Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)
Scientific Journal

Sustainable Synthesis of Methanol through Synthesis Gas Produced from Three Lignocellulosic Biomasses: Process Simulation and Economic Analysis

Document Type : Regular Article

Authors

Golnoosh Khodamoradi 1
Fatemeh Bashipour 2

1 Faculty of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah 6714967346, Iran

2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Razi University, kermanshah, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/ijche.2025.488779.1547
Abstract
Nowadays, increasing demand for sustainable energy sources has led to a growing interest in using biomass as a renewable feedstock for producing hydrogen and methanol. The main objectives of this study involve simulation and economic analysis and evaluation of synthesis gas, hydrogen, and methanol production processes from various biomass sources using Aspen HYSYS software. Three lignocellulosic sources were waste wood biomass (WWB), thin hardwood chips biomass (THWCB), and almond shells biomass (ASB). In the first part of the simulation, the unrefined synthesis gas was produced through a multi-stage biomass gasification process. The outcomes reveal that the yield and composition of synthesis gas were increased by raising the steam-to-biomass ratio (SBR). Subsequently, an integrated model for hydrogen production from various biomass sources was examined through gasification in the presence of steam and oxygen through a water-gas shift (WGS) reaction and the separation and purification of the produced hydrogen using a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit. Finally, the hydrogen produced in the previous step was fed to the methanol synthesis unit. The results of the simulation of the gasification process of various lignocellulosic biomasses showed that the use of WWB, THWCB, and ASB can yield annual hydrogen production of 261,000, 349,344, and 361,656 kg, respectively. Consequently, the economic analyses indicated that hydrogen and methanol production from biomass is associated with significant efficiency and profitability. Furthermore, the comparison of synthesis gases' heating values derived from three biomasses revealed that the highest heating values were generated from ASB, THWCB, and WWB, respectively.

Keywords

Lignocellulosic biomasses
Synthesis gas
Hydrogen production
Methanol
Simulation
Economic analysis
Heating Value

Subjects

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Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)
Volume 22, Issue 1
Spring 2025
Pages 67-86

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