Abstract
Pyrolysis is widely seen as a promising technology for converting plastic waste into a wax/oil product which can be used as a heavy fuel oil substitute or as raw material by the petrochemical industry. A pyrolysis plant with a capacity of 100 kg/h plastic waste is modelled in the process simulation software Aspen HYSYS. The production costs of the pyrolysis fuel product is estimated at £0.87/kg which is 58% higher than current market prices; therefore, a scaling-up analysis is also carried out to determine the plant capacity for which the pyrolysis process is economically feasible. The fuel production costs of the scaled-up cases considered are approximately 2.2–20.8 times lower than the existing market prices of residual fuel oil, indicating their economic feasibility. For the 1000 kg/h and 10,000 kg/h plant capacity cases the facility needs to operate approximately four years and one year respectively, to recover the capital investment, while the 100,000 kg/h case produces revenue and has a positive NPV within year one. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out revealing that the fuel production rate is the most sensitive parameter for the 100 kg/h plant, as well as the scaled-up plants.
Highlights
The amount of plastic waste generated every year is estimated to be increasing at a rate of 3.9% per year[1]
This study has investigated the technical and economic feasibility of a plastic waste pyrolysis process for the production of a heavy fuel oil substitute
The base case scenario considered is a plant with a capacity of 100kg/h of plastic waste, consisting ofa mixture of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, which can effectively be converted into a wax/oil, as well as char and gases as value added products
Summary
The amount of plastic waste generated every year is estimated to be increasing at a rate of 3.9% per year[1]. Several experimental studies of plastic waste pyrolysis have investigated the effect of operating parameters[15,16], reactor type, feedstock composition[12], and pollutants on fuel quality and composition[17] These have shown the potential of the process for the dual purpose of waste management and energy production. The present work focuses on investigating the technical and economic feasibility of a plastic waste pyrolysis plant for the production of fuel oil which can be used as a heavy fuel oil substitute or as raw material by the petrochemical industry As such, it requires much less refining and offers lower overall production costs than road transport fuels, making this plastic waste pyrolysis route potentially more attractive for public and private investors.
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