Process simulation and energy integration in the mineral carbonation of blast furnace slag

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2018.04.012

Abstract

Abstract: Large quantities of blast furnace (BF) slag and CO₂ are discharged annually from iron and steel industries, along with a large amount of waste heat. The mineral carbonation of BF slag can not only reduce emissions of solid waste but also realize the in-situ fixation of CO₂ with low energy consumption if integrated with the waste heat utilization. In this study, based on our previous works, Aspen Plus was employed to simulate and optimize the carbonation process and integrate the process energy. The effects of gehlenite extraction, MgSO₄ carbonation, and aluminum ammonium sulfate crystallization were studied systematically. The simulation results demonstrate that 2.57 kg of BF slag can sequester 1 kg of CO₂, requiring 5.34 MJ of energy (3.3 MJ heat and 2.04 MJ electricity), and this energy includes the capture of CO₂ from industrial flue gases. Approximately 60 kg net CO₂ emission reduction could be achieved for the disposal of one ton of BF slag. In addition, the by-product, aluminum ammonium sulfate, is a high value-added product. Preliminary economic analysis indicates that the profit for the whole process is 1127 CNY per ton of BF slag processed.

Key words: Blast furnace slag, Mineral carbonation, Process simulation and energy integration, Utilization of solid residuals, Ammonium alum, Ammonium sulfate

摘要： Large quantities of blast furnace (BF) slag and CO₂ are discharged annually from iron and steel industries, along with a large amount of waste heat. The mineral carbonation of BF slag can not only reduce emissions of solid waste but also realize the in-situ fixation of CO₂ with low energy consumption if integrated with the waste heat utilization. In this study, based on our previous works, Aspen Plus was employed to simulate and optimize the carbonation process and integrate the process energy. The effects of gehlenite extraction, MgSO₄ carbonation, and aluminum ammonium sulfate crystallization were studied systematically. The simulation results demonstrate that 2.57 kg of BF slag can sequester 1 kg of CO₂, requiring 5.34 MJ of energy (3.3 MJ heat and 2.04 MJ electricity), and this energy includes the capture of CO₂ from industrial flue gases. Approximately 60 kg net CO₂ emission reduction could be achieved for the disposal of one ton of BF slag. In addition, the by-product, aluminum ammonium sulfate, is a high value-added product. Preliminary economic analysis indicates that the profit for the whole process is 1127 CNY per ton of BF slag processed.

关键词: Blast furnace slag, Mineral carbonation, Process simulation and energy integration, Utilization of solid residuals, Ammonium alum, Ammonium sulfate

Jianqiu Gao, Chun Li, Weizao Liu, Jinpeng Hu, Lin Wang, Qiang Liu, Bin Liang, Hairong Yue, Guoquan Zhang, Dongmei Luo, Siyang Tang. Process simulation and energy integration in the mineral carbonation of blast furnace slag[J]. Chin.J.Chem.Eng., 2019, 27(1): 157-167.

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