5. LCA results for exhaust gas treatment systems

5.1 Comparison based on energy consumption

The four off-gas treatment systems were first compared in terms of their energy consumption (including feedstock energy and pre-combustion energy) throughout their life cycle. To do this, electricity and steam consumption had to be taken into account (in the cases studied, 92% of steam comes from natural gas and 8% from oil). If we compare energy consumption, biofiltration is the most attractive option in terms of environmental impact. The energy consumption of adsorption on activated carbon is similar to that of catalytic oxidation, although the energy sources are different (gas for OxCat and steam for CA). The energy consumption of the thermoreactor is significantly higher than that of the other systems analyzed.