Life Cycle Assessment in the bioenergy generation with carbon capture

• Grant number: 17/23239-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2018
• End date: April 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ivonete Ávila
• Grantee: João Marcos de Toledo Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEG). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Guaratinguetá. Guaratinguetá , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) aims to understand the environmental impacts from the life cycle of a product or service since its removal from nature to the final destination after use (from cradle to grave). The application of LCA in the assessment of power generation system from biomass is little discussed in the literature, mainly when it involves carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. In this context, it is proposed to conduct an environmental performance evaluation (gate-to-gate) of a small biomass-fired thermoelectric plant using the LCA. It will be compared the system performance without a CCS facility (1st year) and the system performance with the CCS technology facility (2nd year). The thermoelectric plant will be modeled using secondary data available in life cycle inventories (LCI) databases and in the literature. The SimaPro® software will be used to carry out the LCA. Aspen HYSYS® software will also be used to perform the mass and energy balances of both processes, energy conversion and CO2 capture. The procedures defined by ISO 14040 standards and ILCD (International Reference Life Cycle Data System) Handbook series should be followed in the LCA methodology. A research fellowship abroad (BEPE) will also be requested for the candidate to develop part of the project in an important research center that develops investigations in interest area of the LC3 Research Group in order to establish international collaboration. The results to be obtained will be unpublished and with great interest for the researchers in the energy area. The results also have the potential to contribute to the understanding of the energy and environmental impacts due to the implementation of CCS technology in a small biomass thermoelectric plant.