Development of tools for the design of processes at the service of the energy transition
- Autores: Guillermo Galán Iglesias
- Directores de la Tesis: Mariano Martín Martín (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universidad de Salamanca ( España ) en 2024
- Idioma: inglés
- Títulos paralelos:
- Desarrollo de herramientas para el diseño de procesos al servicio de la transición energética
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Manuel Rodríguez Hernández (presid.), Carlos Pozo Fernández (secret.), Ana Somoza Tornos (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencia y Tecnología Químicas por la Universidad de Salamanca
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Resumen
The significant advancements in technologies and production processes within a highly dynamic and competitive market landscape are driving the requirements for optimizing production processes and enhancing the design and distribution of high-value-added products. This aspect is increasingly recognized as crucial. The pursuit of greater efficiency, leading to enhanced economic, social, and environmental benefits, has become a cornerstone. Achieving this entails meticulously designing specific products or processes within facility locations and establishing robust supply chains. Adopting a global perspective on the entire operation enables leveraging potential advantages deriving from collaborative efforts, with an associated reduction of distribution times, operational costs, and enhanced process integration. However, addressing complex challenges like managing multiscale variables poses significant barriers. Nonetheless, greater process integration holds promise for improving waste recovery, distribution, and treatment, with the aim of optimization. As a response, this thesis addresses the issue by employing diverse technologies rooted in the integrated design of processes and products, alongside facility location and the establishment of the supply chain. It particularly focuses on acquiring high-value-added products through waste recovery using a multi-scale and multi-period approach. To facilitate optimization, a range of algorithms is applied, including data analysis, linearization, problem reformulation, and multilevel optimization. This comprehensive approach aims to enhance process management and promote sustainability. Based on the findings, a product and process design approach has been employed for the optimization and integrated design aimed at sustainable production of a fuel additive, ETBE, being able to optimize the biomass to be used. This involves primarily utilizing ethanol and i-butene sourced mainly from switchgrass, with an annual production target of 90 ktETBE at a production cost of 0.61 €/kgETBE. Furthermore, an integrated system has been devised for the production of xylitol and sorbitol from lignocellulosic biomass, such as switchgrass and corn stover.
This initiative aims to enhance the biomass selection, process efficiency and reducing the production costs, achieving annual production volumes of 145 ktXylitol and 157.6 ktSorbitol, with a production cost of 0.28 €/kg. Apart from biomass, CO2 can also be captured via human-made technologies. In terms of CO2 capture, utilization, and valorization, the integrated design, along with careful consideration of facility location and size, as well as multiperiod analysis, facilitates the identification of optimal raw material sources, chemicals for production, and suitable technologies. Consequently, methanol/methane production via biomass gasification or CO2 captured through conventional DAC process, followed by hydrogenation with renewable hydrogen, has been developed. After a joint evaluation, methanol emerged as the preferred option. Its production involves utilizing point sources of CO2 employing MEA solutions and renewable hydrogen supplied by PV panels together with wind turbines, with prices ranging between 1,000-2,600 €/tMethanol. Analyzing methane production, prices range from 18.97-20.36 €/MMBTU in 2022 and decrease to 8.90 9.09 €/MMBTU by 2050. With carbon taxes applied, prices are reduced to 2,3 €/MMBTU, competitive with market prices. Additionally, methane production from the gasification of lignocellulosic dry biomass, coupled with CO2 capture via MEA solutions, has been studied to ensure national energy security. The methane price range is 3.818-30.229 €/MMBTU from 2022 to 2050, with consideration of carbon taxes resulting in a price of 3.146 €/MMBTU.
