Abstract
M.Tech. (Chemical Engineering)
Solid waste management is a growing environmental concern in developing countries such as South Africa. Waste tyres fall under the general solid waste category give rise to land filling, health and environmental challenges. As a result, majority of these waste tyres accumulate in large quantities at landfill sites or end up being illegally disposed in open fields. Thus, sustainable remedial technologies such as pyrolysis which are environmentally friendly must be developed. Pyrolysis offers a number of attractive advantages as a treatment option such as the production of primary and secondary economic valuable products, namely pyrolysis gas, oil, char and steel wires. The objective of this work was the development of a business model which includes costing, procurement, installation, commissioning and operating a batch pyrolysis plant in Gauteng, South Africa. In addition this work assesses the environmental, socio-economic aspects for waste tyre derived products. The study objectives were achieved through literature research, site visits, telephonic and personal interviews as well as questionnaires. An order of magnitude costing method was used for the construction of the pyrolysis business model. The model showed that it is possible to operate and sustain a batch pyrolysis plant with a constant supply of waste tyres in the Gauteng region. This research has also shown that a batch plant with a 12 year life span and a projected payback period of approximately 5 years can be operated. However, an initial capital incentive of R 10 173 075.00 is required which includes the cost of all major equipment, plant assessment costs, building and structure, engineering and construction and other costs such as contingency fees and office utilities. Four major income streams are expected to be core revenues for the business; the waste tyre gate fee, tyre derived pyrolysis oil, carbon black and steel wire. Project evaluation methods such as the Return on Investment (ROI), Return of Assets (ROA) and the Rate of Return (ROR) were in strong agreement with those obtained from literature. In addition, the positive net present value shows that the project is viable. However, a stable and well regulated market should exist for the pyrolysis products.