Polygeneration of fuels and chemicals

• Review of polygeneration systems research since 2013.
• Consensus on a definition of polygeneration now reached.
• Synergy between chemical/fuel production and power production is uniformly harnessed.
• Synergy between multiple fuel sources often can be harnessed.
• Synergy between different chemical/fuel trains not as useful or evident.

Research advances in the rapidly growing field of polygeneration are highlighted. Although ‘polygeneration’ has had many meanings, the chemical engineering community has overwhelmingly settled on a meaning which describes a process that co-produces at least two products: electricity, and at least one chemical or fuel via a thermochemical route that does not rely on petroleum. The production of syngas is almost always the primary intermediate for energy conversion, but the feeds, products, technologies, and pathways vary widely. However, the choice of the most optimal polygeneration system is highly dependent on circumstance, and often results in systems with only one fuel or chemical co-produced with electricity. Conversely, the synergistic use of multiple types of feedstocks can have important profitability benefits.