Abstract

DIAZ, Gisela F.  and  PAZ, Dora. Technical and economic evaluation of a residual biomass gasification plant from the lemon crop for the energy supply of a citrus fruit company from Tucumán. Part II. Rev. ind. agric. Tucumán [online]. 2018, vol.95, n.1, pp.1-12. ISSN 1851-3018.

The citrus industry is of great importance in Tucuman. In the lemon processing, peel drying has the highest consumption of natural gas. This fuel comes into deficit at harvest time. Large amounts of biomass waste are generated from lemon cultivation, which is not being exploited. Gasification is a thermochemical conversion process of a solid or liquid fuel into a gas by incomplete combustion. The aim of this study is to carry out a theoretical analysis, evaluating technically and economically a gasification plant of biomass residues from lemon harvest. The resultant gas of the gasification plant supply energy to the lemon peel drying of a 50 t/h factory located in Lules (Tucuman, Argentina). This article presents the second part of the work: the economical evaluation. An economic analysis was performed, determining the investment and operating costs, and a sensitivity analysis was carried out regarding the most important variables. The initial investment for the project is 49 million pesos, with a high impact in the economic analysis. The project is economically viable with a bank loan at a lower interest rate to 19%, and / or a sale of carbon credits with a value superior than 6 € / t CO2.

Keywords : lean gas; lemon pruning; renovations plant; investment; equivalent annual cost.

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