Transforming CO2 emissions into fuel: An energy analysis of dimethyl ether production pathways

• CO 2 from power plants’ flue gas was captured and utilized to produce DME. • The simulation was aided by Aspen HYSYS V.11. • The MEA-to-flue gas ratio of 4:1 captured 99.99 % CO 2 and discharge 0.01 tons/h MEA. • Methanol synthesis yielded 19.36 % with a specific energy of 4.22 MWh/ton methanol. • DME synthesis has conversion at 80.70 % with a specific energy of 0.945 MWh/ton DME. In order to achieve a cleaner environment, CO 2 from power plants’ flue gas can be processed through the carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) process. This study simulates the CO 2 conversion to produce dimethyl ether (DME) using an indirect method using Aspen HYSYS V.11. The simulation modeled the CO 2 capture process using the acid gas-chemical solvent fluid package, while other processes were modeled with the Peng-Robinson fluid package. A monoethanolamine (MEA)-to-flue gas ratio of 4:1 achieves a 99.99 % CO 2 captured and low MEA discharge to the environment of 0.01 tons/h (0.15 kg/ton CO 2 captured). In the meantime, methanol synthesis at 270 °C 70 bar in a plug flow reactor yields 19.36 % methanol and a distillation column with 20 stages and a reflux ratio of 2 rectifies it to 99.5 %-mol methanol (specific energy consumption of 4.22 MWh/ton). In the DME synthesis, an 80.70 % methanol conversion at 260 °C 15 bar requires 10 stages and a reflux ratio of 4 in the distillation column to yield 99.8 %-mol DME (specific energy consumption of 0.945 MWh/ton). Overall, this simulation highlights energy-efficient methods for sustainable DME production as well as significantly reducing CO 2 emissions. The findings reveal that converting CO 2 from power plants’ flue gas to DME can effectively reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.