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On the environmental and economic issues associated with the forestry residues-to-heat and electricity route in Chile: Sawdust gasification as a case study

Author

Listed:
  • Casas-Ledón, Yannay
  • Flores, Mauricio
  • Jiménez, Romel
  • Ronsse, Frederik
  • Dewulf, Jo
  • Arteaga-Pérez, Luis E.

Abstract

The present study reports on the technical, economic and environmental analysis of small-scale gasification-ICE systems integrated into sawmills in Chile. Two scenarios were considered, (i) a 100 kWe system for self-consumption in a sawmill and (ii) a 1000 kWe system for using residues from different sawmills. The gasification system was technically assessed by a comprehensive mathematical model implemented on Aspen One 10.0, while economics were studied by the Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and environmental impacts were quantified by a Life cycle assessment of forestry, sawmills and power plant processes. Results demonstrate that heat recovery is critical for the process economy, which exhibits an LCOE between 0.15 and 0.32 USD/kWh, and a return on investment of 6.4 years. Nevertheless, the gasification system is far for being an economically-feasible alternative for Chile, where electricity price is 0.08–0.10 USD/kWh. In contrast to economic assessment, the implementation of the gasification-ICE power plant would be a promising alternative for decarbonization of the Chilean energy matrix, showing a reduction of 93% of carbon emissions versus actual practices (viz. co-firing process). From the environmental point of view, biomass harvesting and transport are the critical stages during the whole life cycle of energy production, regardless of the scenario.

Suggested Citation

  • Casas-Ledón, Yannay & Flores, Mauricio & Jiménez, Romel & Ronsse, Frederik & Dewulf, Jo & Arteaga-Pérez, Luis E., 2019. "On the environmental and economic issues associated with the forestry residues-to-heat and electricity route in Chile: Sawdust gasification as a case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 763-776.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:170:y:2019:i:c:p:763-776
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.12.132
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    1. Ivan Merino & Israel Herrera & Hugo Valdés, 2019. "Environmental Assessment of Energy Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Electrical Network in Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-16, September.
    2. Vanesa Rodríguez-Merchan & Claudia Ulloa-Tesser & Yannay Casas-Ledón, 2019. "Evaluation of the Water–Energy–Land Nexus (WELN) Using Exergy-Based Indicators: The Chilean Electricity System Case," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-20, December.
    3. Montoya, Jorge & Valdés, Carlos & Chaquea, Hernando & Pecha, M. Brennan & Chejne, Farid, 2020. "Surplus electricity production and LCOE estimation in Colombian palm oil mills using empty fresh bunches (EFB) as fuel," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).

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