Techno‐Economic Assessment of Chemical Looping Partial Oxidation of Mixed Polyolefin Post‐Consumer Plastic Waste

Abstract The global push for climate neutrality and circularity has intensified interest in converting plastic waste into valuable chemical feedstocks. This study examines the techno‐economic feasibility of producing syngas from post‐consumer plastic waste (PCPW) via chemical looping partial oxidation (CLPO) and compares it to more established syngas production techniques, namely dry reforming of methane (DRM) and gasification of PCPW. Process simulations are conducted in Aspen Plus, targeting a syngas stoichiometric number (SN) of 2.0, which is ideal for downstream Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. The CLPO process, conceptualized in a dual fluidized bed reactor setup, is modeled using literature data and compared to DRM and gasification in terms of capital and operational expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX). A detailed separation train is designed to meet severe syngas purity requirements, accounting for typical impurities present in process feedstocks. Results show that, although CLPO offers flexibility and avoids direct air separation, it suffers from high CAPEX and OPEX, leading to a significantly higher levelized cost of syngas (LCOS) of 616 € t ⁻¹ , compared to 503 and 494 € t ⁻¹ for the DRM and gasification benchmarks, respectively. Sensitivity analyses highlight syngas selling price and reactor CAPEX as key economic drivers.