Using thermodynamic models for bioenergy recovery and generation assessment: a case study with acai and macauba by-products

Author(s)

Ampese, Larissa Castro ; de Gouvea, Miriam Tvrzska ; Buller, Luz Selene ; Sganzerla, William Gustavo ; Rosa, Maria Thereza de Moraes Gomes ; Forster-Carneiro, Tania

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY; v. N/A, p. 16-pg., 2023-02-09.

Abstract

Bioenergy recovery from biomass is essential to address an eco-friendly disposal route for industrial by-products. This study focuses on the energy recovery from agro-industrial by-products in a combined heat and power unit (CHP) operating with a gas turbine fed with biogas. A rigorous thermodynamic model was presented and used for the energy generation assessment. The biogas was produced from anaerobic digestion (AD) of macauba and acai by-products with and without subcritical water pretreatment. The proposed methodology is easily applied and may provide answers to subside the conceptual design of an industrial plant operating with a CHP with a gas turbine for energy recovery. Simulation results showed electric and thermal energy potentials of, respectively, 3.4 and 11.2 MW when pretreatment is applied before the AD of macauba shells. The thermal energy surplus was 58% higher than that obtained with direct AD of macauba shells. On the other hand, applying subcritical water pretreatment of acai seeds followed by AD to obtain biogas was not energetically profitable. However, feeding biogas from the direct AD of acai seeds into the CHP would produce 3.4 and 7 MW, respectively, of electric and thermal energy. Moreover, considering the electricity replacement of 3.4 MW, 3699 tCO(2-eq) year(-1) of greenhouse gas emissions could be avoided. Finally, using process simulation of first principle models for energy assessment was evinced to be a powerful tool to evaluate the viability of CHP operating with a gas turbine for bioenergy recovery in the food industry. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 20/10323-5 - Life cycle and technical-financial assessment of the integration of anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal technologies for waste recovery
• Grantee: Luz Selene Buller
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 18/14938-4 - Waste2energy: integration of supercritical technologies and anaerobic digestion through an automated system for the production of biofuel precursors
• Grantee: Tânia Forster Carneiro
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants - Phase 2
• FAPESP's process: 19/26925-7 - Development of an automated system for biofuel precursor production using sub-critical technology
• Grantee: William Gustavo Sganzerla
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)