Techno-economic and energetic assessment of hydrogen production through gasification in the Colombian context: Coffee Cut-Stems case

Abstract The use of agricultural residues for bioenergy production is gaining importance at a global scenario. There are multiple options to convert these residues into bioenergy carriers such as thermochemical processes (e.g., gasification). In this paper, a techno-economic assessment is carried-out to compare the stand-alone and biorefinery production of hydrogen through gasification as potential scenarios for bioenergy production. Experimental gasification procedures were carried out aiming to determine initial conditions and parameters for the simulation approach. The results demonstrated that the production of hydrogen based on the concept of a biorefinery can improve the profitability of the processes compared to that based on the stand-alone way. Thermochemical processes seem to be a potential technology for bioenergy production in Colombia; however, it also needs to be benchmarked with other technologies in order to provide insights on future development of bioenergy programs in Colombia.