Exam Flashcards
What are Megatrends and drivers for change from business-as-usual for carbon intensive industries?
Global crises (Climate change and waste problem)
Market Pressure
Policy Change
Structural change
What is carbon transition?
Intelligent and sustainable utilization of a nation’s domestic primary and secondary resources for production so as to facilitate a transformation from linear to circular carbon economy with minimal carbon waste
Fossil–>Renewables
Linear–>Circular
Imported–>Domestic
Why does a carbon transition pose a decision challenge for decision-makers?
Theres a need to balance between multiple objectives
They are in a complex decision environment
System interdependencies
Inertia
What is chemical recycling?
Conversion of carbon containing waste into basic chemical components that can be utilized by chemical industry
Types of chemical recycling technologies
Liquefaction
Gasification and Syngas processing
Depolymerization
Solvent-based purification
What is TEA
Method for evaluating the economic performance of an industrial process, product or service.
Provides commercial and market oriented insights into wether a technology investment could lead to monetary return (qual.), how big and when will it be
Objectives of TEA (7)
Guide investment decisions for tech development
Quantify RnD performance targets n priorities
Identify critical data gaps
Present results in an organized, concise and coherent form
Provides a transparent and verifiable cost/performance comparison to business-as-usual production pathways as well as for competing technologies
Supports quantification of uncertainty and risks
Provides performance/costs configuration ideals as targets for lower TRL technologies
What is Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
Type of measurement system used to assess the maturity level of a particular technology. Each technology project is evaluated against the parameters for each technology level and is then assigned a TRL rating based on the project progress.
Levels from 1 to 9+
Idea
Level 1
Concept
Level 2
Proof of concept
Level 3
Preliminary Process Development
Level 4
Detailed Process Development
Level 5
Pilot Trials
Level 6
Demonstration and Full-Scale engineering
Level 7
Construction and Start-up
Level 8
Continuous operation
Level 9
Further technology development
Level 9+
Phases of TEA
- Technology characterization
- Goal and Scope definition
- Indicator selection
- Inventory development
- Indicator calculation, adjustment and interpretation
What are different measures for profitability and how can they be calculated
Net Present Value: NPV
Dynamic Payback Period: DPP
Levelized Cost of Carbon Abatement: LCCA
The multidimensional Approach is based on
STEEP:
S:ocial
P:olitical
T:echnological
E:conomic
E:cologic
What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
Is a standarized methodology for assessing the environmental impact of products, processes and services through analyzing energy and material flows over their life cycle
Which are the LCA phases?
Goal and Scope definition
Inventory analysis
Life cycle impact assessment
Interpretation
From STEEP: How is the T defined
Technology assessment: Description and evaluation of technologies and associated political measures and strategies to inform/support socio-political discussions, decision processes and measures development
Solvent-Based purification
Principle: Selective solvent-based dissolution of thermoplastic followed by recovery by either vaporization or precipitation to purified polymer. Specific thermoplastics requiere special solvents and process design
Feedstock: High-purity plastic waste
Product: Recycled polymer
By-products: Residue (insoluble non-target polymer), offgas
Depolymerization
Reverse polymerization to monomer or oligomer fragments using chemical solvents, enzymes or thermal depolymerization
Feedstock: Polymers with high purity
Product: Recycled monomer/oligomer
By-products: Non-targeted hydrocarbons, solid residue, gas
Liquefaction
Thermo-chemical decomposition at elevated temperatures and inert atmosphere/exclusion of oxygen. Processes may use catalysts and require heating. Include pyrolisis, catalytic cracking and hydrocracking processes
Feedstock: MPW
Product: Pyrolisis oil
By-products: Pyrolisis gas, solid residue (coke)
Gasification
Partial oxidation of carbonaceous materials at elevated temperatures using a gasification agent, typically oxygen and/or steam to produce a synthesis gas containing H2 and CO
Feedstock: RDF and MPW, sewage sludge, biomass (carbonaceous feedstock)
Product: Synthesis gas (CO + H2)
By-products: Ash/slag, tar and dust
Which two CR methods are not selective in terms of feedstock
Pyrolisis and Gasification. Both accept mixed plastics
Manufacturing costs
CapEx: Capital expenses (one-time)
OpEx: Operating Expenses (recurring)
CapEx
Total investment needed for a project
FCI (Fixed Capital Investment) + WCI (Working Capital Investment)
Fixed Capital Investment (FCI)
Total cost of the plant ready for start-up
Once-only cost that is not recovered at the end of the project life
Includes all construction costs of the plant, all processing and handling equipment, ground preparation and non-process structures and equipment
Working Capital Investment (WCI)
Inital cost of resources
Money for labor and services required for starting plant operations
Additional investment needed over and above FCI to start up the plant and operate it till income can be earned
Operating Expenditures (OpEx)
Direct/Variable Manufacturing Costs (DMC) + Fixed Manufacturing Costs (FMC) + General Expenses (GE)
Net Present Value (NPV):
Support investemen decisions about pilot plants at TRL 5 & 6
Sum of total present value of all discounted cash flows over the entire life of an investment - FCI in the invesment base year
Dynamic Payback Period (DPP):
Support investment decisions about pilot plants at TRL 5&6
Represents the time period required to recover the initial investment in a plant considering the time value of money
Investment assumed if DPP is short
Levelized Cost of Carbon Abatement
Integrated indicator combining profitability with carbon emissions
Reflect an investment on the basis of EUR/tonne of reduced CO2 eq.
Phase 5: Indicator calculation, adjustment and Interpretation
Provides an indication whether study goals set in Phase 2 are achievable
Phases of the LCA
Goal & Scope definition
Inventory analysis
Environmental impact assessment
Interpretation
Guiding principles of LCA (8)
Life cycle perspective
Environmental focus
Covering a diversity of environmental impacts
Relative approach and functional unit
Iterative approach
Transparency
Comprehensiveness
Priority of scientific approach
Goal Definition (LCA)
Unambigously state:
Intended application
Reasons for carrying out the study
Intended audience
Wether results are for comparison
Scope definition (LCA)
In accordance with the goal
Take into account:
Product system
Inventory definition
Impact assessment methodology
Limitations
Functional unit (LCA)
Quantified performance of a product system for use as a reference unit
Reference flow (LCA)
Measure of the outputs from processes in a given product system required to fulfull the function expressed by the functional unit
