MgCO3 production from MgCl2 waste and CO2: A process design and economic approach

Book chapter, 2023

This chapter assesses the production of MgCO3 from MgCl2 rich-waste and CO2 from biogas upgrading as a circular economy strategy to foster bioenergy technologies. The potential industrial implementation through: (1) scaling-up the precipitation reactor in terms of precipitation efficiency and product quality, and (2) a preliminary economic approach to the process for a 500m3/h biogas upgrading plant. The experiments revealed that the process is proven scalable without any precipitation efficiency or product quality penalties. The solid powders structure is Dypingite-Nesqueonite with many potential commercial opportunities. The preliminary economic approach performed showcases negative economic outputs for the baseline case selected. Several strategies were proposed and evaluated to reach profitability. From these strategies, some conclusions were drawn. For example, MgCO3 market price could be a potential parameter to be fine-tuned. From the cost side, the MgCl2 production could be key to reverting the economic output of the process.