Methanol production from Refuse Derived Fuel. A preliminary analysis on the influence of the RDF composition on process yield

Currently, the production of methanol via high-temperature gasification of Refuse-Derived-Fuel (RDF) can be deemed as an excellent example of circular economy: it represents a promising alternative to Waste-to-Energy (WtE) and environmental impact improvement, thus leading to the reduction of carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. The Waste to methanol (WtM) process can be divided into four main sections, namely RDF gasification, syngas purification, conditioning, and methanol synthesis. Methanol manufacturing needs a suitable syngas composition; therefore, the ultimate goal is to achieve a tailored gasification unit in order to decrease conditioning step efforts. In this work, a steady-state simulation of gasification unit has been developed using Aspen Plus. Considering that RDF is typically characterized by a remarkable composition variability, an extended parametric study, where RDF composition is represented in terms of ash, moisture, and combustible contents of the waste, has been undertaken as a preliminary approach. A synoptic description of results given in terms of ternary diagrams has been chosen to represent the main process parameters. Hence, this exploratory study allows to assess the process features associated with different feeding characteristics and provides preliminary suggestions to recognize process strategies to simplify design step and improve the process.