Carbon recovery and re-utilization (CRR) from the exhaust of a solid
oxide fuel cell (SOFC): Analysis through a proof-of-concept
M. Santarelli
a
, L. Briesemeister
b
, M. Gandiglio
a,
*, S. Herrmann
b
, P. Kuczynski
c
,
J. Kupecki
c
, A. Lanzini
a
, F. Llovell
d
, D. Papurello
a
, H. Spliethoff
b
, B. Swiatkowski
c
,
J. Torres-Sanglas
e
, L.F. Vega
f
a
Energy Department, Politecnico di Torino – Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy
b
Energy Systems, TU Munich, Boltzmannstr. 15, 85748, Garching, Germany
c
Institute of Power Engineering, Thermal Processes Department, Warsaw, Poland
d
IQS School of Engineering, Universitat Ramon Llull, Via Augusta, 390, 08017, Barcelona, Spain
e
Carburos Metalicos, Grupo Air Products, Avinguda de la Fama, 1, 08940 Cornellà, Barcelona, Spain
f
Gas Research Center and Chemical Engineering Department, The Petroleum Institute, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
A R T I C L E I N F O
Article history:
Received 13 July 2016
Received in revised form 4 January 2017
Accepted 18 January 2017
Available online xxx
A B S T R A C T
In the context of the paradigm of Carbon Recovery and Re-utilization (or CRR), this work investigates the
role of electrochemical generators (such as high-temperature fuel cells) to perform CRR as a practical
secondary effect.
In fact, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operating principle is inherently beneficial toward CO
2
separation from the exhaust gas since the fuel is electrochemically oxidized resulting in no N
2
mixing at
the anode (fuel) electrode. An oxy-combustor downstream the fuel cell will complete the residual fuel
(mostly H
2
and CO) oxidation to yield a stream that contains only H
2
O and CO
2
. After water condensation
and further drying, the captured CO
2
is fed to a photobioreactor that can fix carbon into microalgae.
In this work, results of the first SOFC-based poly-generation system with complete CO
2
recovery in the
form of fast-growing biomass (micro-algae) are presented, as developed in the EU-funded project
SOFCOM (GA 278798, www.sofcom.eu).
The overall plant layout is described, and results on the performance of the proof-of-concept plant
units are provided.
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Innovation in energy technology is connected to solutions for
the climate mitigation, one of the most challenging efforts of
human society in the 21 st century. One of the principal targets of
climate mitigation is the control and management of CO
2
in the
Earth’s biosphere.
The global average temperature is already at 1
C above pre-
industrial levels, and the carbon budget (the amount of atmo-
spheric carbon we can emit before reaching 1.5
C) is half what is
allowable under a limit of 2
C. In a very short time, we will be out
of carbon budget to stay below 1.5
C, so regardless of how fast we
limit fossil fuels, we will need to invest in third-way technologies
to capture CO
2
from the atmosphere, which is energy-intensive
due to its low concentration in absolute values [1].
However, another paradigm based on the capture of the CO
2
before its emission into the atmosphere, and on the re-fixation of
the carbon content of the CO
2
molecule, can be of high interest and
effectivity. This concept is the central one of the Carbon Recovery
and Re-utilization (or CRR) paradigm.
In fact, the carbon atom could be recovered and re-used rather
than being stored in unground sites. CCR could be applied not only
to the energy sector (i.e., to produce synthetic carbon fuels) but
also for other market applications such as the production of green
chemicals. The carbon atom contained in the CO
2
can be used to
produce synthetic fuels, green chemicals, materials and also new
biomass. This recovery is not free regarding energy, of course: to
recover carbon from the CO
2
molecule, chemical, biological, or
electrochemical processes have to be driven, with an expenditure
of energy, as the Gibbs free energy has to increase again.
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: marta.gandiglio@polito.it (M. Gandiglio).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2017.01.014
2212-9820/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Journal of CO
2
Utilization 18 (2017) 206–221
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of CO
2
Utilization
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