Arundo Donax power plant with sodium chloride batch mineralization: Bioenergy with carbon capture and utilization

[Geoengineering News]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359431125036877

Authors: José Luiz de Medeiros, Igor Nunes Rodrigues, Alex Miranda Constantino, Israel Bernardo S. Poblete, Ofélia de Queiroz F. Araújo

14 November 2025

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.129095

Highlights

•New Arundo Donax power plant uses new CCU route for CO2 mineralization with NaCl.

•Arundo Donax power plant with new CCU mineralization is a lucrative BECCS process.

•New CO2 mineralization with NaCl uses one-pot batch column to convert CO2 to Na2CO3.

•New CCU equation: CO2 + 0.9625NaCl + 0·.48125H2O = 0.48125(Na2CO3 + H2 + Cl2) + 0.51875CO2EOR.

•New CCU ratios per kgCO2 captured: 1.159kgNa2CO3, 0.7754kgCl2, 0.0219kgH2, 1.75kWh.

Abstract

Processes that export bioenergy, capture carbon, and produce commodities from raw-materials are worthwhile because unite negative carbon emissions with profitability. This work discusses a novel large-scale bioenergy with carbon capture and utilization process employing Arundo Donax power plant coupled to sodium chloride carbon mineralization. Process exports electricity, chlorine, dense carbon dioxide, green-hydrogen, and sodium carbonate. Arundo Donax dry-biomass is burned for steam generation and a flue-gas fraction goes to carbon capture in multi-purpose batch columns. The novel exploited concept prescribes batch columns performing several processing steps in one-pot: (i) carbon dioxide absorption with aqueous sodium hydroxide and carbonate; (ii) sodium bicarbonate precipitation; (iii) bicarbonate filtration driven by pressurized carbon dioxide; and (iv) bicarbonate-to-carbonate thermal breakage via hot carbon dioxide injection. Absorbent is cathodically regenerated in steady-state electrolysis liberating green-hydrogen, while chlorine is anodically liberated from brine feed. Sodium enters the process through the brine and migrates to cathodes through selective Flemion-F9010 ion-exchange membrane ending up in the carbonate product. A techno-economic-environmental assessment was performed considering equipment/plantation investments and processing/harvesting costs. Process exports electricity (223.9 MW, 37.5MWh/y.ha) with negative carbon emissions (−924.7 t/d). Revenues (374.92MMUSD/y) and investment (400.47MMUSD) are impressive as well as the 30 years net value (1,413MMUSD).

Source: ScienceDirect