Feasibility assessment of Low-Carbon methanol production through 4E analysis of combined cycle power generation and carbon capture Integration

Abstract

This study evaluates the feasibility of producing methanol without carbon emissions Using a comprehensive 4E (energy, exergy, economic, and environmental) approach. Our study focuses on a single methanol production system, analyzing its efficiency, sustainability, and potential as a clean fuel production method so that focusing on capturing carbon dioxide from combined cycle power generation and using the generated power to produce hydrogen through ion exchange electrolysis. The systems were simulated using Aspen Plus software, considering practical constraints to align with the capacity of existing power plants. The analysis revealed that the studied methanol production systems can produce 65.3 MW of power, with a net production power of 65.2 MW available for sale to the national grid. The annual methanol production, based on 8,000 operational hours, is 46,086 tons. The cost of methanol production is estimated at $556.69 per ton, and the environmental impact rate was calculated at 0.3726 units, with an exergy efficiency of 31.63 %. The study demonstrates that methanol can be produced efficiently using carbon capture from combined cycles, significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The results suggest that while the system involves high-cost equipment, it effectively balances power generation and methanol production with a relatively low environmental impact. Future research could focus on advanced exergy analysis to identify and mitigate sources of exergy destruction, as well as optimizing carbon capture configurations and integrating solar thermal energy to enhance system sustainability further.