Techno-Economic Modelling of a Carbon Capture and Utilization Value Chain : A Case Study for Cement and Pulp & Paper Industries

Sammanfattning

In the context of global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) are poised to help decarbonize industrial emitters as well as the maritime transportation and chemical sectors. eMethanol (eMeOH) could function as a carbon-neutral fuel and chemical. This work models a techno-economic carbon capture and utilization (CCU) value chain, connecting ten industrial CO2 emitters from the Iberian Peninsula to an eMeOH plant located in Sines, Portugal, using CO2 tanker and truck transportation. The study models the various components of the CCU chain, including CO2 capture, liquefaction, intermediate storage, transportation, and the eMeOH plant, to evaluate the levelized cost of eMeOH (LCOeM) and the levelized cost of CO2 (LCOCO2) across the ten different scenarios. A detailed examination of industrial emitters across Spanish and Portuguese geography was conducted to identify the most cost-effective biogenic and geogenic CO2 sources for the eMeOH plant. By comparing truck and tanker transport options, the study identifies the cost implications associated with each method under varying conditions. The analysis reveals that transport costs are highly variable, influenced by the distance for truck transport and, for tankers, both the distance and the mismatch between tanker capacity and emitter CO2 output. Maritime transport stands out as a more cost-effective option for routes connecting Spanish emitters, with costs ranging from €17 to €30 per ton of CO2 transported, compared to truck transport, which ranges from €35 to €75 per ton of CO2. As the eMeOH plant accounts for more than 80% of the costs of the value chain, the comparison of extra costs for transport selection remains secondary. The production capacity of eMeOH, limited by CO2 availability, emerges as the major driver to lower both LCOeM and LCOCO2, leveraging economies of scale. This is evident in the case of the Portuguese cement factory CIMPOR in Alhandra, which achieves the lowest LCOeM of €1,072 per ton of eMeOH among all the scenarios modelled. The findings contribute to a broader understanding of the technical and cost implications of the different blocks of a CCU value chain. The definition and analysis of the ten different scenarios support comprehending how to target viable cases, which help decarbonize not only the cement and pulp and paper industries but also the maritime transportation and chemical sectors, as eMeOH could function as a carbon-neutral fuel and chemical.