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- In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
- Publication history
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Received February 6, 2023
Accepted August 9, 2023
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This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits
unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Techno-economic Analysis and Life Cycle Impact Assessment for the Valorisation of Kraft Lignin and Low-Voltage Hydrogen Production
Abstract
This study presents a comparative techno-economic analysis and life cycle impact assessment of hydrogen production from
the kraft lignin depolymerization (KLD) with those produced from alkaline electrolysis cell (AEC) and proton exchange
membrane electrolysis (PEM). This process happens in a continuous modular fl ow reactor by using the phosphomolybdic
acid as a redox-active catalyst and includes depolymerizing the kraft lignin, producing vanillin, acetovanillone, and hydrogen
under a low-voltage condition. For the techno-economic analysis, fi rst, the processes were modelled by using the Aspen Plus
V12.1 software and then the results were transferred to Aspen Process Economic Analyzer V12 for economic evaluation. In
the next step, the life cycle impact assessment was proposed by using the openLCA V1.11.0 software along with the Environmental
Footprint database (MID-Point indicator), and 18 impacts were investigated. According to the techno-economic
analysis, KLD exhibits a total capital cost that surpasses that of AEC and PEM by more than 18% and 11%, respectively.
Furthermore, KLD’s equipment cost exceeds that of AEC and PEM by approximately 0.5% and 7%, respectively, and necessitates
additional components. On the other hand, the life cycle assessment revealed that KLD yields lesser environmental
impacts than AEC, while PEM exhibits the most exemplary environmental performance.
