Assessment of hydrogen production from municipal solid wastes as competitive route to produce low-carbon H.

An economic and CO emission impact assessment of the production of H from municipal solid waste in the two configurations of retrofitting an existing waste to energy plant with an electrolysis unit (WtE + El) and of hydrogen production via waste gasification (WtH) is made with respect to reference cases of H production by steam reforming of methane (SMR) or of water electrolysis (El). The results are analyzed with reference to two scenarios depending on whether the fate of waste disposal emissions for SMR and El is accounted. The costs of H production as a function of waste gate fee and CO taxation as well as the CO emissions for both scenarios and the four cases of H production analyzed are reported.

Application of Pd-Based Membrane Reactors: An Industrial Perspective.

The development of a chemical industry characterized by resource efficiency, in particular with reference to energy use, is becoming a major issue and driver for the achievement of a sustainable chemical production. From an industrial point of view, several application areas, where energy saving and CO₂ emissions still represent a major concern, can take benefit from the application of membrane reactors. On this basis, different markets for membrane reactors are analyzed in this paper, and their technical feasibility is verified by proper experimentation at pilot level relevant to the following processes: (i) pure hydrogen production; (ii) synthetic fuels production; (iii) chemicals production.

Waste to Chemicals for a Circular Economy.

The implementation of a circular economy is a fundamental step to create a greater and more sustainable future for a better use of resources and energy. Wastes and in particular municipal solid waste represent an untapped source of carbon (and hydrogen) to produce a large range of chemicals from methane to alcohols (as methanol or ethanol) or urea. The waste to chemical process and related economics are assessed in this concept article to show the validity of such solution both from an economic point of view and from an environmental perspective considering the sensible reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with respect to conventional production from fossil fuels.

Waste-to-methanol: Process and economics assessment.

The waste-to-methanol (WtM) process and related economics are assessed to evidence that WtM is a valuable solution both from economic, strategic and environmental perspectives. Bio-methanol from Refuse-derived-fuels (RdF) has an estimated cost of production of about 110€/t for a new WtM 300t/d plant. With respect to waste-to-energy (WtE) approach, this solution allows various advantages.

Waste-to-Chemicals for a Circular Economy: The Case of Urea Production (Waste-to-Urea).

The economics and environmental impact of a new technology for the production of urea from municipal solid waste, particularly the residue-derived fuel (RdF) fraction, is analyzed. Estimates indicate a cost of production of approximately €135 per ton of urea (internal rate of return more than 10 %) and savings of approximately 0.113 tons of CH and approximately 0.

Reformer and membrane modules for methane conversion: experimental assessment and perspectives of an innovative architecture.

An innovative concept for steam methane reforming (SMR), based on reformer and membrane modules (RMMs), has been developed and tested to investigate its performance, in terms of feed conversion, on an industrial scale. A major benefit of the proposed RMM configuration is a shift of the chemical equilibrium of SMR reactions, achieved by removing the hydrogen produced at high temperature through the integration of highly selective palladium-based membranes, which enhances the yield of product. In this manner the process can operate at temperatures as low as 600-650 °C, compared to the 850-880 °C range used in conventional plants, and allows for the use of a low-temperature heat source.