K. Pacheco-Pérez ¹, M. Baia-Olivares ¹, D. Meza-González ¹, Á. D. González-Delgado ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Bolívar, CO

Abstract

Background: The extraction of oil from African palm fruits (Elaeis guineensis) generates solid wastes such as Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB), mesocarp fibers, palm frond, palm trunk and palm kernel shell, which exhibit great capability to be employed for producing value-added products, such as hydrogen. Objectives: In this work, exergy analysis of hydrogen production from EFB was carried out using indirect gasification and purification with selexol in order to evaluate overall efficiency of this process. Methods/Analysis: Based on operational conditions (mass flow, temperature and pressure), the process was modeled using a commercial process simulation software, physical and chemical exergies of streams were calculated, stage and overall irreversibilities and exergy efficiencies were found. Stages that require improvements were identified and sensibility analysis was implemented to increase overall exergy efficiency. Findings: It was found that 36 t/h of EFB produce 2.5522 t/h of hydrogen with an overall exergy efficiency of 20%. Novelty/Improvement: Sensibility analysis suggested that process efficiency in terms of exergy could be improved by recycling selexol to hydrogen separation stage, which led to increase the products exergy to 469,747.05 MJ/h.

Keywords

Empty Fruit Bunch, Exergy Analysis, Hydrogen, Palm Oil, Solid Waste

Full Text