title: Ultra-Low Carbon Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants through Bio-Oil Co-Firing and Biochar Sequestration.
abstract: This study investigates a novel strategy of reducing carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants through co-firing bio-oil and sequestering biochar in agricultural lands. The heavy end fraction of bio-oil recovered from corn stover fast pyrolysis is blended and co-fired with bituminous coal to form a bio-oil co-firing fuel (BCF). Life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per kWh electricity produced vary from 1.02 to 0.26 kg CO2-eq among different cases, with BCF heavy end fractions ranging from 10% to 60%, which corresponds to a GHG emissions reduction of 2.9% to 74.9% compared with that from traditional bituminous coal power plants. We found a heavy end fraction between 34.8% and 37.3% is required to meet the Clean Power Plan's emission regulation for new coal-fired power plants. The minimum electricity selling prices are predicted to increase from 8.8 to 14.9 cents/kWh, with heavy end fractions ranging from 30% to 60%. A minimum carbon price of $67.4 ± 13 per metric ton of CO2-eq was estimated to make BCF power commercially viable for the base case. These results suggest that BCF co-firing is an attractive pathway for clean power generation in existing power plants with a potential for significant reductions in carbon emissions.
authors.affiliation: Bioeconomy Institute and ‡Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: Bioeconomy Institute and ‡Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mba Wright
authors.affiliation: Bioeconomy Institute and ‡Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa 50011, United States.
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D057965:Carbon Sequestration; D002606:Charcoal; D003031:Coal; D003132:Commerce; D004560:Electricity; D004777:Environment; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011210:Power Plants / Q000191:economics; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D003031:Coal; C540010:biochar; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002606:Charcoal