Quadrigeneration includes the characteristics of a trigeneration system, with combined heat, electricity and cooling production, and also includes the recovery of carbon dioxide from exhaust gases. This carbon dioxide (CO2) is purified and can be used in industrial processes (CCU – Carbon Capture and Utilisation) or stored (CCS – Carbon Capture and Storage). Quadrigeneration systems are among the most advanced gas-fi red power plants in the world and most projects are still at the research and development phase in Europe.
Advantages
- Potential for low or zero carbon emissions
- Reduced operating costs compared to the separate purchase of electricity,heat, cold and carbon dioxide.
- Uses all potential resources in gas use
- Has a wide variety of potential applications
Use
Carbon dioxide can be used for a variety of purposes, including:
- As a plant growth enhancer
- In the food industry
In industrial processes
Recovered and purified carbon dioxide from gas engines is widely used in the field of horticulture, particularly in greenhouses in the Netherlands. Here the exhaust gases are purified using the COdiNOxTM
system and pumped into the greenhouses. As this carbon dioxide is used by plants in photosynthesis, it is an integral part of the plant that removes it from the atmosphere and reduces carbon emissions. In addition,carbon dioxide can be cleaned and used as a substance for the food industry, such as carbonation in the non-alcoholic beverages sector, or other industrial processes.
Quadrigeneration not only provides the benefits of high efficiency production, using more than 90% of the energy contained in the gas, but also uses carbon dioxide, a by-product of the combustion process, to levels of environmental performance and offers the potential for zero carbon emissions.