Exploring waste heat valorisation in Spain
Imagine different organisations joining efforts to foster eco-innovation and long-term cultural change, while also boosting their profitability and becoming more competitive. This is what can be done through industrial symbiosis (IS), the process by which one industry’s wastes or by‐products become the raw materials for another. In recent years, IS has drawn a great deal of attention as a way for decarbonising energy- and resource-intensive industries. But how do we implement viable IS solutions, and how do we overcome any barriers to deployment? To demonstrate viable IS approaches, the EU-funded CORALIS project set up demo sites in three industrial parks in Spain, Italy and Sweden, followed by demonstrations in another three parks in Austria, Spain and Turkey to replicate the initial results. CORALIS recently published a press release describing the current status of its follower site in Basauri, where the focus has been to develop IS solutions for the recovery and storage of thermal energy generated during steel production. The Basauri industrial area is located in northern Spain, in a region where the steel sector plays a predominant role. This follower case has focused on recovery of the thermal energy generated during steel production by CORALIS project partner Sidenor and its storage in a breakthrough thermal battery solution. The idea is to utilise the recovered heat to generate steam on demand for Sidenor and neighbouring industries. One of the CORALIS team’s first tasks in Basauri was to conduct a feasibility study to identify opportunities and barriers to IS in the region. The study pinpointed a number of areas where waste heat could be valorised. It also identified the lack of awareness and cooperation between companies as barriers to implementation.
In search of alternatives
As reported in the press release, the study revealed the following: “Industries with high energy consumption have various heat sources available, but heat recovery technology is not always useful due to the significant mismatch between demand and availability. Thermal battery technology can match available heat with demand internal or external, and it is a commercial technology available in the market. The combination of heat recovery and thermal battery technology can reduce natural gas consumption with current vacuum pumps, and thermal batteries are also valid for industrial symbiosis. However, there are other economic options available to reduce energy consumption. District Heating with San Miguel neighborhood is a viable option, but the heat source analyzed in this project may not be the most suitable one. Next steps include analyzing district heating options and alternative uses of thermal battery technology.” The project team used the feasibility study’s findings to develop and implement IS solutions in the region in collaboration with local stakeholders. CORALIS (Creation Of new value chain Relations through novel Approaches facilitating Long-term Industrial Symbiosis) is continuing its work with local actors to promote IS based on waste heat valorisation and to make energy supply in the region more sustainable. For more information, please see: CORALIS project website
Keywords
CORALIS, industrial symbiosis, heat, waste heat, thermal energy, thermal battery, steel
