Analysis of thermoelectric power generation for waste heat recovery in industrial carbon black rotary drum and combustion chamber

Carbon black is considered one of the most polluting industries. Despite its environmental impact, carbon black is an essential product in the chemical industry and is used in the manufacture of tyres, plastics, inks, components in renewable electrical energy sources and other products. One of the challenges in carbon black manufacturing is the significant thermal loss caused by the high-temperature production process. This inefficiency not only reduces overall energy efficiency but also results in additional gas emissions, intensifying this industry environmental damage. This study presents a way to reduce the pollutant footprint by assessing the feasibility of integrating thermoelectric generators as a heat recovery solution in two key thermal processes of the carbon black industry: the gas-fired combustion chamber used for drying and the rotary drum for pellet treatment. Hot source temperatures are 650–1100 °C for the drum and 1100–1400 °C for the combustion chamber. This research is the first to explore thermoelectric generators integration in the carbon black sector and uses operational data from industrial facilities. Another contribution is the sensitivity analysis conducted to determine the influence of the main parameters of the heat transfer process and the implemented optimization considering only commercially available materials and layer thicknesses. The proposed cooling system relies on readily available plant resources, and the integration process requires only minor modifications to existing infrastructure, potentially reducing the use of insulation and refractory materials. The drying drum shows a potential electrical energy recovery of 304 kW and the combustion chamber shows a potential electrical energy recovery of 148 kW.