Abstract
Some of today’s modern life challenges include addressing the increased waste generation and energy deficiencies. Waste tyres have been identified as one of the key environmental concerns due to their non-biodegradable nature and bulk storage space demand. Pyrolysis is a thermochemical process with the potential to address the growing waste tyre problem, energy deficits, and material recovery by converting waste tyres to pyrolysis oil that can be used as a fuel. This study seeks to critically evaluate the feasibility of constructing and operating a waste tyre processing facility and then subsequently marketing and selling the pyrolysis secondary end products by developing a financial business model. The model encompasses costing, procurement, installation, commissioning, and operating a batch pyrolysis plant in Gauteng, South Africa. To achieve the study objectives, an order of magnitude costing method was used for model construction. The results showed the feasibility and sustainability of operating a 3.5 tonne per day batch waste tyre pyrolysis plant in Gauteng Province, South Africa, with a 15-year life span and a projected payback period of approximately 5 years. It was concluded that for the pyrolysis plant to be successful, further treatment steps are required to improve the process economics; also, a stable and sustainable product market should exist and be regulated in South Africa.
Highlights
South Africa is burdened with 30 million waste tyres that are either landfilled or illegally dumped in open fields [1]
This paper aims to assess the economic viability of operating a waste tyre batch pyrolysis plant as well as the potential of producing high-value primary and secondary final products
The literature analysis regarding the feasibility of constructing and operating a batch pyrolysis plant in Gauteng as previously highlighted shows that to a large extent, the reactor temperature, heating rate, and reactor design determine the yield of solid, gas, and liquid products
Summary
South Africa is burdened with 30 million waste tyres that are either landfilled or illegally dumped in open fields [1]. Affairs (DEA) reported that 31% of waste tyres have been diverted from landfills to be repurposed in reuse, recycling, and material or energy recovery industries [1]. Through the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA), approximately 170,000 tonnes of waste tyres were recycled in 2016 [3]. In 2013, approximately 16,037 waste tyres were channeled to recycling, recovery, and reuse initiatives. In 2014 and 2015, the recorded figures of waste tyres allocated to recycling, energy recovery and reuse initiatives were 31,448 and 71,806, respectively [3], showing a significant increase over the years. South Africa is successfully directing waste tyres to Processes 2020, 8, 766; doi:10.3390/pr8070766 www.mdpi.com/journal/processes
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