Achieving sustainable emissions in China: Techno-economic analysis of post-combustion carbon capture unit retrofitted to WTE plants.

China's aims of achieving CO emissions peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 are crucial in guiding international efforts to mitigate climate change. Amine-based solvent technologies for capturing CO on a large scale have been implemented as retrofits in various industrial facilities, with a particular focus on coal-fired power plants. Nonetheless, its implementation within the waste-to-energy (WTE) industry is considerably limited and non-existent in China. This work presents a technical and economic evaluation of retrofitting a generic WTE facility in China with a carbon capture system. A rate-based process simulation model of the capture plant was developed in Aspen Plus, and the effect of equipment installation factors on capital cost was evaluated via the enhanced detailed factor (EDF) method. A set of key performance indicators were evaluated. The findings indicate that the energy demand linked to the capture system caused a decrease in efficiency by 13.17%, 14.85%, and 16.56% at 85%, 90%, and 95% capture rates, respectively, and the overall exergy efficiency of the system was reduced by 5.5%, 8.27%, and 10.63%, respectively. The estimated CO captured costs range from €56.41/tCO to €58.95/tCO, while CO avoided costs range from €153.33/tCO to €236.47/tCO. Retrofitting a CO capture unit at WTE facilities has the potential to substantially contribute to achieving the country's emission reduction targets. However, the successful implementation requires a comprehensive policy structure. This work offers some insights into the prospective integration of CO capture technology in China's WTE industry.