Techno-Economic Feasibility Study for Organic and Plastic Waste Pyrolysis Pilot Plant in Malaysia

Mooktzeng Lim and Ee Sann Tan ()
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Mooktzeng Lim: NexantECA (MY) Sdn Bhd, Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur 59200, Malaysia
Ee Sann Tan: Institute of Sustainable Energy (ISE), Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Jalan Ikram-UNITEN, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: Organic and plastic waste (OPW) is diverted from landfills in order to lower carbon emissions. Nevertheless, modern pyrolysis techniques are frequently utilized in laboratories (using feedstocks that weigh less than 1 kg), which employ costly pure nitrogen gas (N 2 ). This study developed a fast pyrolysis system to produce pyrolysis oil or liquid (PyOL) from OPW using flue gas as the pyrolysis agent. The added benefits included the efficient value-added chemical extractions and the non-thermal plasma reactor upgraded PyOL. OPW was also pyrolyzed at a pilot scale using flue gas fast pyrolysis in this study. In addition to lowering operational expenses associated with pure N 2 , flue gas reduced the lifecycle carbon emissions to create PyOL. The results indicated that considerable material agglomeration occurred during the OPW pyrolysis with an organic-to-plastic-waste (O/P) ratio of 30/70. Furthermore, the liquid yields were 5.2% and 5.5% when O/P was 100/0 (305 °C) and 99.5/0.5 (354 °C), respectively. The liquid yields also increased when polymers (polypropylene) were added, enhancing the aromatics. Two cases were employed to study their techno-economic feasibility: PyOL-based production and chemical-extraction plants. The mitigated CO 2 from the redirected OPW and flue gas produced the highest revenue in terms of carbon credits. Moreover, the carbon price (from RM 100 to 150 per ton of CO 2 ) was the most important factor impacting the economic viability in both cases. Plant capacities higher than 10,000 kg/h were economically viable for the PyOL-based plants, whereas capacities greater than 1000 kg/h were financially feasible for chemical-extraction plants. Overall, the study found that the pyrolysis of OPW in flue gas is a viable waste-to-energy technology. The low liquid yield is offset by the carbon credits that can be earned, making the process economically feasible.

Keywords: pyrolysis; lifecycle analysis; carbon emissions; techno-economic; feasibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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