IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v14y2021i10p2804-d554134.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Feasibility Study of the Solar-Promoted Photoreduction of CO 2 to Liquid Fuels with Direct or Indirect Use of Renewable Energy Sources

Author

Listed:
  • Francesco Conte

    (Chemical Plants and Industrial Chemistry Group, Dip. Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, CNR-SCITEC and INSTM Unit Milano-Università, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Antonio Tripodi

    (Chemical Plants and Industrial Chemistry Group, Dip. Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, CNR-SCITEC and INSTM Unit Milano-Università, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Ilenia Rossetti

    (Chemical Plants and Industrial Chemistry Group, Dip. Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, CNR-SCITEC and INSTM Unit Milano-Università, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Gianguido Ramis

    (Dip. Ing. Chimica, Civile ed Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Genova and INSTM Unit Genova, Via all’Opera Pia 15A, 16145 Genoa, Italy)

Abstract

Solar irradiation data collected at the latitude of Milan city, near the 45th parallel North, and original activity data of some high-performing photocatalysts (i.e., commercial TiO 2 P25, TiO 2 prepared by flame spray pyrolysis, 0.2% wt/wt Au/P25) have been used to evaluate the feasibility and the efficiency of an ideal solar photoreactor for the CO 2 photoreduction in liquid phase. The best theoretical performance was achieved with commercial bare P25 titania, despite the fact that it was the material with the widest band gap (3.41 eV vs. 3.31 for FSP and 3.12 for Au/P25). In that case the efficiency of energy storage was calculated as about 2% (considering the total irradiated solar energy) and ca 18% (considering only the UV fraction of solar irradiance). Most of the energy content of the products was stored as formic acid, which would return a productivity of about 640 kg/year kg cat under daylight solar irradiation considering the variance of the irradiance data. Bare FSP titania gave a less promising result, while Au/P25 ranked in the middle. A comparison between the proposed setup and a photoreactor irradiated with UV lamps powered through a wind turbine or solar panels, which allow for an indirect use of renewable energy sources also intended for energy storage purposes, unveil that the latter is many times less efficient than the hypothesized direct solar photoreactor, despite the fact that it could be a reasonable storage system for energy production peaks.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesco Conte & Antonio Tripodi & Ilenia Rossetti & Gianguido Ramis, 2021. "Feasibility Study of the Solar-Promoted Photoreduction of CO 2 to Liquid Fuels with Direct or Indirect Use of Renewable Energy Sources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-14, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:10:p:2804-:d:554134
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/10/2804/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/10/2804/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lee, Suh-Young & Lee, Jae-Uk & Lee, In-Beum & Han, Jeehoon, 2017. "Design under uncertainty of carbon capture and storage infrastructure considering cost, environmental impact, and preference on risk," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 725-738.
    2. Bong Jae Lee & Jeong Il Lee & Soo Young Yun & Cheol-Soo Lim & Young-Kwon Park, 2020. "Economic Evaluation of Carbon Capture and Utilization Applying the Technology of Mineral Carbonation at Coal-Fired Power Plant," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-14, July.
    3. Ulrich Ulmer & Thomas Dingle & Paul N. Duchesne & Robert H. Morris & Alexandra Tavasoli & Thomas Wood & Geoffrey A. Ozin, 2019. "Fundamentals and applications of photocatalytic CO2 methanation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Herui Cui & Tian Zhao & Ruirui Wu, 2018. "An Investment Feasibility Analysis of CCS Retrofit Based on a Two-Stage Compound Real Options Model," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Georgios Varvoutis & Athanasios Lampropoulos & Evridiki Mandela & Michalis Konsolakis & George E. Marnellos, 2022. "Recent Advances on CO 2 Mitigation Technologies: On the Role of Hydrogenation Route via Green H 2," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-38, June.
    3. Zhang, Shuai & Liu, Linlin & Zhang, Lei & Zhuang, Yu & Du, Jian, 2018. "An optimization model for carbon capture utilization and storage supply chain: A case study in Northeastern China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 194-206.
    4. Xinyi Sun & Xiaowei Mu & Wei Zheng & Lei Wang & Sixie Yang & Chuanchao Sheng & Hui Pan & Wei Li & Cheng-Hui Li & Ping He & Haoshen Zhou, 2023. "Binuclear Cu complex catalysis enabling Li–CO2 battery with a high discharge voltage above 3.0 V," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Yuqi Ren & Yiwei Fu & Naixu Li & Changjun You & Jie Huang & Kai Huang & Zhenkun Sun & Jiancheng Zhou & Yitao Si & Yuanhao Zhu & Wenshuai Chen & Lunbo Duan & Maochang Liu, 2024. "Concentrated solar CO2 reduction in H2O vapour with >1% energy conversion efficiency," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    6. Wilhelm Kuckshinrichs, 2021. "LCOE: A Useful and Valid Indicator—Replica to James Loewen and Adam Szymanski," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-8, January.
    7. Saideep Singh & Rishi Verma & Nidhi Kaul & Jacinto Sa & Ajinkya Punjal & Shriganesh Prabhu & Vivek Polshettiwar, 2023. "Surface plasmon-enhanced photo-driven CO2 hydrogenation by hydroxy-terminated nickel nitride nanosheets," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-18, December.
    8. Natalia Czaplicka & Donata Konopacka-Łyskawa, 2020. "Utilization of Gaseous Carbon Dioxide and Industrial Ca-Rich Waste for Calcium Carbonate Precipitation: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-25, November.
    9. Choe, Changgwon & Cheon, Seunghyun & Kim, Heehyang & Lim, Hankwon, 2023. "Mitigating climate change for negative CO2 emission via syngas methanation: Techno-economic and life-cycle assessments of renewable methane production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    10. Fu, Yue & Wang, Liyuan & Liu, Ming & Wang, Jinshi & Yan, Junjie, 2023. "Performance analysis of coal-fired power plants integrated with carbon capture system under load-cycling operation conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    11. Peter Viebahn & Emile J. L. Chappin, 2018. "Scrutinising the Gap between the Expected and Actual Deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage—A Bibliometric Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-45, September.
    12. Karjunen, Hannu & Tynjälä, Tero & Hyppänen, Timo, 2017. "A method for assessing infrastructure for CO2 utilization: A case study of Finland," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 33-43.
    13. Ahn, Yuchan & Han, Jeehoon, 2018. "Economic optimization of integrated network for utility supply and carbon dioxide mitigation with multi-site and multi-period demand uncertainties," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 723-734.
    14. Zhang, Shuai & Zhuang, Yu & Liu, Linlin & Zhang, Lei & Du, Jian, 2019. "Risk management optimization framework for the optimal deployment of carbon capture and storage system under uncertainty," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1-1.
    15. Branimir Tramošljika & Paolo Blecich & Igor Bonefačić & Vladimir Glažar, 2021. "Advanced Ultra-Supercritical Coal-Fired Power Plant with Post-Combustion Carbon Capture: Analysis of Electricity Penalty and CO 2 Emission Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    16. Hidalgo, D. & Martín-Marroquín, J.M., 2020. "Power-to-methane, coupling CO2 capture with fuel production: An overview," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    17. d'Amore, Federico & Mocellin, Paolo & Vianello, Chiara & Maschio, Giuseppe & Bezzo, Fabrizio, 2018. "Economic optimisation of European supply chains for CO2 capture, transport and sequestration, including societal risk analysis and risk mitigation measures," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 401-415.
    18. Lei Luo & Xiaoyu Han & Keran Wang & Youxun Xu & Lunqiao Xiong & Jiani Ma & Zhengxiao Guo & Junwang Tang, 2023. "Nearly 100% selective and visible-light-driven methane conversion to formaldehyde via. single-atom Cu and Wδ+," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    19. Xiaodong Li & Li Li & Guangbo Chen & Xingyuan Chu & Xiaohui Liu & Chandrasekhar Naisa & Darius Pohl & Markus Löffler & Xinliang Feng, 2023. "Accessing parity-forbidden d-d transitions for photocatalytic CO2 reduction driven by infrared light," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    20. Zhao, Zhitong & Chong, Katie & Jiang, Jingyang & Wilson, Karen & Zhang, Xiaochen & Wang, Feng, 2018. "Low-carbon roadmap of chemical production: A case study of ethylene in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 580-591.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:10:p:2804-:d:554134. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.