Performance and cost analysis of hydrogen production from steam reforming and dehydrogenation of ethanol

Mitigation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission has been a worldwide concern. Decreasing CO2 emission by converting it into higher value products such as methanol can be a promising way. However, hydrogen (H-2) cost and availability are one of key barriers to CO2 conversion. Ethanol can be a sustainable source for H-2 due to its renewable nature and easy conversion to H-2-rich gas mixtures through ethanol steam reforming process. Nevertheless, steam reforming of ethanol generates CO2. Hence, this research is focused on different methods of H-2 productions about a 1,665.47 t/y from ethanol for supplying to methanol plants was performed using Aspen PLUS V10. The ethanol steam reforming process required the lowest required ethanol feed for a certain amount of H-2. In contrast, the ethanol steam reforming process presented significant amount of CO2 emission from reaction and electricity consumption. But the ethanol dehydrogenation of ethanol not only generates H-2 without CO2 emission from the reaction but also ethyl acetate or acetaldehyde, which are value chemicals. However, ethanol dehydrogenation processes in case II and III presented relatively higher cost because by-products (ethyl acetate or acetaldehyde) were rather difficult to be separated.