(589e) Techno-Economic, Environmental, and Exergetic Evaluation of Plastic Waste-to-Hydrogen Using Chemical Looping

With the exponential growth of plastic production, the amount of waste plastics is also increasing rapidly, which can cause serious environmental problems if landfilled. Furthermore, the accelerating climate crisis has made the production of eco-friendly energy no longer optional but essential for achieving "net-zero" goals. In this study, we propose a hydrogen production process using waste plastics as feedstock. We compare two process configurations: one employing chemical looping, which enables inherent CO₂ separation during hydrogen production, and a conventional process without this feature. Process simulations were carried out using Aspen Plus V14.0, while economic, environmental, and exergetic assessments were performed through integration with MATLAB. Additionally, sensitivity analyses for various process variables and multi-objective optimization (MOO) were conducted to evaluate trade-offs and identify optimal design parameters. The results demonstrate the technical and environmental feasibility of hydrogen production from waste plastics via chemical looping. This study offers valuable insights for improving environmental sustainability and promoting green energy generation in line with global decarbonization efforts.