Closing of Carbon Cycle by Waste Gasification for Circular Economy Implementation in Poland

Aleksander Sobolewski, Tomasz Chmielniak, Joanna Bigda, Tomasz Billig, Rafał Fryza and Józef Popowicz
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Aleksander Sobolewski: Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal, ul. Zamkowa 1, 41-803 Zabrze, Poland
Tomasz Chmielniak: Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal, ul. Zamkowa 1, 41-803 Zabrze, Poland
Joanna Bigda: Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal, ul. Zamkowa 1, 41-803 Zabrze, Poland
Tomasz Billig: Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal, ul. Zamkowa 1, 41-803 Zabrze, Poland
Rafał Fryza: Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal, ul. Zamkowa 1, 41-803 Zabrze, Poland
Józef Popowicz: Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal, ul. Zamkowa 1, 41-803 Zabrze, Poland

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-23

Abstract: Domestic coal and waste resources, which are valuable sources of carbon, can support efforts to transform a linear economy into a circular carbon economy. Their use, as an alternative to conventional, imported fossil resources (crude oil, natural gas) for chemical production, provides an opportunity for Poland to solve problems related to competitiveness, security of supply, and sustainable development in various industries. This is important for Poland because it can provide it with a long-term perspective of economic growth and development, taking into account global trends (e.g., the Paris Agreement) and EU legislation. The article presents a concept to support the transformation from linear toward a circular carbon economy under Polish conditions. The carried-out analyses showed that coal, RDF, and plastic waste fuels can be a valuable source of raw material for the development of the chemical industry in Poland. Due to the assumed availability of plastic waste and the loss of carbon in the production process, coal consumption is estimated at 10 million t/yr, both in the medium- and long-term. In case where coal consumption is reduced and an additional source of ‘green hydrogen’ is used, CO 2 emissions could be reduced even by 98% by 2050. The presented results show the technical and economic feasibility of the proposed solution and could be the basis for development of the roadmap for transition of the linear to circular economy under Polish condition.

Keywords: circular carbon economy; carbon transition; gasification; chemical recycling; waste; plastic; chemical industry; olefins; scenario analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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