Activated Carbon from Winemaking Waste: Thermoeconomic Analysis for Large-Scale Production

Isaac Lorero, Arturo J. Vizcaíno, Francisco J. Alguacil and Félix A. López
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Isaac Lorero: Materials Science and Engineering Area, ESCET, Rey Juan Carlos University, C/Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933 Madrid, Spain
Arturo J. Vizcaíno: Chemical and Environmental Engineering Group, ESCET, Rey Juan Carlos University, C/Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933 Madrid, Spain
Francisco J. Alguacil: National Center for Metallurgical Research (CENIM), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Avda. Gregorio del Amo 8., 28040 Madrid, Spain
Félix A. López: National Center for Metallurgical Research (CENIM), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Avda. Gregorio del Amo 8., 28040 Madrid, Spain

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-22

Abstract: An activated carbon manufacturing process from winemaking waste is analyzed. In that way, vine shoots conversion is studied as a basis for plant designing, and mass and energy balances of hydrothermal carbonization and physical activation are fulfilled. To develop an energy-integrated plant, a network of heat exchangers is allocated to recover heat waste, and a cogeneration cycle is designed to provide electricity and remaining heat process demands. Furthermore, thermoeconomic analysis is applied to determine the thermodynamic efficiency and the economic viability of the plant. Energy balance indicates that heat exchangers energy integration covers 48.9% of the overall demands by crossing hot and cold streams and recovering heat from residual flue gas. On the other hand, the exergy costs analysis identifies combustion of pruning wood as the main source of exergy destruction, confirming the suitability of the integration to improve the thermodynamic performance. Attending to economic costs analysis, production scale and vineyard pruning wood price are identified as a critical parameter on process profitability. With a scale of 2.5 ton/h of pruning wood carbonization, a break-event point to compete with activated carbons from biomass origin is reached. Nevertheless, cost of pruning wood is identified as another important economic parameter, pointing out the suitability of wet methods such as hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) to treat them as received form the harvest and to contribute to cutting down its prices.

Keywords: activated carbon; hydrothermal carbonization (HTC); exergy analysis; thermoeconomic analysis; circular economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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