Clean Energy from Poplar and Plastic Mix Valorisation in a Gas Turbine with CO2 Capture Process

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to explore the utilisation of plastic waste via the gasification process to produce electricity with low carbon dioxide emissions. Worldwide, plastic production has increased, reaching 390 million tons in 2021, compared to 1.5 million tons in 1950. It is known that plastic incineration generates approximately 400 million tons of CO2 annually, and consequently, new solutions for more efficient plastic reuse in terms of emissions generated are still expected. One method is to use plastic waste in a gasifier unit and the syngas generated in a gas turbine for electricity production. The co-gasification process (plastic waste with biomass) was analysed in different ratios. Gasification was carried out with air for an equivalent ratio (ER) between 0.10 and 0.45. The volume concentration of CO2 in syngas ranged from 2 to 12%, with the highest value obtained when the poplar content in the mix was 95%. In this study, the option of pre- and post-combustion integration of the chemical absorption process (CAP) was investigated. As a result, CO2 emissions decreased by 90% compared to the case without CO2 capture. The integration of the capture process reduced global efficiency by 5.5–6.1 percentage points in a post-combustion case, depending on the plastic content in the mix.