A multistakeholder approach and techno-economic analysis of a mechanical reclamation process for waste foundry sand in the Indian context.

• A Techno-economic analysis of a mechanical reclamation process for the waste foundry sand is conducted. • A multi-stakeholder analysis is presented for the new foundry sand ecosystem that adopts the proposed reclamation technology. • A plant size of 1 ton h ⁻¹ showed promising potential with NPV (₹57.21 million or $ 0.76 million), IRR (29.78%), and BCR (5.48). • A foundry that uses the reclaimed sand, instead of the fresh one, showed an annual saving of 10.80 million ($0.144 million). This article presents a holistic approach to promote waste foundry sand (WFS) reclamation in India by designing a framework for a multistakeholder approach that combines resources, technology, and potential market. The scale of WFS generation and dumping is estimated based on a survey, and a solution is proposed that integrates WFS collection and sand reclamation technology for foundry sand ecosystem development. The study further examined the economic feasibility of a mechanical reclamation process for WFS, using indicators such as net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), discounted payback period (DPBP), and benefit-cost ratio (BCR). A sand reclamation plant of 1 ton h ⁻¹ capacity showed promising economics, and the NPV, IRR, DPBP, and BCR were found to be ₹57.21 million ($0.76 million), 29.78%, 2.82 years, and 5.48, respectively. All the operating, manpower, raw material, and utility costs reasonably influence the economics of the reclamation process. In parallel, sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were carried out using a Monte Carlo simulation to understand the influence of the above-mentioned indicators on the economics of the process. This uncertainty analysis predicted an average NPV of ₹56.55 ± 2 million ($0.75 ± 0.027 million). The castings made up of reclaimed sand appeared to be cost competitive at the reclaimed sand price in the range of ₹1000–2000 ton⁻¹ ($13.33–26.67 ton⁻¹). Overall, the designed framework appears to encourage reduction in WFS disposal and promotion of reclaimed sand in Indian foundries. Policy interventions are suggested to promote the proposed solution in its initial phase. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]