(589d) Simultaneous Energy and Exergy Optimization in Urea Production Processes: Enhancing Economic Feasibility and Environmental Sustainability

The global demand for food continues to rise, leading to a significant increase in urea consumption, which is expected to grow by over 30% by 2030 compared to 2018. At the same time, the transition to clean energy is accelerating, emphasizing the need for low-carbon urea production processes in the agricultural sector. In this study, three types of urea production processes were designed: a Gray process based on fossil fuels, a Blue process incorporating carbon capture technology into the Gray process, and a Green process utilizing renewable energy.

For each process, simulations and optimizations were conducted to simultaneously minimize energy consumption and exergy destruction. As a result, production costs were reduced by 3.8% (Gray), 4.1% (Blue), and 3.9% (Green), while greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 3.5%, 3.8%, and 3.6%, respectively. These findings demonstrate the potential of energy–exergy-based optimization to enhance both the economic and environmental performance of urea production. This work provides a valuable basis for developing high-efficiency, eco-friendly processes and guiding the sustainable advancement of the fertilizer industry.