BECCS opportunities in Brazil: Comparison of pre and post-combustion capture in a typical sugarcane mill.

• BECCS assessment of a power system based on biomass gasification (BIG-CC), integrated into a sugarcane plant. • CO 2 capture by the pre-combustion route has less impact on the sale of surplus electricity. • The CO 2 mitigation cost was estimated at 60 €/tCO 2 for pre-combustion and 52 €/tCO 2 for post-combustion. • The feasibility of CO 2 capture is impacted by the scale and cost of electricity generation. • Conventional cogeneration systems (CEST) are suggested for the first BECCS units. In order to make feasible the efforts that would limit the rise of Earth's temperature to no more than 2 °C, profound changes are required in the energy systems. In this sense, BECCS are considered instrumental to attain possible negative emissions. This draws attention to the sugarcane industry in Brazil, where it is possible to produce fuel ethanol at a relative low cost and a large amount of relatively cheap biomass is available. This paper is part of a research that aims to study the combined production of liquid fuels and electricity, using sustainable sources of biomass and maximizing carbon capture. Two cases related to an innovative technology were evaluated and in both the capture is based on amine technology: pre-combustion capture of CO 2 from the fuel gas derived from biomass gasification, and post-combustion capture from gas turbine exhaust gases. Information from the scientific literature was used in modelling the systems, as well as estimating energy penalties and costs associated with capturing, transporting and storing CO 2. The results indicate technical feasibility of both capture options, but difficulties in setting the full integration of the power unit (BIG-CC) with the sugarcane mill and the CCS system, due to the high demand for thermal energy as low-pressure steam. The estimated CO 2 abatement cost is in the range 60–71 €/tCO 2 for pre-combustion capture, and 52–63 €/tCO 2 in the case of post-combustion. Feasibility results are impacted by the scale of CO 2 capture (0.82–1.44 MtCO 2 /year), particularly in the pre-combustion case, and the relatively high cost of electricity generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]