Review of Thermochemical Technologies for Water and Energy Integration Systems: Energy Storage and Recovery

Abstract

Thermochemical technologies (TCT) enable the promotion of the sustainability and the operation of energy systems, as well as in industrial sites. The thermochemical operations can be applied for energy storage and energy recovery (alternative fuel production from water/wastewater, in particular green hydrogen). TCTs are proven to have a higher energy density and long-term storage compared to standard thermal storage technologies (sensible and latent). Nonetheless, these require further research on their development for the increasing of the technology readiness level (TRL). Since TCTs operate with the same input/outputs streams as other thermal storages (for instance, wastewater and waste heat streams), these may be conceptually analyzed in terms of the integration in Water and Energy Integration System (WEIS). This work is set to review the techno-economic and environmental aspects related to thermochemical energy storage (sorption and reaction-based) and wastewater-to-energy (particular focus on thermochemical water splitting technology), aiming also to assess their potential into WEIS. The exploited technologies are, in general, proved to be suitable to be installed within the conceptualization of WEIS. In the case of TCES technologies, these are proven to be significantly more potential analogues to standard TES technologies on the scope of the conceptualization of WEIS. In the case of energy recovery technologies, although a conceptualization of a pathway to produce usable heat with an input of wastewater, further study has to be performed to fully understand the use of additional fuel in combustion-based processes.

Sustainability and Strategic Assessment of Water and Energy Integration Systems: Case Studies of the Process Industry in Portugal

“…This category of systems has been designated as Water and Energy Integration Systems (WEIS). As these types of systems have been analysed in previous work by the authors in terms of potential benefit analysis (assisted by the use of simulation and optimisation models) [17,18,47], in this work, the conceptualised systems have been analysed in terms of indicators related to sustainability (eco-efficiency and circular economy character promotion) and strategic aims.…”

Back to the future with emerging iron technologies

“…The operation phase included the use of water, heat, and electricity. Results comparing two scenarios (photovoltaic vs. grid electricity) show that the scenario using grid electricity has Table 3 The reactions of an iron-chloride thermochemical four-step cycle for hydrogen production from Safari and Dincer 59 and Castro Oliveira et al 60 Steps Reactions…”

Productive and Sustainable H2 Production from Waste Aluminum Using Copper Oxides-Based Graphene Nanocatalysts: A Techno-Economic Analysis

“…Hydrogen has universally been considered a source of future clean energy that could replace environmentally hazardous fossil fuels [1,2]. Its energy conversion, processing, transporting, and storage are techno-economically promising for future sustainable energy [3][4][5]. It is the simplest known element and is a universally abundant gas, with the highest heating value among other conventional fuels, being three to four times higher than natural gas and gasoline.…”

“…Although the current processing methods commonly use fossil fuels, there are sustainable methodologies suggesting high-potential H 2 storage systems, such as water, biomass, and hydrated metals, which are still at the research stage and require more investigation and manipulation [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Water-splitting, based on solar systems, using photocatalysts for H 2 production is widely investigated in the literature [10][11][12][13][14].…”