Feasibility analysis of resource recovery from electronic waste and biomass through pyrolysis technology

This study proposes a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to converting electronic waste into valuable fuel products through pyrolysis, aiming to address global energy shortages as well as the challenges associated with managing electronic waste and biomass waste. The research employs Aspen Plus software to establish a simulation-based equilibrium model of the pyrolysis process, conducting co-pyrolysis and techno-economic analysis on printed circuit boards (PCB), corn stover (CS), rural household waste (RHW), and kitchen waste (KW). The research results indicate that when PCB is pyrolyzed separately, the proportion of pyrolysis products is greatly affected by temperature. At a lower temperature of 300 °C, the distribution of the components shows minimal variation. However, as the temperature increases, the proportion of pyrolysis gas rises steadily (from 34.21 % to 52.63 %), while the proportion of pyrolysis oil decreases continuously (from 28.95 % to 14.47 %). The co-pyrolysis of PCB with biomass enhances the methane (CH₄) content in the pyrolysis gas, with increases of 18.77 % in case 5, 21.62 % in case 7, and 20.25 % in case 8. Additionally, a life cycle assessment and techno-economic evaluation of the project were conducted from a practical application perspective. The findings demonstrate that the project can achieve a net profit by the fourth year of operation and is environmentally benign.