TY - JOUR
T1 - Energy recovery from plastic and biomass waste by means of fluidized bed gasification: A life cycle inventory model
AU - Ardolino, Filomena
AU - Lodato, Concetta
AU - Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard
AU - Arena, Umberto
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - The study provides for the first time a life cycle inventory model for the fluidized bed gasification of wastes, based on a large amount of high-quality data. All of them have been obtained from a pilot scale fluidized bed gasifier, fed with ten types of waste and biomass, under a wide range of operating conditions. The model refers to commercial scale gasifiers having a “thermal configuration”, where the generated syngas is immediately burned downstream of the reactor. Key relationships between process- and waste-specific parameters have been defined. The model quantifies the main inputs and outputs of the gasification process (emissions, energy recovery, ash disposal, resource consumptions), providing high-quality data that could contribute to improve life cycle assessment modelling of waste gasification. Finally, some case studies have been implemented in the EASETECH software to illustrate the model applicability, evaluate the role of main parameters, and compare the environmental performances of gasification power units with that of the European electricity mix. The performances appear highly affected by metal contents in the waste-derived fuels, while the model results to a limited extent are sensitive to the equivalence ratio and the net electrical efficiency of the energy conversion.
AB - The study provides for the first time a life cycle inventory model for the fluidized bed gasification of wastes, based on a large amount of high-quality data. All of them have been obtained from a pilot scale fluidized bed gasifier, fed with ten types of waste and biomass, under a wide range of operating conditions. The model refers to commercial scale gasifiers having a “thermal configuration”, where the generated syngas is immediately burned downstream of the reactor. Key relationships between process- and waste-specific parameters have been defined. The model quantifies the main inputs and outputs of the gasification process (emissions, energy recovery, ash disposal, resource consumptions), providing high-quality data that could contribute to improve life cycle assessment modelling of waste gasification. Finally, some case studies have been implemented in the EASETECH software to illustrate the model applicability, evaluate the role of main parameters, and compare the environmental performances of gasification power units with that of the European electricity mix. The performances appear highly affected by metal contents in the waste-derived fuels, while the model results to a limited extent are sensitive to the equivalence ratio and the net electrical efficiency of the energy conversion.
KW - Gasification
KW - Life cycle assessment
KW - EASETECH
KW - Fluidized beds
KW - Plastic waste
KW - Industrial biomass
U2 - 10.1016/j.energy.2018.09.158
DO - 10.1016/j.energy.2018.09.158
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0360-5442
SP - 299
EP - 314
JO - Energy
JF - Energy
IS - Part B
ER -