New System for Electric Power Generation by Wet Oxidation of Biomass Ethanol

Abstract

In this study, an attempt is tried to effectively use the low-concentrated biomass ethanol. A new process for producing electric power through wet oxidation of biomass ethanol is proposed as a new efficient way of energy conservation. The process configuration is introduced and its energy efficiency is evaluated by using a simple process model. It is found that the overall thermal efficiency of the proposed system is around 24.5%, when the 20 wt% ethanol solution is adopted to react with oxygen under a pressure of 10 MPa. The advantages and disadvantages of the process are also indicated.