Future district heating plant integrated with municipal solid waste (MSW) gasification for hydrogen production

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) 2019-08, Vol.180, p.881-892
• Main Authors: Rudra, Souman, Tesfagaber, Yohannes Kifle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Computer simulation; District heating; Energy; Gasification; Heat; Hydrogen; Hydrogen production; Hydrogen-based energy; Management systems; MSW characterization; Municipal solid waste; Municipal waste management; Shift reaction; Solid waste management; Solid wastes; Steam; Synthesis gas; Waste management; Waste management industry; Waste-to-energy
• ISSN: 0360-5442; 1873-6785
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2019.05.125

Characterizing municipal solid waste (MSW) is a critical step in planning, designing, operating, or upgrading solid waste management systems. For a theoretical investigation of hydrogen production by gasification and water-gas shift reaction, we characterized Norwegian MSW and used the data. Three different gasification setups, named as ‘A-1’, ‘A&S-2’, and ‘S-3’ were modeled using Aspen plus simulation software for direct and indirect gasification processes according to the different gasification agents. The MSW characterization result showed a reasonable agreement with existing studies in different countries. The maximum hydrogen yield achieved in setup ‘S-3’ was around 94% of the maximum theoretical hydrogen yield from the specified MSW. At a steam to syngas ratio of 0.5, 199.6 g of hydrogen could be produced per one kg of MSW, with 4 L of water at 100 °C for district heating. The study indicates integrating an indirect gasifier in preexisting MSW-fired plants can play a significant role in recovering energy from MSW in the form of energy carrier hydrogen. However, if it is necessary to construct a new waste incinerator, the study results indicate building a direct gasification system. •The characterization of Norwegian MSW for the heating value calculation.•Modeling of three gasification setups for selecting the best option.•Sensitivity analysis of direct and indirect waste gasification process.•The scope of reducing heat loss and produce H2 from the district heating plant.