Title:
Influence of CDR Price and Economies of Scale for Biohydrogen Production
Author(s):
Wilkes, M.D., Gower, J., Brown, S.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) integrated with hydrogen (H2) production offers a potential pathway for simultaneously delivering low-carbon energy and net-negative greenhouse gas emissions. This study investigates the techno-economic performance and epistemic uncertainty associated with BECCS-to-H2 systems, focusing on the influence of plant scale and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credit pricing. Aspen Plus process models were adapted to evaluate biomass gasification systems operating at scales from 1–100 kg/s biomass throughput, while economic performance was assessed using the levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH). Results show that economies of scale reduce the LCOH from 169 to 141 £/MWh (5.6 to 4.7 £/kg), as plant capacity increases. The gasifier dominates capital expenditure, accounting for 57-77% of purchased equipment costs. Uncertainty analysis highlights that future CDR pricing has a major influence on project viability, with the LCOH varying from approximately -5 to 223 £/MWh (-0.2 to 7.4 £/kg) depending on carbon market conditions. Under favourable CDR prices, carbon removal revenues can offset hydrogen production costs entirely. The findings demonstrate that BECCS-to-H2 systems could become economically competitive while delivering carbon removal benefits, although viability remains strongly dependent on technology scale-up, infrastructure development, carbon accounting, and the evolution of robust carbon markets.
Keywords:
bioenergy, economics, gasification, hydrogen, modelling
Topic:
Biomass Conversion to Intermediate Bioenergy Carriers and Sustainable Biofuels
Subtopic:
Biofuels and Synthetic fuels from biomass and hydrogen
Event:
34th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
5BV.6.1
Pages:
896 - 902
ISBN:
978-88-89407-27-1
Paper DOI:
10.5071/34thEUBCE2026-5BV.6.1
Price:
FREE
