The integrated processes of microalgae CO2 biofixation and H2 production from biomass derived syngas: Process Simulation and CO2 Emission

Exhaustion of fossil fuels and their polluting impacts on the environment have made clear the necessity of development of new sustainable processes for production of clean energy. High conversion efficiency, recyclability and non-polluting characteristics have made hydrogen an alternative fuel for future. As CO2 emission is an important factor in sustainable process design, in this study the CO2 emission of the conventional process of hydrogen production, Natural Gas Steam Reforming, has been compared by the means of simulation using Aspen HYSYS software, to that of a new proposed route of Hydrogen production with a biorefinery approach in which the two processes of Microalgae CO2 Biofixation and H2 production from syngas derived from gasification of biomass were integrated. The simulation’s results demonstrate that for each ton of hydrogen produced, the herein proposed route emits 0.86 ton of CO2, while the traditional route, based on NG steam reforming, emits more than 5 tons. The difference in the CO2 emission of the two processes is significant