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Evaluation of Integrated Anaerobic Digestion and Hydrothermal Carbonization for Bioenergy Production
Published on: June 15, 2014
Energy, exergy and exergoenvironmental analyses of a sugarcane bagasse power cogeneration system
Eduardo J C Cavalcanti1, Monica Carvalho2, Daniel R S da Silva1
1Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brazil.
Abstract:
One of the strategies to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity is to employ renewable resources such as biomass or even waste. However, the evaluation of the sustainability of a power plant depends on the development of several analyses, which should encompass thermodynamic and environmental parameters. Energy, exergy, and exergoenvironmental assessments are carried out for a sugarcane bagasse cogeneration system, along with a Life Cycle Assessment for the Brazilian sugarcane bagasse, employing the Eco-indicator 99 method. The specific environmental impacts of electricity and steam are 6.023 mPt/MJ and 4.038 mPt/MJ, respectively, and the boiler feed pump and radiator presented the highest average environmental impact per exergy of fuel and product, respectively. The component with the highest exergoenvironmental factor was the furnace (60.32%), demonstrating margins for benefits in the formation of pollutants and destruction of exergy. Exergoenvironmental assessments can be utilized to support the adoption of more efficient (although more complex) cogeneration systems, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.
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