The chemical industry is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies offer a promising route to decarbonize the chemical sector. One such approach is the direct conversion of CO 2 into light olefins, which are important building blocks for various chemicals. However, the impact of kinetics-driven operating variables of the olefin synthesis reaction on the system-level performance has been neglected in prior research. In this work, we develop a flue-gas-to-olefin process that integrates detailed reactor kinetics. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson kinetic model is embedded to systematically explore the effects of reactor temperature and gas hourly space velocity on plant-wide performance. We perform comprehensive techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment to evaluate the overall costs and life-cycle emissions of the proposed process. In addition, the effects of incorporating environmental credits on economic competitiveness are considered, including the roles of carbon and hydrogen credits. This work establishes a multiscale link between reaction kinetics and system-level performance, guiding the economic and environmental viability of CO 2 -to-olefin technologies. • Integrated flue-gas-to-olefin process is developed with detailed reactor kinetics. • Effects of reactor variables on plant-wide performance are analyzed. • System-level economic and sustainability performance are evaluated. • Heat integration significantly reduces process energy demand. • Carbon and hydrogen credits lower the olefin selling price by 42%.
박준규 et al. (2026) studied this question.