Grégoire Léonard

• Professor
• Professor at University of Liège

The study examines the feasibility of integrating heat pumps (HPs) and renewable energy in the sugar industry to advance decarbonization. It explores different routes for energy supply, contrasting them with a natural gas (NG)-fired base-case route. The alternatives include bio-digestion of beet and pulp waste to produce biomethane (bio-CH4) used i...

A systemic methodology was developed, employing key performance indicators (KPIs): specific total annual cost (TAC) (€/tglass), specific emissions (tCO2/tglass) and specific energy consumption (MWh/tglass) to analyse various energy transition routes for flat glass production, such as NG oxy-combustion, H2 and hybrid furnaces, and full electrificati...

Compared to conventional monoethanolamine (MEA), alternative solvents are expected to substantially contribute to reduce the energy demand of post-combustion CO2 capture from flue gases. This study presents a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of a 27 wt% 2-amino-2methyl-1-propanol (AMP) + 13 wt% piperazine (PZ) aqueous solution for CO2 capture...

The present paper focuses on the efficiency enhancement of the energy-intensive natural gas (NG) sweetening process in the context of upstream natural gas production. A bi-level heat integration scheme is proposed including direct recycling of available high-temperature waste heat and harnessing the excess low-temperature waste heat in an optimized...

Due to the toxicity associated with chromium electrodeposition, alternatives to that process are highly sought after. One of those potential alternatives is High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF). In this work, a HVOF installation is compared with chromium electrodeposition from environmental and economic points of view by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)...

Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) is a broad term that covers processes that capture CO2 from flue and process gases or directly from the air and convert it into a variety of products such as renewable electricity-based fuels, chemicals, and materials. No precise estimate of the potential mitigation role of CCU technologies exists to date, becau...

Coatings have become ubiquitous in modern manufacturing processes as the mechanical improvements or the new properties that they offer bring a lot of added value in the processes in which they are used. Coatings offer interesting challenges in terms of environmental and economic assessment as the deposition process and the use phase of the coating...

The reduction of CO2 emissions is a key aspect to the world energy transition. Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technologies can contribute to lower our CO2 emissions to the environment by transforming captured CO2 into a wide array of hydrocarbon chains. Under optimized conditions, the reaction yields a high concentration of long carbon chains; which in turn,...

Our two-part paper investigates the current status and future trends and suggests a framework for teaching of Process Systems Engineering (PSE) topics that addresses what should be taught and how these topics should be taught effectively in a classroom setting. This first part concerns the “what” – i.e., which specific key PSE topics should constit...

This study is the second part of a contribution addressing the appropriate content of process systems engineering (PSE) curriculum (the “what”) and how best it should be taught, so that our graduates are equipped to effectively apply their knowledge (the “how”). The two-part contribution presents the collective views and perceptions of the responde...

This paper presents a fixed bed reactor system to capture CO2 from ambient air via Temperature Vacuum Swing Adsorption (TVSA) cycles employing Lewatit® VP OC 1065 amine-functionalized adsorbents. Firstly, a model describing CO2 mixture flow, mass, and heat transfer with adsorption isotherm model is developed in Aspen Adsorption environment to study...

As ore quality declines in KGHM mines after continuous exploitation, it becomes increasingly relevant to extract as much economic value as possible from the mined ore while limiting the environmental impact. The recovery of cobalt from converter slag is a possible extraction route that can increase economic output at a limited environmental and log...

The coating of materials with specific films is widely used to improve material properties and many technologies exist to perform it. In the last few years, the replacement of wet electrodeposition processes has been continuously encouraged in the EU due to the problematic waste management linked to those processes. In this paper, magnetron sputter...

Artificial intelligence has become an attractive science for companies as it allows effective data analysis, which helps to improve the manufacturing processes. The aim of this work is to study fluorine losses in a phosphoric acid unit by applying data science methods to process data. Conductivity was used as an indirect measure of fluorine losses...

Artificial intelligence has become an attractive science for companies as it allows effective data analysis, which helps to improve the manufacturing processes. The aim of this work is to study fluorine losses in a phosphoric acid unit by applying data science methods to process data. Conductivity was used as an indirect measure of fluorine losses...

Despite the advantages of Natural Gas (NG) over other fossil fuels, natural gas supply chain is still impacted by a high energy demand and a negative impact on the environment as a result. This work investigates the potential of reducing energy penalty of natural gas sweetening processes through energy integration with upstream compression units an...

This chapter discusses the opportunity of using CO2 from industrial sources to produce sustainable methanol. Some important industrial sectors that could be seen as potential sources of CO2 are reviewed: ammonia, steel, ethanol, ethylene, natural gas, cement and power industries. In most cases, despite a promising potential for CO2 re-use, only few...

To avoid CO2 emission, post-combustion capture based on chemical absorption using amine solvent is used. However, the amine solvent degrades when exposed to a flue gas containing O2 and an amount of SO2 and this leads to a loss of CO2 absorption capacity. Aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) is the benchmark solvent for CO2 capture. This study consists i...

To predict solvent degradation in an industrial CO2 capture process and for a better understanding of the interactions between solvent degradation and performance of the capture process, an existing dynamic model of an amine based pilot plant for carbon capture has been improved and adapted at the University of Babes-Bolyai on the basis of the kine...

To predict solvent degradation in an industrial CO2 capture process and for a better understanding of the interactions between solvent degradation and performance of the capture process, an existing dynamic model of an amine based pilot plant for carbon capture has been improved and adapted at the University of Babes-Bolyai on the basis of the kine...

To mitigate the problems caused by greenhouse gases, post-combustion capture with amine solvent is a mature technology and one of the most suitable solutions. Besides the large energy penalty, one of the most significant issues hindering a large deployment of post combustion capture is potential amine degradation and emission of degradation product...

OXIDATIVE DEGRADATION OF MONOETHANOLAMINE

The present paper addresses the evolution and perspectives in the teaching of CAPE methods in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Liège. The transition that happened in the 90ies with the arrival of commercial software is highlighted, as the learning outcomes evolved from the ability of building programs to solve chemical en...

The energy transition corresponding to more electricity generation from variable and decentralized renewable energy sources requires the development of electricity storage technologies ranging from seconds to seasons. The power-to-fuel process provides a way to store electricity as a liquid energy vector, leading to high energy density and cheap lo...

In this work, an electricity zone with 100% renewables is simulated to determine the optimal sizing of generation and storage capacities in such a zone. Using actual wind output data, the model evaluates the economic viability of a power-to-fuel storage technology that combines water electrolysis, CO 2 capture and methanol synthesis. The main advan...

The CO2 post-combustion capture with amine solvents is modeled as a complex system interconnecting process energy consumption and solvent degradation and emission. Based on own experimental data, monoethanolamine degradation is included into a CO2 capture process model. The influence of operating conditions on solvent loss is validated with pilot p...

Solvent degradation represents one of the main operational drawbacks of the post-combustion CO2 capture process. Degradation not only induces additional costs for solvent make-up, it also impacts the process efficiency and its environmental penalty due to the emission of various degradation products. There is still a gap of knowledge about the infl...

This study examines the leaching of copper from waste electric cables by chemical leaching and leaching catalysed by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in terms of leaching kinetics and reagents consumption. Operational parameters such as the nature of the oxidant (Fe3+, O2), the initial ferric iron concentration (0–10 g/L) and the temperature (21–50 °...

Solvent degradation may be a major drawback for the large-scale implementation of post-combustion CO2 capture due to amine consumption and emission of degradation products. However, its influence on the process operations has rarely been studied. In the present work, a kinetics model describing solvent oxidative and thermal degradation has been dev...

Solvent degradation is one of the main operational drawbacks of post-combustion CO2 capture with amine solvents. Although the different degradation mechanisms have been largely studied in recent years, it is still impossible to predict the solvent losses and the emissions of degradation products that may occur in a CO2 capture plant depending on it...

In the present work, the influence of metal ions and oxidative degradation inhibitors on the stability of monoethanolamine solvents (MEA) is studied. Solvent degradation induces additional costs and impacts the environmental balance of the CO2 capture process as well as its efficiency. The two main degradation pathways of MEA are studied under acce...

In the present work, a kinetic model is proposed for the prediction of amine solvent degradation in the post-combustion CO2 capture process. Solvent degradation combined to the emission of degradation products represents one of the main operational drawbacks of this process. It induces additional costs and it impacts the process efficiency and its...

A dynamic model of a post-combustion capture pilot plant is developed using Aspen Plus Dynamics. An innovative process control strategy is studied for regulating the water balance of the process. A washing section where the flue gas from the absorber is washed with cold water is included to the process in order to reduce the emissions of amine to t...

Le captage post-combustion du CO 2 en centrale électrique est une des technologies les plus matures pour réduire rapidement et à grande échelle les émissions de CO 2 tout en répondant à la croissance de la demande mondiale en énergie. Le CO 2 est absorbé chimiquement dans un solvant aminé qui est régénéré à haute température, produisant un flux de...

Le captage du CO 2 en post-combustion par absorption dans une solution aqueuse d'amine est actuellement une des techniques les plus prometteuses pour éviter le rejet de larges quantités de CO 2 dans l'atmosphère. A travers deux modèles (modèle d'équilibre et modèle cinétique) implémentés sur le logiciel Aspen Plus, le procédé de captage du CO 2 a é...

Carbon capture and storage is a technology that can contribute to face the challenge of rising energy demand combined with a growing environmental awareness. In the present work, the CO2 capture process with monoethanolamine (MEA) is modeled using the simulation tool Aspen Plus. Two different modeling approaches are studied and compared: the equili...