Life cycle assessment of gas power with CCS - a study showing the environmental benefits of system integration

AbstractThe aim of the study has been to compare the environmental impacts of four different gas power plant scenarios, both with and without carbon capture and storage (CCS). The functional unit is 1 TWh electricity generated and delivered to the grid. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology based on the ISO-standards 14040/44 was used. The study concludes that the CCS scenarios have reduced impacts for the global warming potential category only. However, process integration is the best CCS option of the scenarios analysed. One obvious way to reduce the environmental effects from the CCS system is to reduce the efficiency penalty, the steam consumption for regenerating amines and the emissions of MEA, ammonia and acetaldehyde. Compression, pipeline transport, injection and storage of CO2 has almost negligible impacts for all of the impact categories analysed.It is still important to find more optimal design options. Focus should be on process integration, since this scenario has proved to be the best of the CCS scenarios analysed