Combined bio-methanol and power production from bio-oil: Proposing a clean bio-process through waste heat recovery and environmental optimization.

• A bio-process model for combined methanol and power production from bio-oil is proposed. • The cleanest possible bio-process was proposed using optimization by GA. • 70.6 % reduction in GWP through rigorous optimization and waste heat recovery was achieved. • 15.1 % increase in annual economic return rate under optimal operation was achieved. • 2.176 Mton/year reductions in CO 2 emissions per % of the methanol market gained can be achieved. Traditional methanol production from natural gas is well-studied, but there is a lack of research on environmentally optimizing bio-based methanol production. This study focuses on optimizing the combined production of bio-methanol and power from bio-oil using a comprehensive bio-process model. The research includes a novel framework for environmental, technical, and economic optimization of bio-oil to methanol and power to determine the most eco-friendly and cost-effective approach. An organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is also integrated for waste heat recovery. The results of this study revealed that the bio-based process with ORC showed a 22.6 % reduction in global warming potential impact (GWP) per kilogram of methanol, compared to the bio-based process without ORC. Also, by implementing the most environmentally friendly process, GWP will be reduced by 70.6 % per kg methanol compared to base sub-optimal operation. The results showed that for the process with the addition of ORC, after performing multi-objective optimization, under the optimal conditions, the economic annual rate of return increased from 19.6 % to 34.7 %. Finally, it was revealed that if the considered technology is commercialized, for every percentage of the methanol market it gains, it will contribute to 2.176 million tons CO 2 -eq/year less emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]