Review of Thermochemical Technologies for Water and Energy Integration Systems: Energy Storage and Recovery

Abstract

Thermochemical technologies (TCT) enable the promotion of the sustainability and the operation of energy systems, as well as in industrial sites. The thermochemical operations can be applied for energy storage and energy recovery (alternative fuel production from water/wastewater, in particular green hydrogen). TCTs are proven to have a higher energy density and long-term storage compared to standard thermal storage technologies (sensible and latent). Nonetheless, these require further research on their development for the increasing of the technology readiness level (TRL). Since TCTs operate with the same input/outputs streams as other thermal storages (for instance, wastewater and waste heat streams), these may be conceptually analyzed in terms of the integration in Water and Energy Integration System (WEIS). This work is set to review the techno-economic and environmental aspects related to thermochemical energy storage (sorption and reaction-based) and wastewater-to-energy (particular focus on thermochemical water splitting technology), aiming also to assess their potential into WEIS. The exploited technologies are, in general, proved to be suitable to be installed within the conceptualization of WEIS. In the case of TCES technologies, these are proven to be significantly more potential analogues to standard TES technologies on the scope of the conceptualization of WEIS. In the case of energy recovery technologies, although a conceptualization of a pathway to produce usable heat with an input of wastewater, further study has to be performed to fully understand the use of additional fuel in combustion-based processes.