Energy Recovery from Scrap Tires: A Sustainable Option for Small Islands like Puerto Rico

• Main Author: Eddie N. Laboy-Nieves
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2014-05-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: efficiency; gasification; islands; Puerto Rico; pyrolysis; scrap tires; sustainable
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/5/3105

Puerto Rico generates and disposes nearly five million/year scrap tires (ST), of which 4.2% is recycled and 80% is exported. The Island has one of the world highest electrical service tariff ($0.28 kWh), because of its dependency on fossil fuels for power generation. The Government has not considered ST for electricity production, despite more than 13,000 ST are generated daily, and paradoxically exported for that purpose. Theoretically, if ST recycling increases to 10% and assuming that the caloric value of ST be 33 MJ/kg, it was estimated that scrap tires processed with pyrolysis can supply annually about 379 MWh, a potential value that shall not be unnoticed. This paper is a literature review to describe the legal, technical, and economic framework for the viability of ST for power generation in Puerto Rico using pyrolysis, the most recommended process for ST energy recovery. Data of ST from Puerto Rico was used to model the potential of ST for pyrolytic energy conversion. The herein article is intended to invite other insular countries and territories, to join efforts with the academic and scientific community, and with the energy generation sector, to validate ST as a sustainable option for energy generation.