20.500.12556/DKUM-93218 Environmental impact assessment of organic rankine cycle using waste heat from the aluminium industry Waste heat recovery technologies play an important role in enhancing energy efficiency and supporting sustainable energy production. This study investigates the utilization of waste heat from aluminium production through an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system to generate electricity and heat simultaneously. Based on operational data from an aluminium plant, the system is firstly optimized from both the thermodynamic and economic perspectives. To maximize performance and to identify optimal configurations, a mathematical model is developed and solved using GAMS, capturing the complex interdependencies between the operational, economic and thermodynamic parameters. The environmental impact of the optimized scenarios is subsequently evaluated using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), considering a broad range of impact categories. The results indicate a maximum power output of 830.9 kW and a maximum net present value (NPV) of 51.71 M€, confirming the system’s technical and economic viability. The environmental assessment demonstrates the potential of ORC systems as sustainable energy solutions, with significant environmental unburdening under optimized operating conditions (up to -606.0 kg CO2 eq./h). A sensitivity analysis indicates that the greatest environmental benefits occur under the optimal thermodynamic scenario, achieved through the utilization of higher-energy flue gas streams (up to -515.0 kg CO2 eq./h), and under the optimal economic scenario by balancing the electricity and heat prices optimally for simultaneous heat and power production (up to -696.7 kg CO2 eq./h). These findings highlight the importance of the thermal input quality and availability in maximizing ORC performance. With the ability to prioritize electricity, heat, or both, the optimized ORC systems support flexible energy solutions tailored to specific applications and environmental conditions, offering a promising pathway for unburdening the environment through the efficient utilization of industrial waste heat. waste heat recovery aluminium production organic rankine cycle environmental impact life cycle assessment sustainable energy solutions odpadna toplota proizvodnja aluminija organski cikel trajnostne energetske rešitve življenjski cikel true true false Elsevier Ltd. Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790825001454?via%3Dihub © 2025 Published by Elsevier Ltd Članek v reviji 2025-06-13 12:48:38 2025-06-13 12:48:38 2025-06-14 03:08:46 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 44 str. [article no.] 101022 Available online 11 June 2025 0000-00-00 NiDoloceno NiDoloceno NiDoloceno 2025-05-06 2025-06-05 2025-06-11 66 239290883 10.1016/j.clet.2025.101022 2666-7908 1-s2.0-S2666790825001454-main.pdf 1-s2.0-S2666790825001454-main.pdf 1 A81E1E01E63AB02345BA0D196B26D3E2 a8be2ecbd937e2915969e810bb4936612a994c4813b9b70a8393f53974d6442c 90f0bdf9-4844-11f0-9652-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=192166 Fakulteta za kemijo in kemijsko tehnologijo 0 0 0