sustainability Review Current Status and Potential of Tire Pyrolysis Oil Production as an Alternative Fuel in Developing Countries Haseeb Yaqoob 1,2, Yew Heng Teoh 1,* , Farooq Sher 3,4,* , Muhammad Ahmad Jamil 5, Daniyal Murtaza 2, Mansour Al Qubeissi 3,4 , Mehtab UI Hassan 2 and M. A. Mujtaba 6 1 School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, Nibong Tebal, Penang 14300, Malaysia; [email protected] 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan 64200, Pakistan; [email protected] (D.M.); [email protected] (M.U.H.) 3 School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Environmental and Computing, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK; [email protected] 4 Institute for Future Transport and Cities, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK 5 Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK; [email protected] 6 Department of Mechanical Engineering, New Campus Lahore, University of Engineering and Technology, Punjab 39161, Pakistan; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (Y.H.T.); [email protected] or [email protected] (F.S.) Abstract: Energy is essential for the nature of life and the development of countries. The main demand for the 21st century is to fulfill growing energy needs. Pakistan, through the use of fossil fuels, Citation: Yaqoob, H.; Teoh, Y.H.; meets energy demands. There is pressure on the economy of the country due to the massive reliance Sher, F.; Jamil, M.A.; Murtaza, D.; Al on fossil fuels, and this tendency is influenced by various environmental impacts. To overcome Qubeissi, M.; UI Hassan, M.; Mujtaba, the burden on fossil fuels, more attention has been drawn to provide fossil fuel substitution. Tire M.A. Current Status and Potential of pyrolysis is among the effective substitutes of the fuel technology that generates useful products Tire Pyrolysis Oil Production as an of liquid oil, char, and pyro gas. This research focuses on the environmental, social, and economic Alternative Fuel in Developing Countries. Sustainability 2021, 13, viability of tire pyrolysis oil in Pakistan. This study estimates the production and potential of tire 3214. https://doi.org/10.3390/ pyrolysis oil (TPO) in Pakistan. Based on the calculations, the potential of tire pyrolysis oil production su13063214 in Pakistan from 2015–2019 is 468,081 to 548,406 tons. The potential production of TPO in 2018–2019 was ~8.30% of the total import (6.6 million tons) of crude oil. Therefore, tire pyrolysis oil is considered Academic Editor: Elena Cristina Rada an alternative fuel representing an economic and environmentally viability solution for Pakistan. Received: 24 February 2021 Keywords: sustainable environment; renewable; waste to energy; alternative fuel; tire pyrolysis oil Accepted: 11 March 2021 and climate change Published: 15 March 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in 1. Introduction published maps and institutional affil- Economic development requires valuable input from all areas to expand. The key iations. demand of the 21st century is to cope with the rising energy demands [1–3]. Pakistan is the world’s fifth most populated country, its energy demand and population are rising every day, too. Pakistan’s 2010 population was 179,424,641, which rose to 220,892,340 in 2020 and is expected to cross 24.22 million in 2025 [4]. Due to the growing population, Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Pakistan needs a massive supply of energy to maintain normal things, but this country is Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. unable to meet its energy demand [5]. Conventional fuels, i.e., oil, natural gas, and coal, This article is an open access article are currently 63% of Pakistan’s total energy supply, followed by hydroelectric power (26%), distributed under the terms and nuclear power (3%), and renewable energy (8%). The transport sector is the largest user of conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// oil/petroleum products, hitting 76% in 2018–2019 [6]. Total petroleum products production creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ in 2010–2011 was 8,911,000 tons, increasing to 12,929,000 tons in 2017–2018, and the total 4.0/). petroleum products imports in 2010–2011 were 12,371,000 tons, increasing to 13,344,000 Sustainability 2021, 13, 3214. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063214 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2021, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 27 production in 2010–2011 was 8,911,000 tons, increasing to 12,929,000 tons in 2017–2018, Sustainability 2021, 13, 3214 2 of 26 and the total petroleum products imports in 2010–2011 were 12,371,000 tons, increasing to 13,344,000 tons in 2017–2018 as shown in Figure 1. The shortage of petroleum products is covered by the import of petroleum products [6]. tons in 2017–2018 as shown in Figure1. The shortage of petroleum products is covered by the import of petroleum products [6]. 1.8x107 Imports 1.6x107 Production 1.4x107 1.2x107 1.0x107 8.0x106 6.0x106 4.0x106 Petroleum Products (Tons) 2.0x106 0.0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0-1 1-1 2-1 3-1 4-1 5-1 6-1 7-1 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Years Figure 1. Total production and imports of petroleum products in Pakistan from 2010 to 2018 [6]. Figure 1. Total production and imports of petroleum products in Pakistan from 2010 to 2018 [6]. Similarly, in 2010–2011, oil/petroleum consumption for transport was 8,892,268 tons, Similarly,which increasedin 2010–2011, to 16,047,392 oil/petroleum tons cons in 2017–2018umption butfor transport the use of was gas 8,892,268 (compressed tons, natural which increasedgas, CNG) to for 16,047,392 transport tons in 2010–2011 in 2017–2018 was but 113,055 the use mm of cft, gas which (compressed decreased natural to 70,455 mm gas, CNG)cft infor 2017–2018 transport in [6 ].2010–2011 Problems was with 113,055 energy mm crises cft, notwhich only decreased disturb theto 70,455 livings mm of people cft in 2017–2018but also disrupt[6]. Problems Pakistan’s with energy economic crises development. not only disturb The recentthe livings part of people renewable but energy also disruptto the Pakistan’s overall contribution economic development. of the country’s The energyrecent part is insufficient of renewable [7]. energy Pakistan to isthe meeting overall contributionenergy demands of the through country’s the energy use of is fossil insufficient fuels [8 ].[7]. With Pakistan the high is meeting dependency energy on fossil demandsfuels, through there the is pressureuse of fossil on thefuels economy [8]. With of the the high country, dependency and this on pattern fossil fuels, is also there affected by is pressuremany on environmentalthe economy of impacts the country, [9,10]. and Pakistan this pattern has faced is also energy affected shortages by many that envi- have forced ronmental impacts [9,10]. Pakistan has faced energy shortages that have forced the closure the closure of many factories. The amount of CO2 emissions from the industry has also of manydecreased, factories. however,The amount due of to CO the2 growingemissions trend from of the cars, industry there is has an increasingalso decreased, trend in the however,amount due to of the CO growing2 emissions trend [11 of– 13cars,]. The there CO is2 anemissions increasing in Pakistantrend in werethe amount 132,805 of ktons in CO2 emissions2005, which [11–13]. rose The to174,843 CO2 emissions ktons in in 2015 Pakistan [14]. were 132,805 ktons in 2005, which rose to 174,843To ktons overcome in 2015 these [14]. problems, sustainable, secure, and pollution-free energy sources To mustovercome be used these at the problems, same time sustainable, which could secure, combine and social pollution-free and economic energy development sources with must beenvironmental used at the same protection time which [15–17 coul]. Tired combine pyrolysis social oil (TPO) and iseconomic among the development effective substitute with environmentalfuel technologies, protection and it[15–17]. is used Tire to pyrolysis produced oil useful (TPO) products is among of the tire effective pyrolysis sub- oil, char, stitute fueland technologies, pyro gas [18]. and Tire it pyrolysis is used to oil, produced derived fromuseful waste products automotive of tire pyrolysis tires, was oil, tested and char, andcompared pyro gas with[18]. petroleumTire pyrolysis products oil, derived and it from could waste also beautomotive used in the tires, compression-ignition was tested and comparedengine [with19]. Converting petroleum tireproducts waste and into it fuel could would also not be onlyused minimize in the compression- the issues of waste ignitiondisposal, engine [19]. but itConverting could also tire lower waste the burdeninto fuel on would fossil fuelsnot only and minimize could be an the ideal issues substitute of wastefor disposal, renewable but fuelit could [20]. also The lower annual the productionburden on fossil of tires fuels worldwide and could is be 1.5 an billion, ideal which substitutebecome for renewable end-of-life fuel tires [20]. after The a particularannual production period of of time tires [21 worldwide]. It is currently is 1.5 billion, estimated that which becomeapproximately end-of-life 4 billion tires wasteafter a tires particular are in stockperiod and of landfills,time [21]. worldwide It is currently [22]. esti- One billion mated thatwaste approximately tires can generate 4 billion 5.26 waste million tires tons are of in tire stock pyrolysis and landfills, oil [18].