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Life Cycle Assessment of Synthetic Natural Gas Production from Different CO 2 Sources: A Cradle-to-Gate Study

Author

Listed:
  • Eleonora Bargiacchi

    (Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering (DESTeC), University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy)

  • Nils Thonemann

    (Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology, UMSICHT, 46047 Oberhausen, Germany)

  • Jutta Geldermann

    (Business Administration and Production Management, University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany)

  • Marco Antonelli

    (Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering (DESTeC), University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy)

  • Umberto Desideri

    (Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering (DESTeC), University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy)

Abstract

Fuel production from hydrogen and carbon dioxide is considered an attractive solution as long-term storage of electric energy and as temporary storage of carbon dioxide. A large variety of CO 2 sources are suitable for Carbon Capture Utilization (CCU), and the process energy intensity depends on the separation technology and, ultimately, on the CO 2 concentration in the flue gas. Since the carbon capture process emits more CO 2 than the expected demand for CO 2 utilization, the most sustainable CO 2 sources must be selected. This work aimed at modeling a Power-to-Gas (PtG) plant and assessing the most suitable carbon sources from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) perspective. The PtG plant was supplied by electricity from a 2030 scenario for Italian electricity generation. The plant impacts were assessed using data from the ecoinvent database version 3.5, for different CO 2 sources (e.g., air, cement, iron, and steel plants). A detailed discussion on how to handle multi-functionality was also carried out. The results showed that capturing CO 2 from hydrogen production plants and integrated pulp and paper mills led to the lowest impacts concerning all investigated indicators. The choice of how to handle multi-functional activities had a crucial impact on the assessment.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleonora Bargiacchi & Nils Thonemann & Jutta Geldermann & Marco Antonelli & Umberto Desideri, 2020. "Life Cycle Assessment of Synthetic Natural Gas Production from Different CO 2 Sources: A Cradle-to-Gate Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:17:p:4579-:d:408637
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wieland Hoppe & Nils Thonemann & Stefan Bringezu, 2018. "Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide–Based Production of Methane and Methanol and Derived Polymers," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(2), pages 327-340, April.
    2. Bargiacchi, Eleonora & Antonelli, Marco & Desideri, Umberto, 2019. "A comparative assessment of Power-to-Fuel production pathways," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 1253-1265.
    3. Zhang, Xiaojin & Bauer, Christian & Mutel, Christopher L. & Volkart, Kathrin, 2017. "Life Cycle Assessment of Power-to-Gas: Approaches, system variations and their environmental implications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 326-338.
    4. Thonemann, Nils, 2020. "Environmental impacts of CO2-based chemical production: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
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    1. Emanuela Marzi & Mirko Morini & Agostino Gambarotta, 2022. "Analysis of the Status of Research and Innovation Actions on Electrofuels under Horizon 2020," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-35, January.

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