Techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL facility for urea production
Decarbonising industrial processes remains a critical challenge, particularly in gas-to-liquid (GTL) and chemical manufacturing sectors. This study conducts a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL-urea facility that leverages hydrogen from Fischer-Tropsch (FT) tail gas and gr...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of CO2 Utilization |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212982025001416 |
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| author | Kelvin Awani Navid Khallaghi Vinod Kumar Seyed Ali Nabavi |
| author_facet | Kelvin Awani Navid Khallaghi Vinod Kumar Seyed Ali Nabavi |
| author_sort | Kelvin Awani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Decarbonising industrial processes remains a critical challenge, particularly in gas-to-liquid (GTL) and chemical manufacturing sectors. This study conducts a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL-urea facility that leverages hydrogen from Fischer-Tropsch (FT) tail gas and green hydrogen via proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis. Using ASPEN Plus simulations, process synergies, emission reductions, and profitability are analysed across multiple configurations. Key findings indicate that utilising internally generated hydrogen is more cost-effective, achieving a 4 % reduction in equipment costs, lowering total equipment cost from $2.58 billion in the base case to $2.47 billion. This results in a total annualised cost saving of $225 million and a 32 % increase in profitability, raising annual profits from $412 million in the base case to $543 million.The integration efficiently repurposes CO₂ emissions and nitrogen-rich waste streams to produce urea, demonstrating strong potential for promoting circularity . It enhances carbon efficiency to 84 % reducing overall emission from 180 tonnes CO2e/h in the business-as-usual case to 135 tonnes CO2e/h while PEM-based hydrogen reduces emissions by 14 tonnes CO2e/h compared to internally generated hydrogen. The high capital and operational costs due to electricity demands for PEM-based hydrogen process limit its viability. The study identifies the 9 tonnes/h internally generated hydrogen configuration as the optimal solution, offering significant emission reductions and financial benefits. These findings highlight the importance of process integration, renewable energy, and advanced hydrogen strategies for industrial decarbonisation, providing a sustainable pathway for GTL and urea production in line with global net-zero goals. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-10e0c9f264e340708680be45db1d6b0a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2212-9839 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of CO2 Utilization |
| spelling | doaj-art-10e0c9f264e340708680be45db1d6b0a2025-08-20T03:32:24ZengElsevierJournal of CO2 Utilization2212-98392025-09-019910315710.1016/j.jcou.2025.103157Techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL facility for urea productionKelvin Awani0Navid Khallaghi1Vinod Kumar2Seyed Ali Nabavi3Energy and Sustainability Theme, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK; Corresponding author.Energy and Sustainability Theme, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UKEnergy and Sustainability Theme, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK; Magan Centre for Applied Mycology, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, United KingdomEnergy and Sustainability Theme, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UKDecarbonising industrial processes remains a critical challenge, particularly in gas-to-liquid (GTL) and chemical manufacturing sectors. This study conducts a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL-urea facility that leverages hydrogen from Fischer-Tropsch (FT) tail gas and green hydrogen via proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis. Using ASPEN Plus simulations, process synergies, emission reductions, and profitability are analysed across multiple configurations. Key findings indicate that utilising internally generated hydrogen is more cost-effective, achieving a 4 % reduction in equipment costs, lowering total equipment cost from $2.58 billion in the base case to $2.47 billion. This results in a total annualised cost saving of $225 million and a 32 % increase in profitability, raising annual profits from $412 million in the base case to $543 million.The integration efficiently repurposes CO₂ emissions and nitrogen-rich waste streams to produce urea, demonstrating strong potential for promoting circularity . It enhances carbon efficiency to 84 % reducing overall emission from 180 tonnes CO2e/h in the business-as-usual case to 135 tonnes CO2e/h while PEM-based hydrogen reduces emissions by 14 tonnes CO2e/h compared to internally generated hydrogen. The high capital and operational costs due to electricity demands for PEM-based hydrogen process limit its viability. The study identifies the 9 tonnes/h internally generated hydrogen configuration as the optimal solution, offering significant emission reductions and financial benefits. These findings highlight the importance of process integration, renewable energy, and advanced hydrogen strategies for industrial decarbonisation, providing a sustainable pathway for GTL and urea production in line with global net-zero goals.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212982025001416DecarbonisationGas-to-Liquid (GTL)Hydrogen utilisationCircular carbon economyTechno-economic optimization |
| spellingShingle | Kelvin Awani Navid Khallaghi Vinod Kumar Seyed Ali Nabavi Techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL facility for urea production Journal of CO2 Utilization Decarbonisation Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) Hydrogen utilisation Circular carbon economy Techno-economic optimization |
| title | Techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL facility for urea production |
| title_full | Techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL facility for urea production |
| title_fullStr | Techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL facility for urea production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL facility for urea production |
| title_short | Techno-economic assessment of an integrated GTL facility for urea production |
| title_sort | techno economic assessment of an integrated gtl facility for urea production |
| topic | Decarbonisation Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) Hydrogen utilisation Circular carbon economy Techno-economic optimization |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212982025001416 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kelvinawani technoeconomicassessmentofanintegratedgtlfacilityforureaproduction AT navidkhallaghi technoeconomicassessmentofanintegratedgtlfacilityforureaproduction AT vinodkumar technoeconomicassessmentofanintegratedgtlfacilityforureaproduction AT seyedalinabavi technoeconomicassessmentofanintegratedgtlfacilityforureaproduction |