Plastic Waste-to-Energy via Gasification: Optimization and Carbon Dioxide Emission Avoidance Opportunities
نویسندگان
1 Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Buea, P. O. Box: 63, Buea, S. West Region, Cameroon.
2 Department of Fundamental Sciences, Institute of Wood Technology, University of Yaounde I, P. O. Box: 360, Mbalmayo, Centre Region, Cameroon.
3 Department of Technology Management, ASP Cleantech Inc., P.O. Box: 1411, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
doi
10.30501/jree.2026.518141.2364چکیده
Plastic pollution poses an escalating threat to global ecosystems with low denisity polyethylene(LDPE) comprising a sustantial portion of accumulated wastes in landfills. This study investigates optimisation strategies for LDPE valorisation via gasificatio focusing on three aspects: 1- the inherently low drying energy requirements of LDPE, 2- the enhanced process efficiency though multistage reactor configurations and 3- the potential for significant CO2 mitigation through substition of fossil-based energy sources with syngas derived energy. Drying energy demands were quantifed using reported moiture contents of various biomass feedstocks for comparative assessment. Pro/II simulation software was employed to model LDPE pyrolysis followed by gasification. The resulting syngas was processed either through a methanation pathway to maximize synthetic alternative natural gas (SANG) output or via a reforming route to optimize syngas composition for power generation. CO2 emission avoidance potential was calculated based on the enthalpy values and historical landfill accumulation data(1990 to 2018, USA). Simulation results indicate that the cummulaive 16,374 Gt of CO2 emissions associated with US coal-fired power generation could have been offset by replacing coal with LDPE gasification derived syngas over the 28 year period. Furthermore, substituting conventional natural gas with LDPE derived SANG could have prevented approximately 65.4 Mt of CO2 emissions. These findings underscore the environmental and energetic advantages of LDPE gasification as sustainable waste-to-power pathway.
