Investigation of hydrogen production via waste plastic gasification in a fluidized bed reactor using Aspen Plus

Plastic waste-to-energy conversion via gasification is a promising method for hydrogen production. In this study, the effects of waste plastic type, equivalence ratio, operating temperature and pressure on the hydrogen production from waste plastics in a fluidized bed reactor were investigated. A precise model of the air gasification process of five different types of waste plastics was developed using modules available in Aspen Plus. Following the model validation, a parametric study was conducted by varying the temperature in the range of 600 °C–1200 °C, the equivalence ratio between 0.05 and 0.50, and the pressure between 1 bar and 50 bar. This study provides valuable information on the impact of different process parameters on the air gasification of various waste plastics which has not been reported extensively. The conversion behaviours of air gasification process for waste plastics were characterized based on syngas composition, syngas lower heating value, hydrogen yield and cold gas efficiency. The simulation results for hydrogen production, which ranged from 15.33 Nm3/ton feed to 284.40 Nm3/ton feed for all plastics, were found to be consistent with experimental results. As a result, the optimal conditions for achieving maximum hydrogen yield in the waste plastic gasification process have been determined and reported.