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Title Techno-economic baseline study for a waste-based biorefinery in South Africa
ID_Doc 16952
Authors van Coller, RH; Marx, S
Title Techno-economic baseline study for a waste-based biorefinery in South Africa
Year 2022
Published
DOI 10.1016/j.biteb.2022.101280
Abstract A baseline techno-economic assessment for converting organic municipal waste via a novel continuous hydrothermal liquefaction (cHTL) pilot plant is presented. Feed streams, product yields, and product quality were based on real-time data. Pilot plant data was used to estimate the capital investment and operating costs, cashflow and economic indicators for a commercial-scale cHTL plant. Results showed that a return on investment of 31 %, an internal rate of return of 31 %, and a profitability index of 5.5-6.0 could be realized with a satisfactory nett cashflow over an estimated plant life of 20 years. Sensitivity analyses showed that both plant capacity and capital investment had a significant effect on product unit cost. The potential of using cHTL technology to sterilize and co-treat primary sewage with municipal waste was demonstrated for underpinning a circular economy where waste would be re-directed toward new energy products, while offsetting localized municipal operating costs.
Author Keywords Biorefinery; Techno-economic; Waste; Circular economy; Liquefaction
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)
EID WOS:001208854900011
WoS Category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Energy & Fuels; Environmental Sciences
Research Area Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Energy & Fuels; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
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