Coal-to-aromatics process integrated with dry/steam-mixed reforming: Techno-economic analysis and environmental evaluation

Two alternative coal-to-aromatics processes, the methane steam reforming-assisted process (NG-CTA-S) and methane dry/steam reforming-integrated process (NG-CTA-DS), are proposed to mitigate carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions associated with conventional coal-to-aromatics (CTA) processes. This study conducted a detailed process simulation and optimization of key parameters to determine the aromatic production route with the lowest carbon emission. A comprehensive technical and economic analysis, along with an environmental assessment, was carried out to compare the proposed processes with existing ones. The results indicate that the NG-CTA-DS process has demonstrated superior techno-economic performance and environmental evaluation. It achieved an elemental carbon utilization of 85.95 %, an energy efficiency of 78.80 %, a reduced CO₂ emission of 3.65 kg/kg-aromatics, and a production cost of only 1018.87 M$. Therefore, it is evident that the proposed NG-CTA-DS process holds significant potential to enhance the technical, economic, and environmental performance compared to the conventional process, making it a promising candidate for industrialization.