Chicken feather thermal decomposition analysis and techno-economic assessment for production of value-added products: a pilot plant study

The kinetic triplet estimation and economic assessment for a plant-wide design for chicken feathers (CFs) pyrolysis to value-added products, char, and oil have been conducted. Thermogravimetric studies on CFs showed an inclusive devolatilization with a decomposition behavior similar to that of model components. The kinetic estimation based on model-free methods estimated an average activation energy of 204.5 kJmol(-1) with a pyrolysis process following a second-order reaction model with a three-way diffusion transport mechanism. A compensation effect observed between the kinetic parameters and CFs pyrolysis showed a low energy barrier with an enthalpy value of 199.6 kJmol(-1). The pyrolysis experiments under different temperature ranges (350-600 ?) showed an optimum product (char and oil) yield at 550 ? with high-nitrogen content char (13%) and pyrolytic oil containing amino acid and its residual groups (79.19%). The CFs char with pyridinic, pyrrolic, and graphitic N groups associated with carbon structures find an application in the electrocatalytic system while the bio-oil has the potential to be used as pesticides. A plant-wide design is reported through process flowsheet conceptualization and process simulation using Aspen Plus. The economic assessment based on the designed continuous pyrolysis plant projected a total capital investment of 302,763 USD for processing 1000 ta(-1) of CFs. The annual production capacity of char and oil was found to be 207.9 ta(-1) and 237 ta(-1), respectively. The breakeven analysis on the plant showed that above 67% of operational capacity the plant will start earning profit. The net profit was 197,099 USD with a payback period is 2 and a rate of return of 46% for 90% operation capacity.