Analysis of biomass as a feedstock in a chemical looping‐based polygeneration process for <scp>CO₂</scp> valorization

Abstract From the viewpoint of circular economy, the utilization of biomass as a preferred feedstock for power generation with carbon capture has become prevalent. Biomass utilization leads to a carbon‐neutral balance by leveraging its inherent carbon that was absorbed from the atmosphere. While chemical looping combustion (CLC) is a promising carbon capture technology for solid fuels such as coal, this paper further explores the feasibility of using biomass in CLC along with valorization of CO 2 to valuable chemicals. A polygeneration approach utilizing biomass has been proposed to produce power and value‐added chemicals (methanol and dimethyl ether [DME]), thus yielding an integrated CO 2 capture and utilization system. Biomass has a significant amount of oxygen and a higher H:C ratio than conventional fuels like coal. The effect of the same has been analyzed by assessing biomass as a feedstock in the proposed process and evaluating the effect of higher oxygen content towards the objective of CO 2 valorization relative to that of coal. Furthermore, a comparative discussion of the suitability of biomass compared to coal from a valorization perspective has been presented. Detailed techno‐feasibility analysis on the schemes and optimization studies to maximize the performance of the system in terms of energetics, CO 2 mitigation, and profitability has been conducted. From the analysis, it has been identified that the utilization of biomass as a feedstock in CLC‐based processes results in higher chemical production rates and higher profits with lesser CO 2 emissions than coal. The above analysis and evaluation has been carried out through simulations using Aspen Plus® software.