Energy and economic analysis of the carbon dioxide capture installation with the use of monoethanolamine and ammonia

In the study an accurate energy and economic analysis of the carbon capture installation was carried out. Chemical absorption with the use of monoethanolamine (MEA) and ammonia was adopted as the technology of carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture from flue gases. The energy analysis was performed using a commercial software package to analyze the chemical processes. In the case of MEA, the demand for regeneration heat was about 3.5 MJ/kg of CO₂, whereas for ammonia it totalled 2 MJ/kg CO₂. The economic analysis was based on the net present value (NPV) method. The limit price for CO₂ emissions allowances at which the investment project becomes profitable (NPV = 0) was more than 160 PLN/Mg for MEA and less than 150 PLN/Mg for ammonia. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out to determine the limit price of CO₂ emissions allowances depending on electricity generation costs at different values of investment expenditures.