Techno-Economic of 100 kW Power Plant from Microwave-Assisted Biodiesel Pyrolysis

Every 1 kg of palm oil fruit produces an empty fruit bunch (EFB) weighing approximately 0.25 kg. The EFB is considered as the agricultural waste of the palm oil industry due to the excessive amounts produced. The majority of EFB is not appropriately utilized and produces a high level of CO 2 as a result of abandonment to landfills. This study investigates the utilization of conventional fast pyrolysis (CFP) to make products from this waste. Additionally, microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP); a new high-performance technique, is also investigated. The calculation of mass and energy balance is conducted using Aspen Plus software V8.8. The benefits of this plant are investigated in terms of economics and climate change. The results show that neither CFP nor MAP benefits the economy since they are not profitable. The net present value (NPV) of CFP and MAP are -1,127,674 and -1,073,772 USD, respectively. However, from the climate change aspects, both power plants provide good environmental impact performance. The CO 2 emissions resulting from the non-managed disposal of EFB for the CFP and MAP plants were 924, 917, 895 tCO 2 /yr., respectively. Although the development of these plants might not be beneficial from an economic perspective, they contribute significantly to the reduction of CO 2 emissions compared with direct disposal through landfills. This work describes the advantages of using renewable technology in a transparent environmentally friendly process.