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Co-pelletization of corn stover and plastic waste as an alternative fuel

Stockham, Haley
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8915-9592
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629703817347854

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
Wastes generated from different sources such as agricultural residues and municipal plastic wastes are currently underutilized as majority of the agricultural residues are left in the field and municipal plastic wastes are mainly landfilled. Corn stover is the most commonly produced agricultural residue in the U.S. and the U.S. generates millions of tons of plastic waste annually. While different end uses have been explored for corn stover, it is a low-quality fuel for direct combustion, and thus, co-pelletizing it with plastic can improve its fuel properties. The cement industry uses diverse waste feedstocks as alternative fuel for clinker production. Thus, the main objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of co-pelletization of stover and non-recyclable plastic waste as an alternative fuel source for cement manufacture. Different blends of corn stover were pelletized with high-density polyethylene film (0-25% at 5% increments, dry basis) in a flat ring pellet mill using die sizes of 6- and 8-mm. Physical and chemical properties, including bulk density, particle density, calorific value, moisture content, CHNSO elemental composition, and durability index, that impact material handling and combustion were evaluated. 6-mm pellets had greater durability, bulk density, and particle density than 8-mm pellets. Calorific value improved with increasing plastic content of the pellets. Moisture content met industry standards for wood pellets after storage for several days. Techno-economic analysis and life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions assessment for commercial scale co-pelletization and its use as alternate fuel in cement manufacture were conducted. The system boundary included delivery of the feedstock to the pellet plant, multi-stage size reduction and pelletization, and transportation of the pellets to the cement plant. A pellet plant with annual capacity of 400,000 metric tons using 6-mm pellets containing 25% plastic was modeled for the analyses. Price of stover was the most significant factor affecting total production costs, with feedstock costs contributing 89.0-90.2% of operating expense. The baseline minimum selling price was estimated at $115.1-144.6/t pellets. Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of stover-plastic pellets was 1,599.4-1,786.0 kg CO2 eq/t. Using a thermal substitution rate of 25% pellets for clinker production reduced emissions by 4.7% compared to use of 100% coal. This work suggests that plastic-stover pellets have potential as an alternative fuel resource for cement manufacture.
Katrina Cornish (Committee Member)
Ajay Shah (Advisor)
Agricultural Engineering; Environmental Science
plastic waste, stover, pellet, physical and chemical properties

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Stockham, H. (2021). Co-pelletization of corn stover and plastic waste as an alternative fuel [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629703817347854

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Stockham, Haley. Co-pelletization of corn stover and plastic waste as an alternative fuel. 2021. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629703817347854.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Stockham, Haley. "Co-pelletization of corn stover and plastic waste as an alternative fuel." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629703817347854

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1629703817347854
135
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