Effect of Moisture Content on Lignocellulosic Power Generation: Energy, Economic and Environmental Impacts
1
Environmental Research Institute, MaREI Centre, University College Cork, Cork T23 E4PW, Ireland
2
School of Engineering, University College Cork, Cork T12 HW58, Ireland
Processes 2017, 5(4), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr5040078
Received: 7 October 2017
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Revised: 1 December 2017
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Accepted: 4 December 2017
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Published: 6 December 2017
(This article belongs to the Collection Process System Engineering for More Efficient Power and Chemicals Production)
The moisture content of biomass affects its processing for applications such as electricity or steam. In this study, the effects of variation in moisture content of banagrass and energycane was evaluated using techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessments. A 25% loss of moisture was assumed as a variation that was achieved by field drying the biomass. Techno-economic analysis revealed that high moisture in the biomass was not economically feasible. Comparing banagrass with energycane, the latter was more economically feasible; thanks to the low moisture and ash content in energycane. About 32 GWh/year of electricity was produced by field drying 60,000 dry MT/year energycane. The investment for different scenarios ranged between $17 million and $22 million. Field-dried energycane was the only economically viable option that recovered the investment after 11 years of operation. This scenario was also more environmentally friendly, releasing 16-gCO2 equivalent/MJ of electricity produced.
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Keywords:
techno-economic analysis; life-cycle assessments; power generation; lignocellulose; energy analysis
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Doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1069479
Link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1069479
MDPI and ACS Style
Rajendran, K. Effect of Moisture Content on Lignocellulosic Power Generation: Energy, Economic and Environmental Impacts. Processes 2017, 5, 78. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr5040078
AMA Style
Rajendran K. Effect of Moisture Content on Lignocellulosic Power Generation: Energy, Economic and Environmental Impacts. Processes. 2017; 5(4):78. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr5040078
Chicago/Turabian StyleRajendran, Karthik. 2017. "Effect of Moisture Content on Lignocellulosic Power Generation: Energy, Economic and Environmental Impacts" Processes 5, no. 4: 78. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr5040078
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