scholarly journals SuperPro Designer®, User-Oriented Software Used for Analyzing the Techno-Economic Feasibility of Electrical Energy Generation from Sugarcane Vinasse in Colombia

Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1180
Author(s):  
Licelly Canizales ◽  
Fredy Rojas ◽  
Carlos A. Pizarro ◽  
Nelson. H. Caicedo-Ortega ◽  
M. F. Villegas-Torres

SuperPro Designer® is a process simulator software used for analyzing the techno-economic feasibility of large-scale bioprocesses. Its predetermined built-in features allow for easy implementation by non-experts, but a lack of examples limits its appropriation. This study aims to validate the implementation of SuperPro Designer® by non-experts for the techno-economic analysis of anaerobic digestion in Colombia, using vinasse as feedstock. These results demonstrate the financial feasibility of such a process when a processing flow rate of 25 m3/h is ensured. Additionally, this study validates the manageability of the tool for assessing the economic feasibility of a technology, a key practice during technology development regardless of the area of expertise.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Massimo Rivarolo ◽  
Gustavo Riveros-Godoy ◽  
Loredana Magistri ◽  
Aristide F. Massardo

This paper aims at investigating clean hydrogen production from the large size (14 GW) hydroelectric power plant of Itaipu, located on the border between Paraguay and Brazil, the two countries that own and manage the plant. The hydrogen, produced by a water electrolysis process, is converted into ammonia through the well-known Haber-Bosch process. Hydraulic energy is employed to produce H2 and N2, respectively, from a large-scale electrolysis system and an air separation unit. An economic feasibility analysis is performed considering the low electrical energy price in this specific scenario and that Paraguay has strong excess of renewable electrical energy but presents a low penetration of electricity. The proposal is an alternative to increase the use of electricity in the country. Different plant sizes were investigated and, for each of them, ammonia production costs were determined and considered as a term of comparison with traditional ammonia synthesis plants, where H2 is produced from methane steam reforming and then purified. The study was performed employing a software developed by the authors’ research group at the University of Genoa. Finally, an energetic, environmental, and economic comparison with the standard production method from methane is presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3698
Author(s):  
Salah Jellali ◽  
Yassine Charabi ◽  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Abdullah Al-Badi ◽  
Mejdi Jeguirim

This work is intended to evaluate the technical, environmental, and economic feasibility of converting the sludge produced at an industrial estate’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Oman into energy through anaerobic digestion (AD). In this study, three different scenarios were analyzed. They concerned the digestion of the total amount of the produced sludge alone (240 m3 day−1) (scenario 1), and its co-digestion with wet agri-food wastes (AFW) at rates of two tonnes day−1 (scenario 2) and ten tonnes day−1 (scenario 3). Based on the analyses of sludge samples, an intensive literature review regarding sludge and AFW Physico-chemical and energetic characteristics and the use of the cost–benefit analysis (CBA) approach, it was found that, for the overall duration of the project (20 years), the AD of the sludge alone (scenario 1) permitted the production of 43.9 GWh of electricity, the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (more than 37,000 tonnes equivalent CO2 (TCO2)) and exhibited positive net present value (NPV: $393,483) and an internal return rate (IRR) of 19.4%. Co-digesting sludge with AFW significantly increased all of these key performance indicators. For instance, scenario 3 results in the recovery of electrical energy of 82.2 GWh and avoids the emission of 70,602 tCO2. Moreover, a higher NPV and IRR of $851,876 and 21.8%, respectively, and a payback period (PBP) of only seven years were calculated. The sensitivity analysis revealed that a decrease in total expenses by 15% results in a significant increase of the NPV and the IRR to $1,418,704 and 33.9%, respectively, for scenario 3. Considering a pessimistic assumption (an increase of the total expenses by 15%), all studied scenarios remain attractive. For instance, for scenario 3, the NPV, IRR, and PBP were evaluated to $285,047, 13.5%, and 9 years, respectively. Therefore, the co-digestion of sludge with agri-food wastes for energy recovery purposes could be considered a promising, eco-friendly, and economically viable approach in the Omani industrial estates.


2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 1397-1409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Leite Conde Elaiuy ◽  
Aiduan Li Borrion ◽  
Davide Poggio ◽  
Julia Anna Stegemann ◽  
Edson Aparecido Abdul Nour

Abstract In this paper, we demonstrate in a clear procedure the application of the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) to model a large-scale covered in-ground anaerobic reactor (Cigar), processing sugarcane vinasse from a biorefinery in Brazil. The biochemical make-up (carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids) of the substrate was analysed based on the food industry standards. Two distinct subsets of data, based on the sugarcane harvest season for bioethanol and sugar production in 2012 and 2014, were used to direct and cross validate the model, respectively. We fitted measured data by estimating two key parameters against biogas flow rate: the degradation extent (fd) and the first order hydrolysis rate coefficient (khyd). By cross validation we show that the fitted model can be generalised to represent the behaviour of the reactor under study. Therefore, motivated by practical and industrial application of ADM1, for both different reactors types and substrates, we show aspects on the implementation of ADM1 to a specific large-scale reactor for anaerobic digestion of sugarcane vinasse.


Author(s):  
Tatiane Leticia De Carvalho Souza ◽  
André Luiz Marques Rocha ◽  
Daniel Brianezi

The final disposal of solid waste in landfills may result in the production of a clean and renewable energy through the exploitation of biogas generated in these locations. This study aims to estimate the methane production in a landfill, with a total population of 237,298 inhabitants, and a total generation of waste of 83,561.78 ton/year, in the last year of operation, located in the state of Minas Gerais and evaluate the economic feasibility of a biogas exploitation project in this place, for electrical energy generation. The methane production was estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology, obtaining the maximum methane production value of 6,692,590 mÑ in the last year of operation of the landfill. For economic feasibility analysis, the tools, such as net present value, discounted payback, and internal rate of return, were used with values of R$ 1,323,684.90 for 8 years, 4 months, and 12 days, and 9% per annum, respectively, demonstrating that the implementation of the project for the use of biogas at the landfill was viable, with positive economic return.


Fermentation ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Khairina Jaman ◽  
Nurjannah Amir ◽  
Mohammed Ali Musa ◽  
Afifi Zainal ◽  
Liyana Yahya ◽  
...  

Valorization of agro-food waste through anaerobic digestion (AD) is gaining prominence as alternative method of waste minimization and renewable energy production. The aim of this study was to identify the key parameters for digester performance subjected to kinetic study and semicontinuous operation. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests were conducted in two different operating conditions: without mixing (WM) and continuous mixing (CM). Three different substrates, including food waste (FW), chicken dung (CD), and codigestion of FW and CD (FWCD) were used. Further kinetic evaluation was performed to identify mixing’s effect on kinetic parameters and correlation of the kinetic parameters with digester performance (volatile solid removal (VS%) and specific methane production (SMP)). The four models applied were: modified Gompertz, logistic, first-order, and Monod. It was found that the CM mode revealed higher values of Rm and k as compared to the WM mode, and the trend was consistently observed in the modified Gompertz model. Nonetheless, the logistic model demonstrated good correlation of kinetic parameters with VS% and SMP. In the continuous systems, the optimum OLR was recorded at 4, 5, and 7 g VS/L/d for FW, CD, and FWCD respectively. Therefore, it was deduced that codigestion significantly improved digester performance. Electrical energy generation at the laboratory scale was 0.002, 0.003, and 0.006 kWh for the FW, CD, and FWCD substrates, respectively. Thus, projected electrical energy generation at the on-farm scale was 372 kWh, 382 kWh, and 518 kWh per day, respectively. Hence, the output could be used as a precursor for large-scale digester-system optimization.


2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.C. van Haandel

In Brazil cane is being been grown at large scale to produce alcohol as an automotive fuel. Alcohol is the sole product, but there is generation of a large quantity of gaseous (CO2), liquid (vinasse) and solid (bagasse) by-products, which currently have very little or even negative value. By using steam turbines fuelled with bagasse combustion, electric power can be generated at a rate of 1 MWh per m3 of produced alcohol. Anaerobic digestion can be applied to vinasse to produce enough biogas for 0.5 MWh per m3 of alcohol, bringing total electric power production from subproducts to 1.5 MWh per m3 of alcohol. These operations are presently implemented at some distilleries at full scale. It has been shown at bench scale that by applying anaerobic digestion also to bagasse and burning the non-biodegradable residual, the power output can be increased to 2.25 MWh per m3 of alcohol, but the economic feasibility of this option depends on the maximum loading rate of the bagasse digester and the energy price. At the current alcohol production level of 13 × 106 m3/year, the power generation potential is 2.2 GW, which represents 4% of the power demand in Brazil. The digested waste water contains about 70% of the nutrient demand of the cane fields, which can be recycled. A preliminary economic evaluation shows that productive use of the subproducts of alcohol distilleries is economically feasible if the price is more than US$30 per MWHh, which is the current sales price in Brazil. Another important advantage of the rational use of by-products is that the generation of electric power has the potential to reduce the emission of CO2 to the atmosphere by 0.8–1.2 t per m3 of alcohol compared to generation using natural gas.


Author(s):  
Simon Thomas

Trends in the technology development of very large scale integrated circuits (VLSI) have been in the direction of higher density of components with smaller dimensions. The scaling down of device dimensions has been not only laterally but also in depth. Such efforts in miniaturization bring with them new developments in materials and processing. Successful implementation of these efforts is, to a large extent, dependent on the proper understanding of the material properties, process technologies and reliability issues, through adequate analytical studies. The analytical instrumentation technology has, fortunately, kept pace with the basic requirements of devices with lateral dimensions in the micron/ submicron range and depths of the order of nonometers. Often, newer analytical techniques have emerged or the more conventional techniques have been adapted to meet the more stringent requirements. As such, a variety of analytical techniques are available today to aid an analyst in the efforts of VLSI process evaluation. Generally such analytical efforts are divided into the characterization of materials, evaluation of processing steps and the analysis of failures.


2016 ◽  
Vol 832 ◽  
pp. 55-62
Author(s):  
Ján Gaduš ◽  
Tomáš Giertl ◽  
Viera Kažimírová

In the paper experiments and theory of biogas production using industrial waste from paper production as a co-substrate are described. The main aim of the experiments was to evaluate the sensitivity and applicability of the biochemical conversion using the anaerobic digestion of the mixed biomass in the pilot fermentor (5 m3), where the mesophillic temperature was maintained. It was in parallel operation with a large scale fermentor (100 m3). The research was carried out at the biogas plant in Kolíňany, which is a demonstration facility of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. The experiments proved that the waste arising from the paper production can be used in case of its appropriate dosing as an input substrate for biogas production, and thus it can improve the economic balance of the biogas plant.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 787
Author(s):  
Anna Lymperatou ◽  
Niels B. Rasmussen ◽  
Hariklia N. Gavala ◽  
Ioannis V. Skiadas

Swine manure mono-digestion results in relatively low methane productivity due to the low degradation rate of its solid fraction (manure fibers), and due to the high ammonia and water content. The aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) pretreatment of manure fibers has been proposed for overcoming these limitations. In this study, continuous anaerobic digestion (AD) of manure mixed with optimally AAS-treated manure fibers was compared to the AD of manure mixed with untreated manure fibers. Due to lab-scale pumping restrictions, the ratio of AAS-optimally treated manure fibers to manure was only 1/3 on a total solids (TS) basis. However, the biogas productivity and methane yield were improved by 17% and 38%, respectively, also confirming the predictions from a simplified 1st order hydrolysis model based on batch experiments. Furthermore, an improved reduction efficiency of major organic components was observed for the digester processing AAS-treated manure fibers compared to the non-treated one (e.g., 42% increased reduction for cellulose fraction). A preliminary techno-economic analysis of the proposed process showed that mixing raw manure with AAS manure fibers in large-scale digesters could result in a 72% increase of revenue compared to the AD of manure mixed with untreated fibers and 135% increase compared to that of solely manure.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirai Ohara ◽  
A. Shahul Hameed ◽  
Kei Kubota ◽  
Akihiro Katogi ◽  
Kuniko Chihara ◽  
...  

K-ion batteries (KIBs) are promising for large-scale electrical energy storage owing to the abundant resources and the electrochemical specificity of potassium. Among the positive electrode materials for KIBs, vanadium-based polyanionic...


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