Technical and Economical Assessment of CO2 Capture-Based Ammonia Aqueous

Abstract

In the context of climate change and the reduction in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion, the integration of CO2 capture technologies in steam power plants is a key solution. The aim of this study was to analyze the use of ammonia, at different mass concentrations, in capturing post-combustion CO2 in a coal-fired power station and comparing it with the reference 30% MEA case. In this regard, a multi-criteria model was developed to establish the optimal solvent used, considering the least impact on technical performance, economic, and environmental indicators. As a result, the lowest CO2 capture cost was obtained for the CO2 capture process based on 7% NH3, with 59.07 €/tCO2. Integration of the CO2 capture process is more economically viable when the CO2 emissions tax is higher than 70 €/tCO2 for 7% NH3 and 15% NH3, 80 €/tCO2 for 5% NH3 and 30% MEA, and 90 €/tCO2 for 2% NH3. Regarding the overall efficiency, the energy penalty associated with the CO2 capture process integration varied between 15 and 35%, and the lowest value was obtained for 15% NH3. The GWP indicator ranged between 113 and 149 kg_CO2_eq/MWh for NH3 compared to MEA 133 kg_CO2_eq/MWh and the case with no CO2 capture was 823 kg_CO2_eq/MWh.