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Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass: experimental study, energy balance, process simulation, design, and techno-economic analysis

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Abstract

In this study, the energy balance and techno-economic analysis of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of avocado stone (AS) were carried out to determine the use of hydrochar as a solid fuel. The experimental data obtained for HTC of AS were used to adjust a simulation model at an industrial scale using Aspen Plus®. The process was simulated, including all required equipment and stages to transform this biomass into dry hydrochar. The simulation result showed that the HTC process is energetically efficient for biomass water ratios above 10 wt.% at different operating temperatures (190–250 °C). The hydrochar obtained at 250 °C has a higher heating value (HHV) of up to 25.81 MJ/kg, and the energy yield of the process can reach 63.45%, while thermal efficiency reached up to 3.56 kWh of hydrochar per kWh of energy used in the process. In addition, the techno-economic analysis of the process showed that the process is economically feasible using hydrochar as pellet which has a competitive price compared to pelletized bulk pine wood, with hydrochar cost 9.64 $/GJHHV. Moreover, under the conditions studied, the initial capital recovery period was 3.7 years. This study could encourage the development of HTC plants and, therefore, the market for hydrochar pellets.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Institute of Metallurgy of UASLP for the help and equipment provided.

Funding

Diakaridia Sangaré grateful to CONACYT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de México) for granting the scholarship No. 659624. The authors are grateful to ICARE—CNRS- France and the Région Centre-Val de Loire for financial support within the INFLUX project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Zona Universitaria San Luis Potosí, S.L.P, Av. Dr. Nava # 6, CP: 78210, San Luis Potosí, México

    Diakaridia Sangaré & Mario Moscosa-Santillan

  2. Institut de Combustion, Aérothermique, Réactivité, Et Environnement (ICARE)-CNRS UPR3021, 1C avenue de la recherche scientifique, 45071, Orléans Cedex 2, France

    Diakaridia Sangaré, Stéphane Bostyn, Verónica Belandria & Iskender Gökalp

  3. Instituto de Metalurgia, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, SLP 78210, San Luis Potosi, Mexico

    Antonio Aragón Piña

  4. Institut Universitaire de Technologie, Université d’Orléans, 16 rue d’Issoudun, BP16724 45067, Orléans Cedex 2, France

    Stéphane Bostyn & Verónica Belandria

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  1. Diakaridia Sangaré
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  2. Mario Moscosa-Santillan
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Correspondence to Mario Moscosa-Santillan.

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Sangaré, D., Moscosa-Santillan, M., Aragón Piña, A. et al. Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass: experimental study, energy balance, process simulation, design, and techno-economic analysis. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 14, 2561–2576 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-022-02484-3

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