Techno-Economic Feasibility Study for Organic and Plastic Waste Pyrolysis Pilot Plant in Malaysia

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper looks at a ne system to tackle organic and plastic waste pyrolysis pilot plant in Malaysia. 

1. This is a relevant and useful paper that looks at new ways to tackle the ever increasing wastes generated especially in developing countries.

2. The abstract should also include some implications.

3. The introduction should include more latest facts and figures to support the study.

4. The review and literature are quite dated and needs to be updated.

5. Tables and figures need to be more professionally presented.

6. The technical part is good but the paper is lacking in terms of application and discussion in terms of so what and what is the future direction.

7. Some implications in terms of how this system can be extrapolated and used in other developing countries maybe useful to a more wider readership.

Acceptable in most parts.

Author Response

Thank you Reviewer for the constructive feedback and comments. The authors have done their best to address the concerns. We hope this version is acceptable for publication. 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

This research addresses Malaysia's need for sustainable waste management solutions by exploring pyrolysis's technical and economic aspects as an efficient method to convert organic and plastic wastes to value-added chemicals and biofuels. Utilising flue gas extraction and including a non-thermal plasma reactor has shown potential improvements to both efficiency and quality in pyrolysis processes. My comments are as follows:

 

Abstract:

Provide Background Information on Organic and Plastic Waste Management Issues in Malaysia This will enable readers better to appreciate the significance and significance of your research.

 

Introduction:

·       Enhance background and information by developing existing information on waste management problems in Malaysia, providing statistics, trends, or existing practices which might add strength to the study.

·       Recent reviews on pyrolysis: These articles should be included: 2023: Polymers 15(6) 1367 https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15061367| Processes 2022 10(2) 332 https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10020332.

·       Additionally, some references are old and should be updated.

 

Methodology

·       Begin your methodology section by clearly outlining the purpose and focus of your study, detailing the research objectives that methodology seeks to address. This will enable readers to appreciate its significance.

·       Discuss the advantages and advantages of employing oxidative pyrolysis over pure nitrogen pyrolysis, such as increased gas yield, improved thermal efficiency, and suppression of unwanted by-products.

·       Provide information on flue gas utilisation: Define its ability to reduce nitrogen consumption and operational costs while increasing operational efficiencies.

·       Detail your survey for data collection - detailing methodology, participant selection criteria and reliability measures for results.

·       Clarify Cost Estimation and Provide References/Materials on Methodologies Used and Assumptions Made. Elaborate on Profitability Calculations by detailing PF,CFn, and PVn calculations and assumptions made. Assess Limitations and Assumptions in terms of Errors/Constraints/Impact.

 

Life Cycle Analysis and Techno-Economic Evaluation.

 

·       Provide additional details or explanations that help readers grasp the concepts and calculations presented. For instance, explain the significance of the data from experimental trials and how it relates to the overall analysis.

·       Economic feasibility should be fully addressed when discussing pyrolysis systems. A techno-economic feasibility analysis for both PyOL-only production plants and chemical extraction plants must be performed, with key findings such as estimated costs, revenues, and potential profits to be highlighted, as well as capital investment requirements and market demand for extracted chemicals to be taken into account. Scalability and practicality considerations of the system should also be carefully addressed - including any possible challenges related to expanding it and operational and logistical considerations.

 

Conclusion

·       To provide an effective conclusion, one should summarise and emphasise key findings, identify operational parameters as key considerations, ensure economic viability and environmental benefits are discussed, and identify any possible future developments.

 

·       Please correct the section numbering. It should be 5, not 4. 

 Moderate editing of English language required

Author Response

Thank you Reviewer for the constructive feedback and comments. The authors have done their best to address the concerns. We hope this version is acceptable for publication. 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

The authors have taken into consideration most of the concerns raised. However, the conclusion part still needs to be improved. I hope the following suggestions help in refining your conclusion.

 1. Rearrange Information; It would be helpful to begin by stating the study objectives highlighting the findings and conclude by discussing their implications.

2. Provide Specific Data; Adding values or percentages can enhance clarity and precision in your conclusions.

3. Be Specific; of stating "even though the liquid yield is low " it would be more informative to specify which component of the yield is low or compare it to a previous study for better context.

4. Expand on Implications; Elaborate further on why the pyrolysis process can benefit developing countries beyond employment opportunities. For example, consider discussing if their abundance of OPW that is currently underutilised contributes to this advantage.

5. Sentence Structure; The sentence "The viability of pyrolysis..." appears lengthy. Could benefit from being broken down into smaller sentences, for improved clarity.

 6. Conclusion Strength; Highlighting the novelty or significance of this study in your conclusion will help emphasise what sets it apart or what gap it fills in existing research.

 

Minor comments for the whole article:

 

It's important to maintain consistency, in terminology throughout the article. Make sure to use terms like "waste to energy system" and "flue gas fast pyrolysis system" consistently to avoid any confusion, for the readers.

The quality of English in the paper needs improvement. Some sentences are unclear or awkwardly phrased, which may hinder comprehension for readers. It would be helpful to have someone proofread and edit the paper to make it clearer and more coherent.

 

The quality of English in the paper needs improvement. Some sentences are unclear or awkwardly phrased, which may hinder comprehension for readers. It would be helpful to have someone proofread and edit the paper to make it clearer and more coherent.

Author Response

We would like to thank the Reviewer for the time and effort spent in providing suggestions to enhance the manuscript. Our team have included all the corrections, following this suggestions. We hope the manuscript is acceptable to the Reviewer and Editor. Thank you. 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf