CO2 methanation activated by magnetic heating: life cycle assessment and perspectives for successful renewable energy storage

Abstract

Purpose Technologies with low environmental impacts and promoting renewable energy sources are required to meet the energetic demand while facing the increase of gas emissions associated to the greenhouse effect and the depletion of fossil fuels. CO 2 methanation activated by magnetic heating has recently been reported as a highly efficient and innovative power-togas technology in a perspective of successful renewable energy storage and carbon dioxide valorisation. ln this work, the life cycle assessment (LCA) of this process is performed, in order to highlight the environmental potential of the technology, and its competitivity with in respect to conventional heating technologies. Methods The IMPACT 2002+ was used for this LCA. The process studied integrates methanation, water electrol ys is and CO 2 capture and separation. Thi s "cradle-to-gate" LCA study does not consider the use of methane, which is the reaction product. The functional unit used is the energy content of the produced CH.i. The LCA was carried out using the energy mix data for the years 2020 and 2050 as given by the French Agency for Environment and Energy management (AD EME). Consumption data were either collected from Iiterature or obtained from the LPCNO measurements as discussed by Marbaix (2019). The environmental impact of the CO 2 methanation activated by magnetic heating was compared with the environmental impact ofa power-togas plant using conventional heating (Helmeth) and considering the environmental impact of the natural gas extraction. Results lt is shown that the total flow rate of reactants, the source of CO 2 and the energy mix play a major role on the environmental impact of sustainable CH 4 production, whereas the lifetime of the considered catalyst has no significant influence. As a result ofthe possible improvements on the above-mentioned parameters, the whole process is expected to reduce by 75% in its environmental impact toward 2050. This illustra tes the high environmental potential of the methanation activated by magnetic heating when coupled with industrial exhausts and renewable electricity production. Conclusions The technology is expected to be environmentally competitive compared with existing sirnilar processes using external heating sources with the additional interest of being extremely dynamic in response, in Iine with the intermittency of renewable energy production.

Morphology-Dependent Catalysis by Co3O4 Nanostructures in Atmospheric Pressure Carbon Dioxide Hydrogenation

“…Thermocatalytic CO 2 hydrogenation is considered to be one of the viable routes due to its practical simplicity and potential for scale-up. , This strategy proposes combining CO 2 as a raw material with hydrogen as a renewable energy source via water electrolysis to produce gaseous methane and/or liquid hydrocarbons or other commodities. Gaseous methane has the advantage of being easily injectable into the natural gas distribution grid, taking advantage of the preexisting infrastructure for large-scale energy delivery and storage. , …”

“…Gaseous methane has the advantage of being easily injectable into the natural gas distribution grid, taking advantage of the preexisting infrastructure for large-scale energy delivery and storage. 6,7 Several studies have been devoted to developing metal oxides and mixed metal oxides, which are key substitutes for precious noble metal catalysts. 8−10 Among them, Co 3 O 4 has been widely studied for various industrially applicable reactions such as the oxidation of volatile organic compounds, water oxidation, CO oxidation, etc.…”

Environmental Impacts of Formalin and Hexamine Production Units Using Life Cycle Assessment: A Case Study in the Gameron Petro Industry Complex, Iran

“…Marbaix et al, studied the subject of life cycle evaluation of CO 2 methane activated by magnetic heating [17]. On the others hand, Toniolo et al, examined the subject of international standards with a life cycle perspective.…”