| Title | A novel process for the complete recycling of exhausted coffee capsules with a fully circular approach: Design of the industrial plant and Techno-Economic analysis of the process |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 21418 |
| Authors | Nanni, A; Colonna, M; Liberati, G; Bonoli, A |
| Title | A novel process for the complete recycling of exhausted coffee capsules with a fully circular approach: Design of the industrial plant and Techno-Economic analysis of the process |
| Year | 2024 |
| Published | |
| Abstract | The objective of this paper is to present the technical and feasibility analysis of an innovative mechanical recycling system for exhausted coffee capsules. This recycling process involved the sorting of spent coffee grounds (SGC) and the subsequent drying and melt-mixing of a portion of these grounds with the remaining capsule components, mainly composed of polypropylene (PP), along with optional virgin PP. These newly developed composite materials exhibited mechanical and rheological properties comparable or even surpassing those of virgin PP. They were also successfully utilized for the injection of new capsule shells, thus alignin with the principles of the circular economy. In addition to the technical aspects, this paper present a comprehensive Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) of the proposed recycling processes, considering the inclusion of virgin PP (0-20 %) and the initial moisture content (MSGC) of SGC(5-55 %) as varying factors. An industrial plant, designed to handle up to 190 million exhausted coffee capsules and produce up to 1500 tons of recycled com-pund was appropriately sized. The analysis revealed that processes are profitable across all examined scenarios and that the Net Present Value ranged between 800 keuro (for vPP = 20 % and MSGC = 55 %) and 2000 keuro (for vPP = 0 % and MSGC = 5 %). |
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