1. College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China 2. College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China 3. Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
This research undertook a case study of the life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of the slow pyrolysis of Eucommia stem for the production of wood vinegar and activated carbon. The results showed that the production of one ton of wood vinegar via the slow pyrolysis of Eucommia stem show comparatively low global warming potential (2.37 × 102 kg CO2 eq), primary energy demand (3.16 × 103 MJ), acidification potential (2.19 kg SO2 eq), antimony depletion potential (3.86 × 10–4 kg antimony eq), and ozone depletion potential (7.46 × 10–6 kg CFC-11 eq) and was more environmentally friendly than the production of dilute acetic acid (12 wt %) via petrochemical routes. Meanwhile, the total capital investment, total product cost, and cash flowsheet were provided in the techno-economic analysis. Then, the net present value, internal rate of return, and dynamic payback period of the production process were evaluated. The findings indicated that while this production process is cost-effective, it might not be economically attractive or could generate investment risks. An increase in the added value of the wood vinegar and the activated carbon could remarkably improve the economic feasibility of this production process.
. [J]. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2023, 17(8): 1109-1121.
Ji-Lu Zheng, Ya-Hong Zhu, Yan-Yan Dong, Ming-Qiang Zhu. Life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of the production of wood vinegar from Eucommia stem: a case study. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng., 2023, 17(8): 1109-1121.
Variables (+20%–?20%)(The prices of materials, energy or products)
Variation
Wood vinegar
2421%
–2421%
Activated carbon
2066%
–2066%
Transport
–1369%
1369%
Eucommia stem
–755%
755%
Electricity
–704%
704%
Diesel for Eucommia collection
–169%
169%
Process water
–3%
3%
The yield of wood vinegar
2421%
–2421%
The yield of activated carbon
2066%
–2066%
Tab.8
Variable(The prices of materials, energy, or products)
Variation(IRR and DPP)
Wood vinegar (+20%)
142%
–74%
Activated carbon (+20%)
122%
–71%
Transport (–20%)
83%
–63%
Eucommia stem (–20%)
47%
–49%
Electricity (–20%)
44%
–47%
Diesel for Eucommia collection (–20%)
11%
–18%
Process water (–20%)
0.16%
–0.12%
The yield of wood vinegar (+20%)
142%
–74%
The yield of activated carbon (+20%)
122%
–71%
Tab.9
Fig.6
Quantile
NPV/￥
5%
–4246913
10%
–3266730
25%
–1726368
50%
72253
75%
1915316
90%
3561304
95%
4356796
Tab.10
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