A hybrid solar-biomass hydrogen production system using chemical looping with negative carbon emissions and comprehensive performance evaluation

Abstract

In order to reduce fossil energy consumption and rationalize the use of intermittent renewable energy, a solar-biomass hydrogen production and decarbonization system is proposed, which combines photovoltaic proton exchange membrane (PV-PEM) electrolysis of water with biomass chemical looping hydrogen generation processes. Oxygen from electrolysis is used for biomass gasification, facilitating carbon capture in the back-end process. The enriched CO₂ is used for oil recovery in local oilfields, enabling on-site carbon capture. The chemical looping process allows for pure hydrogen production, carbon capture and hydrogen storage using oxygen carriers (OC). H₂ products are used for local petroleum refining. The thermodynamic performance of the key processes in the system was numerically analyzed, and the effects of key parameters on the performance of the main subsystems were investigated. The evaluation results show that the overall energy efficiency of the system, the hydrogen production efficiency, the overall exergy efficiency and the levelized cost of the hydrogen production are 81.51%, 64.03%, 64.65%, and 2.47$/kg, respectively. This study provides a new approach for the stable and low-cost utilization of renewable energy in regions with abundant energy resources.