Comparative thermodynamic and techno-economic analysis of various medical waste-to-hydrogen/methanol pathways based on plasma gasification

Li, Jiarui; Wang, Huating; Chen, Heng; Wu, Haoran; Xu, Gang; Dong, Yuehong; Zhao, Qinxin; Liu, Tong

doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.119762

Cited by 27 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…The plasma gasification process is a leading method for solid-waste treatment [87-133] and has been reviewed quite extensively over the past several years [82,[94][95][96]99,134,135]. This process, which usually involves thermal plasmas, is considered very effective and environmentally friendly [109,110,134,[136][137][138][139][140][141][142][143][144][145][146].…”

Section: Plasma Gasificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of Plasma Technologies in Recycling Processes

Kusano,

Kusano

2024

Materials

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Plasmas are reactive ionised gases, which enable the creation of unique reaction fields. This allows plasmas to be widely used for a variety of chemical processes for materials, recycling among others. Because of the increase in urgency to find more sustainable methods of waste management, plasmas have been enthusiastically applied to recycling processes. This review presents recent developments of plasma technologies for recycling linked to economical models of circular economy and waste management hierarchies, exemplifying the thermal decomposition of organic components or substances, the recovery of inorganic materials like metals, the treatment of paper, wind turbine waste, and electronic waste. It is discovered that thermal plasmas are most applicable to thermal processes, whereas nonthermal plasmas are often applied in different contexts which utilise their chemical selectivity. Most applications of plasmas in recycling are successful, but there is room for advancements in applications. Additionally, further perspectives are discussed.

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Section: Plasma Gasificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of Plasma Technologies in Recycling Processes

Kusano,

Kusano

2024

Materials

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“…However, these studies have focused on technical implications, process optimisation, and environmental effects without taking economic analysis into consideration. In order to scale up the experimental setup of the pyrolysis and gasification of WMs to industrial plants, it is necessary to study the techno-economic analysis (TEA) of both approaches in order to investigate their economic feasibility for the purpose of upgrading [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Techno-Economic Analysis of Thermochemical Conversion of Waste Masks Generated in the EU during COVID-19 Pandemic into Energy Products

2023

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 24 billion pieces of surgical mask waste (WM) were generated in the EU region, with an acute shortage of their management and recycling. Pyrolysis and gasification are among the most promising treatments that were proposed to dispose of WMs and convert them into pyrolysis oil and hydrogen-rich syngas. This work aimed to investigate the techno-economic analysis (TEA) of both treatments in order to assess the feasibility of scaling up. The TEA was carried out using a discounted cash flow model and its data were collected from practical experiments conducted using a fluidised bed pyrolysis reactor and bubbling fluidised bed gasifier system with a capacity of 0.2 kg/h and 1 kg/h, respectively, then upscaling to one tonne/h. The technological evaluation was made based on the optimal conditions that could produce the maximum amount of pyrolysis oil (42.3%) and hydrogen-rich syngas (89.7%). These treatments were also compared to the incineration of WMs as a commercial solution. The discounted payback, simple payback, net present value (NPV), production cost, and internal rate of return (IRR) were the main indicators used in the economic feasibility analysis. Sensitivity analysis was performed using SimLab software with the help of Monte Carlo simulations. The results showed that the production cost of the main variables was estimated at 45.4 EUR/t (gate fee), 71.7 EUR/MWh (electricity), 30.5 EUR/MWh (heat), 356 EUR/t (oil), 221 EUR/t (gaseous), 237 EUR/t (char), and 257 EUR/t (syngas). Meanwhile, the IRR results showed that gasification (12.51%) and incineration (7.56%) have better economic performance, while pyrolysis can produce less revenue (1.73%). Based on the TEA results, it is highly recommended to use the gasification process to treat WMs, yielding higher revenue.

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