Techno-Economic Assessment for Superactive Carbon Production from Side Stream Lignin

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Volume Title

A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2023-01-01

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Mcode

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Language

en

Pages

16
226-241

Series

Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, Volume 17, issue 1

Abstract

Superactive carbon (SAC) having a high surface area of over 2500 m2/g could be a superior choice for many applications. However, the manufacturing of SAC in bulk quantities is challenging. To demonstrate the possibility of SAC manufacturing in large amounts, a techno-economic assessment (TEA) was performed. For that purpose, a new method utilizing a mixture of waste lignin, KOH and KCl was employed. The chemicals were recovered after use. The techno assessment was performed based on laboratory-scale experimental findings, simplified process diagram, mass and heat balance calculations. The economic evaluation was assessed through the estimation of capital costs (CAPEX), operational costs (OPEX) and the minimum selling price (MSP). Moreover, to demonstrate the potential costs saving for the water treatment process, the performance of SAC for the removal of natural organic matter (NOM) was compared to commercial active carbon (CAC). SAC was obtained at a minimized KOH amount (1 g/g) and chemicals were successfully recovered with a rate of 5-10 % losses. CAPEX, OPEX and MSP were found to be 4-21 MEUR, 1-9 MEUR/y and 4.4-2.9 kEUR/t for 0.5-5.0 t/y production capacity, respectively, at profitability requirement of 20% and less than 5?years of the payback period. In addition, SAC demonstrated considerably higher adsorptive capacity for NOM (600-900 mgTOC/g) compared to CAC (40-50 mgTOC/g) which could lead to substantial process savings. SAC manufacturing through this method has been validated and the benefit for the potential application is sufficiently clear enough to promote the successful commercialization of SAC using lignin wastes.

Description

https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2445

Keywords

activated carbon, KOH-KCl activation, economics, lignin, water

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Citation

Ponomarev, N P, O'Shea, G, Nuortila-Jokinen, J, Kiljunen, S & Kallioinen-Mänttäri, M 2023, ' Techno-Economic Assessment for Superactive Carbon Production from Side Stream Lignin ', Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining: BIOFPR, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 226-241 . https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2445