A techno-economic study to evaluate the impacts of feedstock ratio on commercial scale co-pyrolysis plants of biomass and waste tire

• Published in: Journal of analytical and applied pyrolysis Vol. 167; p. 105699
• Main Authors: Khan, Shoaib Raza, Ciolkosz, Daniel, Vasco-Correa, Juliana, Zeeshan, Muhammad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.10.2022
• Subjects: Co-pyrolysis; Rice straw; SuperPro designer; Techno-economic analysis; Waste tire; Techno-economic analysis; Co-pyrolysis; Waste tire; Rice straw; SuperPro designer
• ISSN: 0165-2370; 1873-250X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaap.2022.105699

Six types of commercial-scale pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis plants for rice straw (RS) and waste tire (WT), with a capacity of 20 tons/hour, have been modeled based on experimental data. The impact of a range of feedstock ratios on the techno-economic performance of the plants is comprehensively studied. The capital investment of plants ranged between $17.0 and $19.9 million with Plant A (RS only) having the lowest and Plant E (20 % RS and 80 % WT) having the highest value. The operating cost was found to be lowest for Plant A and highest for Plant F (100 % WT) due to the procurement cost of WT. Pyrolytic-oil and char are the main revenue streams while gases are combusted to generate the energy required for the pyrolysis reactor and preheating of feedstock. Plant E is the most economical alternative with the highest gross margin, highest net present value and lowest payback time of 7.06%, $ 5.63 million and 6.23 years respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicates that oil selling price and WT procurement cost are the most influential factors affecting economic returns. [Display omitted] •Six co-pyrolysis plants of rice straw (RS) and waste tire (WT) are modeled.•Plant A (100 % RS) has lowest and Plant E (20 % RS, 80 % WT) has highest capital cost.•Operating cost is found to be lowest for Plant A and highest for Plant F (100 % WT).•The most viable is Plant E with payback time of 6.23 years and NPV of $5.62 million.•Oil selling price and WT purchase cost are the most influential factors among all.