Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from wastewater in Lahti Region : a techno-economic assessment
Sharbaf Kashani, Jubeen (2022)
Diplomityö
2022
School of Energy Systems, Ympäristötekniikka
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022053141259
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022053141259
Tiivistelmä
This research explores the feasibility of producing renewable PHA plastic from the sludge of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Finland, with a centralized extraction location in the Lahti region. With a current market price of 3.5-4.5 €/kg PHA, the research calculates the cost of producing wastewater PHA in Finland. It also attempts to estimate the total capacity of Finland’s wastewater PHA, and additionally the effect of population dispersity and transportation costs on wastewater PHA’s production cost.
Geolocation and annual inflow of Finland’s WWTPs were used as the source data in this thesis. A technoeconomic assessment based on similar recent projects was created and operational and capital expenditures were calculated in each WWTP. Values from literature were used for determining operational and capital expenditures of a centralized extraction facility. Several scenarios were built by selecting different plants to make the minimum annual output of 5,000 tons of PHA. Unit cost of PHA for each scenario was then determined.
Results of this research show that the unit cost of producing wastewater PHA in Finland is between 3.40 – 3.76 €/kg of PHA in different scenarios, while PHA can be produced in a scenario consisting mostly of WWTPs of the capital region and the city Lahti for 3.45 €/kg of PHA. Finland’s total wastewater PHA capacity is estimated to be between 12,000 and 26,000 tons of PHA per year, and transportation costs are deemed insignificant and not prohibitive in participation of larger yet farther WWTPs. Electricity and heat costs make up 60% of the PHA’s total cost.
This assessment is among first of its kind regarding producing wastewater PHA in Finland. Based on real data from Finland’s WWTPs, the research provides realistic scenarios for producing wastewater PHA, while it determines the production costs for each scenario. It also provides an overview of wastewater PHA developments.
Geolocation and annual inflow of Finland’s WWTPs were used as the source data in this thesis. A technoeconomic assessment based on similar recent projects was created and operational and capital expenditures were calculated in each WWTP. Values from literature were used for determining operational and capital expenditures of a centralized extraction facility. Several scenarios were built by selecting different plants to make the minimum annual output of 5,000 tons of PHA. Unit cost of PHA for each scenario was then determined.
Results of this research show that the unit cost of producing wastewater PHA in Finland is between 3.40 – 3.76 €/kg of PHA in different scenarios, while PHA can be produced in a scenario consisting mostly of WWTPs of the capital region and the city Lahti for 3.45 €/kg of PHA. Finland’s total wastewater PHA capacity is estimated to be between 12,000 and 26,000 tons of PHA per year, and transportation costs are deemed insignificant and not prohibitive in participation of larger yet farther WWTPs. Electricity and heat costs make up 60% of the PHA’s total cost.
This assessment is among first of its kind regarding producing wastewater PHA in Finland. Based on real data from Finland’s WWTPs, the research provides realistic scenarios for producing wastewater PHA, while it determines the production costs for each scenario. It also provides an overview of wastewater PHA developments.