Automotive plastic waste and olive pomace valorization using the pyrolysis process

Abstract

The production of energy from renewable sources is one of the difficulties Morocco faces. Thus, a waste-to-energy system is assessed utilizing a thermal process in this paper. Among the recoverable wastes that the Kingdom has an adequate supply of are plastic trash generated by the expanding automobile sectors and olive pomace, a byproduct of the manufacture of olive oil. These two leftovers can be viewed as feedstocks that can be utilized in the pyrolysis thermal process, which has gained popularity since it produces energy products of greater quality than other thermochemical conversion methods. Aspen Plus software was used to research this conversion process. Ash, volatile matter, moisture, and fixed carbon contents were determined to determine the proximate analysis. Ash, volatile matter, moisture, and fixed carbon contents were determined through characterization, and the final analysis revealed the ratios of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. The simulation model was created to examine and improve the efficiency of the thermal process, particularly the pyrolysis products – bio-oil, biochar, and syngas – that result from it. The outcomes demonstrate that, compared to the pyrolysis of plastic, the pyrolysis of olive pomace carried out at 500 °C produces a high quality and quantity of products. The process of producing syngas from the co-pyrolysis of automotive plastic and olive pomace is intriguing because it produces more biogas, including methane and hydrogen, while producing less ashes than when the feedstocks are pyrolyzed separately.

Keywords

• Co-pyrolysis
• Kinetic modeling
• Olive pomace
• Fiber glass polypropylene
• Aspen Plus®