Process Design and Techno-Economic Analysis of Biomass Pyrolysis By-Product Utilization in the Ontario and Aichi Steel Industries

Iron- and steel-making companies throughout the globe have been aiming to reduce emissions. One method to do so is to replace pulverized coal used in blast furnaces with biochar, but biochar is currently far more expensive than coal. To increase the value of biochar, by-products of pyrolysis can be combusted to generate heat and offset fossil fuel usage. In this study, pyrolysis by-product combustion was studied using Aspen Plus and process cost models to offset fuels in both Ontario, Canada, and Aichi, Japan. It was found that each tonne of biochar made produces by-products which save 130 USD and 1.47 t CO2-e of emissions in Ontario, while in Aichi 96 USD and 2.44 t CO2-e are saved.