase of the overall conversion efficiency and to the biogas, that mainly consists of methane and carbon dioxide, was identified as one of the cheapest and strong decrease of equipment size due to the process intensification [6]. promising way for hydrogen production [1]. Compared to previous works [7,8], this paper starts from the energy and economic consideration As shown in Figure1, the conventional reforming process consists of a steam reformer (SMR) to evaluate the environmental performance of the innovative BIONICO process comparing results or autothermal reformer (ATR), typically working at 800 ◦C, followed by two water gas shift (WGS) with the conventional H2 production processes from raw biogas assumed as references. The reactors (high-temperature, HT-WGS, and low-temperature, LT-WGS) and by a pressure swing combination of conventional techno-economic assessment with environmental assessment is adsorptionnecessary (PSA)when unitdealing for hydrogenwith technologies separation aiming [5]. Theat increasing innovative the membrane overall system reactor efficiency, technology, suchreducing as the the autothermal energy consumption. catalytic membrane Life cycle reactor assessment (ATR-CMR) (LCA) determines in Figure1 ,the developed environmental within BIONICO,impacts including allowsthe all the production system aspects, and separation covering ofmultiple hydrogen indicators, in a single including vessel, water with withdrawal, advantages overecosystems, traditional resources biogas reformingdepletion, related and human to the health, increase with of the detailed overall analysis conversion on the efficiency climate and change to the strongimpact. decrease of equipment size due to the process intensification [6]. Conventional process Off-gas Landfill SR o r ATR HT-WGS LT-WGS BIOGAS Sulphur PSA PURE H Removal (800°C) (350°C) (200°C) 2 Anaerobic digester ATR-CM R H O 2 (500-550°C) AIR Innovative Ret en t at e process FigureFigure 1.1. Hydrogen producti productionon from from biogas. biogas. ComparedVarious LCA to previous studies have works been [7, 8performed], this paper on starts biogas from production the energy system and and economic its conversion consideration into tocombined evaluate theelectricity environmental and heat performance (CHP), and ofthey the all innovative provide BIONICOquite similar process insights. comparing Whting results et al. with[9] theshowed conventional that the H global2 production warming processes potentials from (GWP) raw biogasof a CHP assumed system asfed references. with biogas The from combination anaerobic of conventionaldigestion of techno-economicagricultural wastes assessment can be withmuch environmental lower compared assessment with fossil is necessary fuel alternatives: when dealing in withparticular, technologies climate aiming change at increasingimpacts are the influenced overall system by the efficiency, type and reducing source theof feedstock, energy consumption. digestate Lifestorage cycle and assessment its application (LCA) on determines land. Bacenetti the environmental et al. [10] found impacts that feedstock including production all thesystem and digestate aspects, coveringemissions multiple are the indicators, main contributors including to water the withdrawal,impact of agricultural ecosystems, anaerobic resources digestion depletion, plants. and human Van health,Stappen with et detailedal. [11] identified analysis on th theat the climate key determining change impact. factors for LCA are the choices of biogas feedstockVarious and LCA displaced studies marginal have been technologies performed for on biogaselectricity production production system and fertilizers. and its conversion Hijazi et intoal. combined[12] reviewed electricity the LCA and study heat of (CHP), biogas and production they all in provide Europe, quite and similaralso found insights. sourcesWhting of feedstocks et al. [9 ] showedfor biogas that determining the global warming the overall potentials environmental (GWP) impact of a CHP for systembiogas systems. fed with Moreover, biogas from some anaerobic LCA digestionstudies have of agricultural also been wastesperformed can beon much hydrogen lower prod compareduction withfrom fossilbiogas. fuel Hajja alternatives:ji et al. [13] in particular,found a climatecradle changeto grave impacts carbon arefootprint influenced of 5.59 by kg theCO2-eq type per and kg sourceof H2 produced of feedstock, from digestate biogas from storage anaerobic and its applicationdigesters. More on land. than Bacenetti 96% of etthose al. [10impact] found came that from feedstock the biogas production feedstock and production digestate emissions stage, and are theimpact main results contributors are highly to the influenced impact of by agricultural the amount anaerobic of artificial digestion fertilizer plants. displaced Van Stappenby digestate et al. and [11 ] identifiedcredits from that recycling the key determining the plant construction factors for materials LCA are and the choicesequipment. of biogas Valente feedstock et al., [14] and calculated displaced marginalthe harmonized technologies carbon for footprint electricity fr productionom 71 case and studies fertilizers. of green Hijazi H2 production: et al. [12] reviewed
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