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Techno-economic assessment of the chemical recycling for plastic waste
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School of Chemical Engineering |
Master's thesis
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en
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82
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Abstract
The amount of municipal plastic waste increases globally. Only ten percent of all the plastic produced is recycled, while the rest goes to landfills, incinerators, or the natural environment. Advanced chemical recycling methods, such as pyrolysis, offer innovative technology for handling plastic waste, particularly for plastics that are not suitable for mechanical recycling. This thesis presents a comprehensive investigation into the chemical recycling of plastic waste, focusing on various recycling technologies and utilizing process simulation in Aspen Plus software.
A techno-economic evaluation was performed on two different pyrolysis configurations. In the first scenario, flash uses simple separation technology to yield a variety of outputs, including light and heavy oils, waxes, and increased gas byproducts, offering operational flexibility for diverse end uses. The second scenario, fractional distillation, aims to maximize the production of higher-quality oil fractions suitable for fuels through complex separation, but produces a higher amount of solid char and gases. Fractional distillation, with higher investment requirements, is best suited for projects that prioritize the recovery of high-quality fuel.
The economic assessment of the two pyrolysis scenarios indicates that flash separation (Scenario II) generates a good quantity of pyrolysis products, while needing less capital investment, making it a more adaptable and cost-efficient choice. This approach typically yields a faster return on investment and is flexible to changing operational scales. Fractional distillation (Scenario II), although requiring greater capital and generating more solid residue, excels at producing a higher quality liquid fuel, leading to greater profitability over an extended period.
Scenario I (flash separation) stands out for its efficient production of varied product streams, reduced investment needs, and adaptability to different operational scales. Although Scenario II (fractional distillation) offers increased liquid oil recovery and remains a technically sound option, its higher associated costs and increased solid byproduct generation make Scenario I generally more favorable in terms of practical implementation.
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Supervisor
Dickson, RoficeThesis advisor
Smätt, TapaniSarwar, Golam