Optimal sorting and recycling of plastic waste as a renewable energy resource considering economic feasibility and environmental pollution

Jonghun Lim; Yuchan Ahn; Junghwan Kim

doi:10.1016/j.psep.2022.11.027

Optimal sorting and recycling of plastic waste as a renewable energy resource considering economic feasibility and environmental pollution

Jonghun Lim, Yuchan Ahn, Junghwan Kim

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This work suggests an optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource with maximizing economic feasibility and mitigating environmental pollution. To derive the optimal sorting and recycling strategies of plastic waste, a novel optimization model is developed; it calculates the overall profit by subtracting the profit of recycling plastic from the total annualized cost. Then the model is used to identify the optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource in mixed-integer nonlinear programming that maximizes the overall profit. In the derived optimal sorting and recycling strategy, high-density polyethylene is recycled to produce downgrade plastic; low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene are recycled as pyrolysis oil; and polyethylene terephthalate is recycled to produce refuse plastic fuel. The derived optimal case can significantly increase the overall profit by about 3,137% (i.e., 35 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic), and 492% (i.e., 29 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic) compared to conventional case in South Korea and Japan respectively.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	685-696
Number of pages	12
Journal	Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Volume	169
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2022.11.027
Publication status	Published - 2023 Jan

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF ) grant funded by the Korea government ( MIST ) (No. 2021R1G1A1093355 ) and was supported by the Korean Institute of Industrial Technology within the framework of the following projects: “Development of the super clean modular platform technology based on AI for eco-friendly ship to respond to IMO 2020/2050 regulations [grant number EH-22-0014 ] and Development of Energy Process Optimization Platform for Carbon Neutrality [grant number IR-21-0033 ]”.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Environmental Engineering
Environmental Chemistry
Chemical Engineering(all)
Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.psep.2022.11.027

Cite this

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title = "Optimal sorting and recycling of plastic waste as a renewable energy resource considering economic feasibility and environmental pollution",

abstract = "This work suggests an optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource with maximizing economic feasibility and mitigating environmental pollution. To derive the optimal sorting and recycling strategies of plastic waste, a novel optimization model is developed; it calculates the overall profit by subtracting the profit of recycling plastic from the total annualized cost. Then the model is used to identify the optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource in mixed-integer nonlinear programming that maximizes the overall profit. In the derived optimal sorting and recycling strategy, high-density polyethylene is recycled to produce downgrade plastic; low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene are recycled as pyrolysis oil; and polyethylene terephthalate is recycled to produce refuse plastic fuel. The derived optimal case can significantly increase the overall profit by about 3,137% (i.e., 35 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic), and 492% (i.e., 29 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic) compared to conventional case in South Korea and Japan respectively.",

author = "Jonghun Lim and Yuchan Ahn and Junghwan Kim",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF ) grant funded by the Korea government ( MIST ) (No. 2021R1G1A1093355 ) and was supported by the Korean Institute of Industrial Technology within the framework of the following projects: “Development of the super clean modular platform technology based on AI for eco-friendly ship to respond to IMO 2020/2050 regulations [grant number EH-22-0014 ] and Development of Energy Process Optimization Platform for Carbon Neutrality [grant number IR-21-0033 ]”. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors",

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doi = "10.1016/j.psep.2022.11.027",

language = "English",

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AU - Kim, Junghwan

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PY - 2023/1

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N2 - This work suggests an optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource with maximizing economic feasibility and mitigating environmental pollution. To derive the optimal sorting and recycling strategies of plastic waste, a novel optimization model is developed; it calculates the overall profit by subtracting the profit of recycling plastic from the total annualized cost. Then the model is used to identify the optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource in mixed-integer nonlinear programming that maximizes the overall profit. In the derived optimal sorting and recycling strategy, high-density polyethylene is recycled to produce downgrade plastic; low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene are recycled as pyrolysis oil; and polyethylene terephthalate is recycled to produce refuse plastic fuel. The derived optimal case can significantly increase the overall profit by about 3,137% (i.e., 35 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic), and 492% (i.e., 29 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic) compared to conventional case in South Korea and Japan respectively.

AB - This work suggests an optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource with maximizing economic feasibility and mitigating environmental pollution. To derive the optimal sorting and recycling strategies of plastic waste, a novel optimization model is developed; it calculates the overall profit by subtracting the profit of recycling plastic from the total annualized cost. Then the model is used to identify the optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource in mixed-integer nonlinear programming that maximizes the overall profit. In the derived optimal sorting and recycling strategy, high-density polyethylene is recycled to produce downgrade plastic; low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene are recycled as pyrolysis oil; and polyethylene terephthalate is recycled to produce refuse plastic fuel. The derived optimal case can significantly increase the overall profit by about 3,137% (i.e., 35 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic), and 492% (i.e., 29 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic) compared to conventional case in South Korea and Japan respectively.

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Optimal sorting and recycling of plastic waste as a renewable energy resource considering economic feasibility and environmental pollution

Abstract

Bibliographical note

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

UN SDGs

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