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An Industrial Perspective for Sustainable Polypropylene Plastic Waste Management via Catalytic Pyrolysis—A Technical Report

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  • Andromachi Chasioti

    (Department of Chemical Engineering, Engineering School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus GR, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Anastasia Zabaniotou

    (Department of Chemical Engineering, Engineering School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus GR, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece)

Abstract

Recycling plastics on an industrial scale is a key approach to the circular economy. This study presents a techno-economic analysis aimed at recycling polypropylene waste, one of the main consumer plastics. Specifically, it evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of achieving a large-scale cracking process that converts polypropylene waste into an alternative fuel. Pyrolysis is considered as a promising technique to convert plastic waste into liquid oil and other value-added products, with a dual benefit of recovering resources and providing a zero-waste solution. This study concerns a fast catalytic pyrolysis in a fluidized bed reactor, with the presence of a fluid catalytic cracking catalyst of low acidity for high heat transmission, for an industrial plant with a capacity of 1 t/h of polypropylene waste provided by the Greek Petroleum Industry. From the international literature, the operational conditions were chosen pyrolysis temperature at 430 °C, pressure at 1atm, heating rate at 5 °C/min, and yields of products to 71, 14, and 15 wt.%, for liquid fuel, gas, solid product, respectively. The plant design includes a series of apparatuses, with the main one to be the pyrolyzer. The catalytic method is selected over the non-catalytic because the presence of catalyst increases the quantity and quality of the liquid product, which is the main product of the plant. The energy loops of recycling pyrolysis gas and char as a low-carbon fuel in the plant were considered. The production cost, annual revenue, for 2023, are anticipated to reach €13.7 million (115 €/t) and €15 million (15 €/t), respectively, with an estimated investment equal to €5.3 million. The Payback Time is estimated to 2.4 years to recover the cost of investment. The endeavor is rather economically sustainable. A critical parameter for large scale systems is securing feedstock with low or negligible price.

Suggested Citation

  • Andromachi Chasioti & Anastasia Zabaniotou, 2024. "An Industrial Perspective for Sustainable Polypropylene Plastic Waste Management via Catalytic Pyrolysis—A Technical Report," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-22, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:14:p:5852-:d:1431763
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ramez Abdallah & Adel Juaidi & Mahmoud Assad & Tareq Salameh & Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro, 2020. "Energy Recovery from Waste Tires Using Pyrolysis: Palestine as Case of Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-13, April.
    2. José Manuel Riesco-Avila & James R. Vera-Rozo & David A. Rodríguez-Valderrama & Diana M. Pardo-Cely & Bladimir Ramón-Valencia, 2022. "Effects of Heating Rate and Temperature on the Yield of Thermal Pyrolysis of a Random Waste Plastic Mixture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-12, July.
    3. Al Arni, Saleh, 2018. "Comparison of slow and fast pyrolysis for converting biomass into fuel," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 197-201.
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