Hydrogen production by steam reforming of bio-ethanol: Process design and economic assessment

Hydrogen production from bioethanol steam reforming was techno-economically assessed, considering different bioethanol sources. In particular, 1stgeneration and 2ndgeneration bioethanol have been compared with purity degree. The advantages of using bioethanol with different cost and water/impurities content are discussed. The steam reforming plant was sized based on industrial technologies commercial available and on previous studies on the use of second generation bioethanol, for a total production of 889 kg/h of H2(7.8 kton/year) considering a feed stream of 40 kton of bioethanol per year. The minimum hydrogen selling price and internal rate of return (IRR) of the investment were chosen as criteria of evaluation and comparison with the literature reports. The results revealed that the process is a cost-competitive option for the current state of technology, with a minimum selling price of hydrogen (including 10% rate of return) of 2.39 €/kg. Cash flow diagrams are also presented in order to better analyse the economic viability and compatibility.