CONVERSION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTES INTO FUELS AND CHEMICALS BY PYROLYSIS: TULKARM TRANSFER STATION AS A CASE STUDY
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Date
2023-08-03
Authors
Sabreen Mousa Eshtawi Ibrahim
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Abstract
The implications of MSW accumulation and continuing fossil fuel consumption on the environment and human health have increased the importance of alternative energy sources around the world. Pyrolysis of MSW is regarded as an innovative method for producing biofuels that can be used in many applications, not only to produce electricity, where power production in the Palestinian territories (PT) is constrained by the political situation. Also, it is a solution of the global rise in oil prices, the lack of fossil fuel reserves in the Palestinian territories. Our case study is the Tulkarm transfer station, which in 2021 received more than 200 tons of MSW per day.
The results were obtained using the simulation program Aspen Plus, and the equations it used were developed based on numerous real-world experiments documented in the literature. Four scenarios presented in this study in order to find the best way to produce biofuels from MSW, and to understand the effect of co-pyrolysis on the process yields.
The intended MSW was subjected to a simulation of the pyrolysis process in the first scenario, with a maximum bio-oil production of 21.3wt.%. In the second scenario, pyrolysis simulation was only run for the projected MSW's biomass portion, which would yield 60.5 wt.% bio-oil. The maximum bio-oil yield was 67.82 and 82.32 wt.%, respectively, for the third scenario (50 % plastic with 50 % biomass) and the fourth scenario (100 % plastic feedstock).
These findings, along with the performed economic and environmental assessment, demonstrated that pyrolysis may be the best option for resolving the MSW and energy issues. Economically, this project has a 3-year payback period and a 31% internal rate of return. environmentally, using biofuels can significantly reduce carbon footprint. While fossil fuels emit 95.5 g of CO2 eq per MJ in the transportation sector, transportation bio-oil emits only 9.5 g. In comparison to fossil fuels, which produce 182.8 g CO2 eq per MJ to produce the same amount of electricity, for producing 1 MWh of energy, integrated AD and pyrolysis-gasification technologies might decrease GHG emissions by an average of 237.42 g CO2 eq per MJ.
Keywords: Pyrolysis, MSW, bio-oil, fossil fuel, energy, carbon footprint.