(88b) Sustainability Assessment of Polygeneration Systems

Production of chemicals, electricity and fuels from natural resources via polygeneration systems is one of the emerging clean technologies for reducing greenhouse emissions. The polygeneration systems unite chemical, energy and fuel sectors and provide excellent efficiencies, in terms of materials and energy conversion by receiving multiple natural resources as feeds and producing many useful products through various interrelated processes. The complex nature of polygeneration systems presents a challenge for analysis of their sustainability footprints. This study presents a systematic approach for sustainability assessment of such processes by merging exergy efficiency analysis and inherently safe design approach into conventional economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability. This work compares several different Polygeneration systems, which uses coal and natural gas as feeds, on sustainability criteria.