Production of Fuel from Plastic Waste: a Feasible Business
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polymers Communication Production of Fuel from Plastic Waste: A Feasible Business Irene Fahim 1,* , Omar Mohsen 1 and Dina ElKayaly 2 1 Department of Industrial Engineering, School of Engineering, SESC Research Center, Nile University, Nile Avenue, Giza 12655, Egypt; [email protected] 2 School of Business and Finance, New Giza University, Cairo 11435, Egypt; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: This paper aims to conduct a feasibility study of producing fuel from plastic waste. It is a suggested approach to deal with the huge production of synthetic plastic around the world, so as to avoid its accumulation in landfills and the depletion of resources. Several types of research have addressed the conversion of plastic waste into energy, and in this study the authors focused on using pyrolysis to convert plastic to liquid oil. Accordingly, the volume of the waste was reduced significantly, and the produced liquid oil had a high calorific value in comparison to fossil fuel. The authors managed to develop a profitable business model for a facility producing fuel from plastic waste in Egypt. This project could be a very lucrative business opportunity for investors or venture capitalists interested in investing in green economy. A Business Model Canvas was used as a tool to identify how the different components of the business relate to each other. Keywords: fuel; energy; plastic waste; recovery; calorific value; feasibility 1. Introduction 1.1. Plastic Waste: A Global Problem Citation: Fahim, I.; Mohsen, O.; ElKayaly, D. Production of Fuel from Synthetic plastic production has reached 400 million tons worldwide. More than Plastic Waste: A Feasible Business. 50% of this figure is thrown in landfills or recycled. More than 15 million tons reach Polymers 2021, 13, 915. https:// seas and oceans every year. There are several ways that plastic waste ends up in the doi.org/10.3390/polym13060915 ocean. Two-thirds of the waste is generated from land-based sources: litter left on the beach or washed down rivers and drains, and litter being dropped in towns and cities. Academic Editor: Giulia Fredi The waste is also produced from industrial spills, badly managed landfill sites, by bins near the coast, or by rubbish being flushed down toilets. Most of these waste items are Received: 11 February 2021 single-use plastics such as drink bottles, plastic bags, cotton bud sticks, sanitary items, and Accepted: 9 March 2021 wet wipes. Incineration is also used to get rid of waste. However, U.S. emissions from Published: 16 March 2021 plastic incineration reached 5.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2015, and they are expected to reach 49 million metric tons by 2030 and 91 million metric tons by 2050 (The Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral Hidden Climate Polluter: Plastic Incineration—Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, with regard to jurisdictional claims in 2021). The burning of waste releases thousands of pollutants that affect people living near published maps and institutional affil- these incinerators. Furthermore, landfilling features a much lower climate impact than iations. incineration. However, landfills are currently full, and there is no more space for waste accumulation. Landfilling contaminates soil and water, and also affects wildlife. Previously, the U.S. and other Western countries sent their contaminated waste to China, transferring the responsibility of waste management. In 2018, however, China closed its doors to the Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. West’s contaminated recycling [1]. It has been concluded that waste plastic fuel has similar Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. properties to diesel fuel and can be used instead of diesel [2]. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and 1.2. Plastic Waste: A Severe Problem in Egypt conditions of the Creative Commons According to the plastics value chain mapping and assessment, “Egypt generates Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// around 20 million tons of garbage and waste annually, with plastic waste assumed to creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ represent 6% out of the total, distributed over Cairo (60%), Alexandria (16%), the Nile 4.0/). Polymers 2021, 13, 915. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13060915 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers Polymers 2021, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 10 1.2. Plastic Waste: A Severe Problem in Egypt Polymers 2021, 13, 915 According to the plastics value chain mapping and assessment, “Egypt generates2 of 9 around 20 million tons of garbage and waste annually, with plastic waste assumed to rep- resent 6% out of the total, distributed over Cairo (60%), Alexandria (16%), the Nile Delta Delta(19%), (19%), and other and otherregions regions including including Upper Upper Egypt, Egypt, Suez SuezCanal, Canal, and Sinai and Sinai(5%). (5%).Out of Out the of970 the kilotonnes 970 kilotonnes of plastic of plastic waste wastegenerated generated annually, annually, only a only range a range of 30% of is 30% recycled, is recycled, while while5% is 5%reused, is reused, 33% is 33% landfilled, is landfilled, and 32% and is 32% left isto leftbe burned”. to be burned”. The total The amount total amount of plastic of plasticwaste wasterepresents represents 10% of 10% all ofgarbage all garbage in Egypt. in Egypt. The amount The amount of plastic of plastic that thatis neither is neither col- collectedlected nor nor landfilled landfilled is 65%. is 65%. This This represents represents 1.3 million 1.3 million tonstons annually annually in Egypt, in Egypt, while while Cairo Cairoonly contributes only contributes 0.78 million 0.78 million tons. When tons. Whenburned, burned, plastic plasticwaste releases waste releases harmful harmful dioxins dioxins(highly (highlytoxic chemicals), toxic chemicals), which whichcan be caninhaled be inhaled by humans by humans and animals, and animals, deposited deposited in soil inand soil surface and surface water, water,and deposited and deposited on plants. on plants.Uncollected Uncollected plastics plastics pose a threat pose a to threat animals to animalsand sea andlife [3]. sea life [3]. ThereThere areare several several successful successful waste waste management management techniques techniquesthat that have have been been adopted adopted inin thethe MiddleMiddle East. East. This This research research focuses focuses on on using using plastic plastic waste waste for fuel for fuelproduction. production. This Thisprocess process minimizes minimizes the volume the volume of solid of solid waste waste for landfills for landfills and andwould would decrease decrease CO2 emis- CO2 emissionssions in Egypt in Egypt caused caused by plastic by plastic waste waste by around by around 8% for 8% the for first the year, first and year, by and 30% by for 30% the forfirst the five first years. five Moreover, years. Moreover, it would it decrease would decrease the high thedemand high demandfor fossil forfuels fossil products. fuels products.Additionally, Additionally, the carbon the emissions carbon emissionsproduced using produced this usingnovel thisfuel novelare 93% fuel lower are 93%than lowerthose thanproduced those in produced the use of in normal the use diesel of normal and gasoline. diesel and Plastic gasoline. wastes Plastic are subjected wastes areto a subjectedpyrolysis toprocess a pyrolysis using processa catalyst using [4]. aThe catalyst catalyst [4]. can The be catalyst a blend can of zeolite, be a blend clay, of alumina, zeolite, clay,and alumina,silicates in and various silicates proportions in various [5] proportions. There are three [5]. There types areof pyrolytic three types reactions of pyrolytic differ- reactionsentiated by differentiated the processing by time the processing and temperature time and of the temperature biomass: slow of the pyrolysis, biomass: fast slow py- pyrolysis,rolysis, and fast flash pyrolysis, pyrolysis and [6] flash. The major pyrolysis byproducts [6]. The of major this process byproducts are char of thisand processgas. The areproportion char and of gas. the The byproduct proportion depends of the byproducton temperature, depends heating on temperature, rate, pressure, heating and rate,resi- pressure,dence time and [7] residence. time [7]. EgyptEgypt hashas tenten refineriesrefineries whichwhich produceproduce 760,000760,000 barrelsbarrels ofofpetroleum petroleum productsproducts perper day.day. TheThe consumptionconsumption ofof petroleumpetroleum productsproducts inin EgyptEgypt hashas reachedreached 1.21.2 millionmillion barrels.barrels. FigureFigure1 1shows shows that that 35% 35% of of petroleum petroleum products products inin Egypt Egypt are are imported, imported,while while 65%65%are are locallylocally produced. produced. The The cost cost of of the the imported imported oil oil reached reached around around $7 $7 billion billion in in 2019 2019 [ 8[8]]..Thus, Thus, thethe fuelfuel producedproduced fromfrom plastic plastic wastewaste wouldwould fulfillfulfill the the energy energy demands demands of of the the transport transport sector,sector, and and Egypt Egypt would would have have a continuousa continuous and and sustainable sustainable source source of fuel. of fuel. Eventually, Eventually, this couldthis could save asave huge a huge amount amount of money of money previously previously being being spent spent on importing on importing oil. oil. Locally Produced vs. Imported Petroleum Products in Egypt Imported petroleum products 35% Locally produced petroleum products 65% Locally produced petroleum products Imported petroleum products