Municipal solid waste gasification integrated with water electrolysis technology for fuel production: A comparative analysis.

Concerns about limited fossil fuel and environmental degradation have promoted the interest in waste-to-fuel technology. The integration of municipal solid waste (MSW) gasification and electrolysis unit can achieve the triple goals of energy generation, environmental protection and energy storage. In this study, the MSW gasification integrated with solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) unit to produce the methane, methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) technologies is compared to explore the potential benefits and weaknesses from the perspective of techno-economic performance and carbon emission analysis. The results show that the SOEC-assisted MSW-to-methane system owns the highest exergy efficiency with 60.60%, followed by methanol system (59.83%) and DME system (57.37%). Considering the direct and indirect CO 2 emission, the methanol system owns the lowest CO 2 emission intensity (CEI) with 1.57 kg/h•t. In addition, DME system owns the highest net present value (NPV) with 771.59 $/t compared with methane system (433.80 $/t) and methanol system (297.57 $/t). Economic analysis further reveals that DME system is not competitive compared with fossil-based fuel in the current market environment. Sensitivity analysis shows that DME system loses its economic feasibility when the on-grid tariff of renewable energy exceeds 0.06 kWh. [Display omitted] • Three SOEC-assisted MSW gasification to methane/methanol/DME routes are simulated. • A comparative techno-economic and carbon emission analysis are accomplished. • The methane system owns the highest exergy efficiency with 60.60%. • The carbon emission of methanol system is lower than other pathways. • The NPV of SOEC-assisted MSW-to-DME system is the highest with 771.59 $/t. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]