Article
Green hydrogen integration in aluminum recycling: Techno-economic analysis towards sustainability transition in the expanding aluminum market
Registro en:
10.1016/j.ecmx.2024.100548
25901745
Autor
Reyes-Bozo, Lorenzo
Fúnez-Guerra, Carlos
Luis Salazar, José
Vyhmeister, Eduardo
Valdés-González, Héctor
Jaén Caparrós, María
Clemente-Jul, Carmen
Carro-de Lorenzo, Francisco
de Simón-Martín, Miguel
Institución
Resumen
The use of aluminum-based products is widespread and growing, particularly in industries such as automotive, food packaging, and construction. Obtaining aluminum is expensive and energy-intensive, making the recycling of existing products essential for economic and environmental viability. This work explores the potential of using green hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas in the smelting and refining furnaces in aluminum recycling facilities. The adoption of green hydrogen has the potential to curtail approximately 4.54 ktons/year of CO2 emissions, rendering it a sustainable and economically advantageous solution. The work evaluates the economic viability of a case study through assessing the Net Present Value (NPV) and the Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Furthermore, it is employed single- and multi-parameter sensitivity analyses to obtain insight on the most relevant conditions to achieve economic viability. Results demonstrate that integrating on-site green hydrogen generation yields a favorable NPV of €57,370, an IRR of 9.83%, and a 19.63-year payback period. The primary factors influencing NPV are the initial electricity consumption stack and the H2 price. © 2024 The Author(s) Apoyo para Estadías de Investigación en el Extranjero para Académicos Jerarquizados Asociados y Titulares; Universidad de Santiago de Chile, (051611SN); Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, UAdeC; Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, ANID, (ING222010005)