Preliminary Design of a Municipal Solid Waste Biorefinery for Environmentally Friendly NH₃Production

Abstract

A massive quantity of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated yearly worldwide. The treatment and final disposal of this waste are both financially and environmentally expensive. Also environmentally aggressive, the NH3 production process releases great amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere. However, this process is essential for the global economy. In this work, the economic performance of a plant, which combines MSW gasification with the ammonia production process, was studied. The results showed that the project has a low rate of return (0–4%). However, municipalities, which spend billions yearly on MSW treatment, could already benefit from it. The gasifier is the most expensive equipment in the process (approximately 55% of the total installed cost). Refrigeration and electricity are both a burden for the operating cost, accounting for almost 70% of it. Further reduction in the gasifier price and an improved energetic integration could boost the economic performance.

Ammonia Production Technologies

“…The typical products of biomass processing are biogas, bio-oil and biochar [98]. An alternative for natural biomass feedstocks is the recycling of municipal waste [104]. An example of a waste-to-ammonia process is the use of recycled plastic, as is in operation in Japan for selective catalytic reduction purposes [105].…”

“…Biomass-based ammonia with thermochemical processing typically costs 380e1875 V/t, depending on the scale of application, the source of the biomass and the location [64,101e103]. The cost of ammonia produced from recycled municipal waste is as high as 2135 V/t [104].…”

Techno-Economic Aspects of Production, Storage and Distribution of Ammonia

“…Biomass-based ammonia with thermochemical processing costs 430e2122 USD/t, depending on the scale of application, the source of the biomass and the location [11,43e45]. The cost of ammonia produced from municipal waste is as high as 2416 USD/t [46].…”

Ammonia, 4. Green Ammonia Production

“…An alternative for natural biomass feedstocks is the use of municipal waste [42]. An example of a waste-to-ammonia process is the use of recycled plastic, as is operated in Japan for selective catalytic reduction purposes [43].…”