Journal
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
Volume 35, Issue 12, Pages 1220-1225Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
DOI: 10.1177/0734242X17736945
Keywords
Biochar; use of bamboo waste; biowaste-to-energy; bamboo char fuel; forest residues
Categories
Funding
- 13th Five Year Plan-Study on manufacturing technology of bamboo wastes and its mechanism [2016YFD0600906]
- Basic Scientific Research Funds of International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan-Co-firing technology of torrefied bamboo and coal [1632016011]
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Significant quantities of bamboo waste are generated in Zhejiang province, China. Many small businesses in this area convert this waste to biochar for use as a cooking fuel (in residential barbecues). This case study was conducted to evaluate the potential economic benefits of building and operating an industrial-sized plant in this province, yielding 500 tonnes per year. The researchers developed a conceptual design for a hypothetical biochar plant and then calculated net present value (NPV), investment payback period (PBP), internal rate of return (IRR), and sensitivity analysis. Results show that the static investment PBP would be 2.58 years, the IRR would be 38.8%, and the NPV would be US$ 486,700. The IRR would be higher than the forestry industry benchmark (11%), indicating that a production line of bamboo-biochar with the stated yield not only could generate higher profits, but also could achieve a better return on investment. Thus, this study indicates that there are good market prospects for the bamboo-biochar industry in this region. The influence of sales prices on the IRR was more than that of operational costs, indicating that a large-scale plant should be designed to produce a high-quality bamboo-biochar. Supply chain issues such as transportation distances between locations where bamboo wastes are generated and the biochar plant should be considered in advance when siting new bamboo-biochar plants. The results from this research provide guidance to those considering development of bamboo-biochar plants in other parts of China.
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