Synthesis of Sustainable Carbon Negative Eco-Industrial Parks

• Main Authors: Elizabeth J. Abraham, Farah Ramadan, Dhabia M. Al-Mohannadi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-06-01
• Series: Frontiers in Energy Research
• Subjects: carbon neutral; renewable energy; eco-industrial park; carbon capture and utilization; sustainable design; brine reuse
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2021.689474/full

Growing climate change concerns in recent years have led to an increased need for carbon dioxide emission reduction. This can be achieved by implementing the concept of circular economy, which promotes the practice of resource conservation, emission minimization, and the maintenance of sustainable revenue streams. A considerable amount of carbon dioxide emissions is a consequence of stationary sources from industrial processes. These emissions can be reduced using carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) or reduced at source by using emission free renewable resources. The method developed within this work uses mixed integer linear programming (MILP) to design sustainable clusters that convert seawater (including waste brine), air, and waste carbon dioxide emissions to value-added products with sunlight as the main energy source. In this way, circular economy is employed to minimize fresh resource consumption and maximize material reuse. The potential of this work is demonstrated through a case study, which shows that an industrial park may be profitable while adhering to strict emission and material constraints.