Life-cycle assessment of oil recovery using dimethyl ether produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2

Abstract Hydrocarbon fuels are widely recognized as significant contributors to climate change and the rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. As a result, it is crucial to reduce the net carbon intensity of energy derived from these fuels. This study explores the feasibility of using dimethyl ether...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: R. Farajzadeh, N. Khoshnevis, D. Solomon, S. Masalmeh, J. Bruining
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87981-x
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1823862355556040704
author R. Farajzadeh
N. Khoshnevis
D. Solomon
S. Masalmeh
J. Bruining
author_facet R. Farajzadeh
N. Khoshnevis
D. Solomon
S. Masalmeh
J. Bruining
author_sort R. Farajzadeh
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Hydrocarbon fuels are widely recognized as significant contributors to climate change and the rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. As a result, it is crucial to reduce the net carbon intensity of energy derived from these fuels. This study explores the feasibility of using dimethyl ether (DME), produced through the hydrogenation of CO2, as a low-carbon method for generating electricity from hydrocarbon fuels. The proposed approach involves capturing the emitted CO2 during combustion and utilizing it to produce the necessary DME in a closed cycle. It is shown that for a mature reservoir in the Middle East, this method can mitigate approximately 75% of the CO2 emissions released from burning the produced oil. By incorporating zero-carbon electricity throughout the process, the total abatement of CO2 can reach 85%. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of improving the DME utilization factor (bbl-oil/tDME). By optimizing this factor, high abatement rates can be achieved. However, it is important to note that implementing this method comes with a high exergetic cost. During a certain period in the field’s lifetime, the invested energy exceeds the energy produced. The stages with the highest exergy consumption are CO2 capture and hydrogen production.
format Article
id doaj-art-f2ff1ca7963145e7a80192bc3f3cc4cc
institution Kabale University
issn 2045-2322
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-f2ff1ca7963145e7a80192bc3f3cc4cc2025-02-09T12:34:55ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-0115111410.1038/s41598-025-87981-xLife-cycle assessment of oil recovery using dimethyl ether produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2R. Farajzadeh0N. Khoshnevis1D. Solomon2S. Masalmeh3J. Bruining4Delft University of TechnologyDelft University of TechnologyDelft University of TechnologyADNOCDelft University of TechnologyAbstract Hydrocarbon fuels are widely recognized as significant contributors to climate change and the rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. As a result, it is crucial to reduce the net carbon intensity of energy derived from these fuels. This study explores the feasibility of using dimethyl ether (DME), produced through the hydrogenation of CO2, as a low-carbon method for generating electricity from hydrocarbon fuels. The proposed approach involves capturing the emitted CO2 during combustion and utilizing it to produce the necessary DME in a closed cycle. It is shown that for a mature reservoir in the Middle East, this method can mitigate approximately 75% of the CO2 emissions released from burning the produced oil. By incorporating zero-carbon electricity throughout the process, the total abatement of CO2 can reach 85%. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of improving the DME utilization factor (bbl-oil/tDME). By optimizing this factor, high abatement rates can be achieved. However, it is important to note that implementing this method comes with a high exergetic cost. During a certain period in the field’s lifetime, the invested energy exceeds the energy produced. The stages with the highest exergy consumption are CO2 capture and hydrogen production.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87981-x
spellingShingle R. Farajzadeh
N. Khoshnevis
D. Solomon
S. Masalmeh
J. Bruining
Life-cycle assessment of oil recovery using dimethyl ether produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2
Scientific Reports
title Life-cycle assessment of oil recovery using dimethyl ether produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2
title_full Life-cycle assessment of oil recovery using dimethyl ether produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2
title_fullStr Life-cycle assessment of oil recovery using dimethyl ether produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2
title_full_unstemmed Life-cycle assessment of oil recovery using dimethyl ether produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2
title_short Life-cycle assessment of oil recovery using dimethyl ether produced from green hydrogen and captured CO2
title_sort life cycle assessment of oil recovery using dimethyl ether produced from green hydrogen and captured co2
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87981-x
work_keys_str_mv AT rfarajzadeh lifecycleassessmentofoilrecoveryusingdimethyletherproducedfromgreenhydrogenandcapturedco2
AT nkhoshnevis lifecycleassessmentofoilrecoveryusingdimethyletherproducedfromgreenhydrogenandcapturedco2
AT dsolomon lifecycleassessmentofoilrecoveryusingdimethyletherproducedfromgreenhydrogenandcapturedco2
AT smasalmeh lifecycleassessmentofoilrecoveryusingdimethyletherproducedfromgreenhydrogenandcapturedco2
AT jbruining lifecycleassessmentofoilrecoveryusingdimethyletherproducedfromgreenhydrogenandcapturedco2