Environmental Assessment of a Coal Power Plant with Carbon Dioxide Capture System Based on the Activated Carbon Adsorption Process: A Case Study of the Czech Republic

Kristína Zakuciová, Jiří Štefanica, Ana Carvalho and Vladimír Kočí
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Kristína Zakuciová: ÚJV Řež, a. s., Hlavní 130, Řež, 250 68 Husinec, Czech Republic
Jiří Štefanica: ÚJV Řež, a. s., Hlavní 130, Řež, 250 68 Husinec, Czech Republic
Ana Carvalho: CEG-IST, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Vladimír Kočí: Department of Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Environmental Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Praha 6, Czech Republic

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: The Czech Republic is introducing new technological concepts for mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHG) in coal-based energy industries. One such technology, in power plants, is post combustion CO 2 capture from flue gases by activated carbon adsorption. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was used as the assessment tool to determine the environmental impacts of the chosen technology. This article focuses on a comparative LCA case study on the technology of temperature-swing adsorption of CO 2 from power plant flue gases, designed for the conditions of the Czech Republic. The LCA study compares the following two alternatives: (1) a reference power unit and (2) a reference power unit with CO 2 adsorption. The most significant changes are observed in the categories of climate change potential, terrestrial acidification, and particulate matter formation. The adsorption process shows rather low environmental impacts, however, the extended LCA approach shows an increase in energy demands for the process and fossil depletion as a result of coal-based national energy mix. The feasibility of the study is completed by the preliminary economical calculation of the payback period for a commercial carbon capture unit.

Keywords: carbon dioxide capture; activated carbon; environmental impacts; life cycle assessment (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 (3)

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