The brewing and beverage industry uses a lot of heat energy, making heat recovery imperative in keeping processes as efficient as possible.
New Glarus counts on Enerquip for not only a quality product, but for expertise in choosing the best product for their brewing solutions.
In an age of fluctuating oil costs and increased demands for sustainable practices, waste heat recovery has proven to be a win-win situation for plants and processes in a wide range of industries.
Waste heat recovery is the process of collecting heat that would have otherwise dissipated into the air inside or outside of a facility, and using it elsewhere in an area of the plant that requires heat generation. This can reduce operational expenses because it decreases the need to pay for heating.
While virtually any large-scale facility can benefit from waste heat recovery, there are a few industries identified as the fastest-growing end-users of waste heat recovery systems. Here are four sectors where facility managers may find that installing waste heat recovery systems could cut costs and make their processes more efficient:
“The cement industry is the fastest growing adopter of waste heat recovery systems.”
1. Fuel refining
Petroleum refining takes the top spot for industries using waste heat recovery systems. Producing fuel is incredibly energy-intensive, with processes like distillation, thermal cracking and treatment all requiring high temperatures.
2. Cement production
The cement industry is the fastest growing adopter of waste heat recovery systems, perhaps in part because of the highly energy-intensive process required to make clinker, the product of a chemical reaction that results in small rocks that are eventually ground into cement.
Much of the heat lost during this process comes from the kiln, which is heated to 200 to 400 degrees Celsius and is where the chemical reaction takes place. According to a Waste Heat Recovery Technology Analysis drafted by the Department of Energy, systems to recover lost heat from these kilns are widely available but rarely utilized.
3. Food and beverage
The food and beverage industry also produces plenty of heat that can be recovered for use elsewhere throughout a facility. Gatorade’s Wytheville, Virginia, plant is one example that worked hard to become as sustainable an operation as possible – it was the first food and beverage site of its size to earn the LEED Gold distinction, according to Food Engineering.
One of the many adaptations Gatorade made to the facility was its waste heat recovery system.
“We heat and cool many things around here,” Arnie Wodtke, Gatorade’s director, noted to Food Engineering.
The facility installed Enerquip shell and tube heat exchangers, which routed cold water – used to cool bottles after filling – to two boilers. Economizers attached to the boilers improved the rate at which that water is heated. When the water reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s sent back to the boiler.
“It’s easy to measure the direct savings from an energy-efficient motor,” explained Rich Schutzenhofer, vice president of engineering, technology development and resource conservation at the Chicago headquarters of Pepsico’s Quaker/Tropicana/Gatorade group, according to Food Engineering.
“People don’t take into consideration what a 1 percent increase in productivity means across the entire workforce,” he continued. “That’s real; it’s not bells and whistles.”
4. Higher education
It’s not just industrial facilities that can benefit from waste heat recovery systems. The University of Illinois-Chicago invested in a heat exchanger and other equipment of its own to reduce operational expenses by $8,000 annually.
The system is expected to save 15,900 therms of natural gas and 3,100 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. A heat exchanger, combined with repairs to fix leaking pipes, will save the university 2.5 million gallons of water every year.
“We’re saving energy and the environment at the same time,” Waleed D’Kidek, superintendent of utilities, told UIC Today.
Have you determined areas of your process where usable heat is going to waste? Reach out to the knowledgeable engineers at Enerquip. We know how to evaluate your operation and determine the best shell and tube heat exchanger for your waste heat recovery needs.
Concrete is the most widely utilized construction material on the planet, and has been so for centuries. The advantages of including it in building projects are well-known and simple: It’s strong and highly durable, and the ingredients – gravel, sand and water – are found just about anywhere.
Cement and concrete’s carbon emissions
Despite the obvious benefits of using concrete in construction projects, there’s one major downside to the concrete and cement industries: Their carbon footprint is enormous. In fact, cement production is thought to contribute as much as 5 percent of global CO2 emissions, according to the Cement Sustainability Initiative.
A large part of these emissions is unavoidable. When limestone – a critical component of cement – is heated up, it converts to calcium oxide and releases carbon dioxide. This transformation accounts for about half of the CO2 emissions released during cement production, according to the Cement Industry Federation. Another 35 percent of the emissions created is a byproduct of burning fuels to keep the cement plant operable. The remaining 15 percent is due to electricity used throughout the plant.
Although cement creation contributes to global pollution in a major way, the need for concrete outweighs any notions that production should be cut back. Relying on alternative construction materials has not yet proven to be more environmentally friendly, according to Cement Science. Additionally, transporting alternative materials to certain construction sites is far more complicated than logistics to do with concrete.
Compared to the production of steel and other materials, cement and concrete use relatively low levels of energy, Cement Science pointed out. The biggest reason the cement industry contributes such a large portion of CO2 emissions is its popularity. In 2016, 4,200 million metric tons of cement was produced globally, with 85.9 million metric tons being made in the U.S., according to Statista.
Waste heat recovery systems market increases
Growing concerns about climate change and the negative impact of carbon emissions have encouraged many companies to develop ways to lower their carbon footprints. Various governments’ dedication to green production practices have led to tighter regulations. And more consumers voicing their support for companies that make an effort to lower their own emissions has motivated production plants to explore new ways to make their operations more environmentally friendly.
These trends have fuelled the growth of the waste heat recovery system market, which is expected to grow 6.9 percent annually between 2016 and 2021, according to a report from MarketsandMarkets. By 2021 the market is expected to be valued at $65.87 billion.
MarketsandMarkets found that the largest driver of this growth is the cement sector. The global cement industry is projected to grow 9 percent a year until 2021. Massive construction efforts around the world, particularly in Indonesia, India and China, are some of the biggest reason for this.
As the need to reduce carbon emissions becomes more pertinent to the cement industry, and as the need for cement in global construction projects continues to be at a high level, it’ll become more important for manufacturers to invest in waste heat recovery systems.
Waste heat recovery in the cement making process
The first time a cement producer employed a heat recovery system to reduce operation costs was Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which outfitted its Sumitomo Osaka Cement plant with a waste heat recovery system in 1980, according to a report from the International Finance Corporation. Since that time, more cement companies have enjoyed the benefits of waste heat recovery. “Up to 30 percent of a cement plant’s electricity needs can be generated using waste heat recovery systems.”
The typical process by which cement is made includes raw materials (usually limestone, sand, shale or chalk) being collected in a rotary kiln, which heats the materials to around 2,640 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, the materials undergo chemical reactions that result in a product called clinker, which looks like small dark rocks. After the clinker is cooled, it’s ground to a fine powder along with additives like gypsum. This powder is the final product – cement.
Reaching 2,640 degrees requires a lot of energy. Kilns are powered by heat sources like coal or natural gas. Rock and sand can be preheated prior to moving into the kiln, which cuts down on the energy required to heat up the materials. The hotter the shale, chalk and other materials can get prior to entering the kiln, the faster the cement-making process will be and the more energy efficient the plant runs.
Preheaters in cement operations are typically systems of large cyclones that utilize exhaust gas leaving the kiln. Some systems have as many as six cyclones. Materials successively pass through each one, getting hotter as they go before finally reaching the kiln. Each cyclone takes advantage of heat escaping the kiln.
Using heat from the kiln to prepare raw materials for production is an excellent way to increase energy efficiency, but it’s not the only method of utilizing waste heat in a cement operation. Aside from the kiln, heat escapes from the preheating cyclones as well as the system used to cool the clinker before it’s ground into cement. These sources of heat can be directed to other parts of the plant where heat is needed, including the general HVAC system. It can also be used to generate electricity to decrease the plant’s reliance on the grid and lower utility costs. Nearly one-third of a plant’s electricity needs can be generated using waste heat recovery systems, the IFC explained.
A high-quality heat exchanger is the key to an effective waste heat recovery system in a cement plant. If you’re seeking out new ways to reduce your operational expenses, investing in a shell and tube heat exchanger to begin recovering otherwise wasted heat is an excellent place to start. To learn about the best way to incorporate a waste heat recovery system in your plant, reach out to the engineers at Enerquip.
The craft beer industry has taken off in the last few years. Beer drinkers seek out full, unique flavors and variety in their beverages. Craft beer drinkers also like to support local, small and independently owned breweries.
Fortune reported that the craft brewers increased volume by 13 percent in 2015, making this the eighth year in a row of growth rates of 10 percent or more. There are more breweries than any beer aficionado can keep track of: 4,269 of them, to be exact.
Another impressive statistic is that, even in a year when the total beer market for the country contracted by 0.2 percent, the craft beer industry managed to grow, now encompassing 12 percent of the market.
“The figures show there is still strong growing demand for fuller flavored products from small brewers,” Bart Watson, the Brewers Association’s chief economist, explained to Fortune.
“It shows the premiumization trend that we’ve seen the last few years has room to run,” he continued, referring to consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices for beer that cost more to produce but have fuller flavor.
Recognizing obstacles in energy efficiency
As more craft breweries come on the market or expand, owners and operators are beginning to realize some of the obstacles that can come along with beer production. For instance, breweries are extremely energy-intensive operations. Between refrigeration, space heating, packaging and the actual brew house, there are many aspects to a brewery that require either a large amount of electricity, natural gas or both, the Brewer’s Association explained.
The Daily Energy Report said many breweries have put efforts into reducing their energy use. Anheuser-Busch InBev announced in 2013 it had reduced its energy consumption by 12 percent and carbon emissions by 16 percent in three years. That same year, $100,000 in grants were awarded to five Wisconsin breweries for their efforts to reduce energy use.
There are many ways to curb energy consumption in a brewery, as with any other entity. The owner can invest in energy-efficient lighting and Energy Star equipment as two surefire ways to begin conserving, Brewers Association explained.
Reducing energy in wort cooling
One piece of equipment many breweries have found various uses for is the shell and tube heat exchanger. These are versatile machines with a wide range of applications in the brewery setting.
A sanitary shell and tube heat exchanger can be used in the brewing process for wort cooling. This is a crucial step, and a shell and tube heat exchanger is a great way to achieve this efficiently. According to Craft Beer & Brewing, a shell and tube heat exchanger can cool the wort to the desired temperature in just 10 minutes, and sometimes even quicker. This not only speeds up the brewing process, but it also results in a clearer product in the end. Shell and tube heat exchangers also use less water than some of their counterparts, such as an immersion chiller.
Reducing energy in wort boiling
Prior to the process of cooling the wort, there is a significant amount of energy used to heat up the mixture of water and malt. Chris Riphenburg, head brewer at Madison, Wisconsin-based Ale Asylum, told Craft Brewing Business that it’s essential to have the correct heating source for the kettle or hot liquor tank. There are three options brewers can choose from, though there is one clear choice if the brewer is hoping to reduce energy use and operating expenses. Three options are to use:
According to Riphenburg, a shell and tube heat exchanger can be as much as 80 percent more efficient than a burner and 50 percent more efficient than a steam jacket.
In addition to its environmental and financial benefits, a shell and tube heat exchanger also has the advantage of not having any moving parts and is easier to clean than other heating devices. This means brewers can spend more time making beer and less time worrying about equipment issues.
Craft beer has been a fast growing trend for several years now. According to the National Brewers Association, even as overall beer sales and production dropped 0.2 percent in 2015, craft beer profits went up. Sales of craft beer spiked 12.8 percent while production increased 13 percent.
Over the past two years alone, various types of craft beer businesses have grown immensely. In 2015, there were:
This represents the addition of more than 7 million regional craft breweries, upwards of 1.5 million microbreweries, more than 300,000 brewpubs and nearly 58,000 contract brewing companies, all in just a two-year time span.
Celebrating craft brewing
With so many people dedicating their careers to craft beer and many more becoming enthralled with the trend, it makes sense that industry leaders and budding entrepreneurs alike should come together to discuss all things hops and barley at the upcoming Craft Brewer’s Conference.
CBC is an annual event that brings brewpubs and packaging breweries together. This year, it will take place from May 3 to 6 in Philadelphia.
According to Communities Digital News, many locations around the city will be celebrating the craft brewing industry. A wide variety of venues will be showing off their best brews throughout the week. From the National Museum of American Jewish History putting on the Amber Waves art exhibit highlighting the art of brewing to the International Beer Run, there is no shortage of activities for craft beer-loving adults to take part in.
At the conference
Despite much of Philadelphia celebrating the CBC, the actual conference’s events are off-limits to anyone not officially in the brewing industry. The first day will offer attendees information about accurately measuring wort gravity and counting yeast cells, while the three following days will give participants a wide variety of educational sessions focusing on everything from brewing operations to sustainability to marketing.
While each of these points is important, it is crucial that craft brewers know how to produce a safe product that meets all requirements set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Errors can result in distributing a potentially dangerous product.
When shell and tube heat exchangers are important
There are many aspects that go into creating an enjoyable craft beer that also meets the requirements set by the FDA. According to the National Brewers Association, all craft brewers must follow Good Manufacturing Practices for Craft Brewers, which include the following guidelines:
Sanitary shell and tube heat exchangers are important in regards to the last GMPCB. Heat exchangers serve an important purpose in cooling the wort (the early liquid that’s later fermented into beer) to the necessary temperature to begin the actual brewing process, though if they are not properly cared for or graded to meet sanitary requirements, they aren’t worth much to a brewer.
It’s important that brewers are aware of the standards their equipment needs to meet. This is why conferences like the CBC are so important – they give everyone in the craft brewing industry unique opportunities to learn more about the requirements they must adhere to when brewing.
Another way shell and tube heat exchangers are used in large-scale operations is for waste heat recovery. This can be applied to operations in a wide variety of industries, but for smaller companies, such as a burgeoning craft brewery, it’s important to keep operational costs low. Energy is expensive, but heating and cooling the product to the right temperature at the right time is crucial to producing a high-quality product.
The energy required to create heat takes time and money, and without the right waste heat recovery method in place, it is only used once before it is released. Collecting and reusing that heat can make an operation more environmentally friendly as well as more economically sound. Shell and tube heat exchangers are great pieces of equipment to achieve this goal.
For brewers who know their craft better than anything, but don’t know much about what makes a shell and tube heat exchanger food grade, Enerquip’s in-house engineers can be a big help. This is why Enerquip will be attending the CBC. Anyone involved in craft brewing who wants to know more about how a shell and tube heat exchanger can improve his or her operations, or about what kind of configuration will benefit their operation most, can stop by Enerquip’s table to gain some information.
Making beer is a complex art. Each process involved needs to be executed precisely for the final product to be of high quality.
One of these processes is the wort cooling. This stage comes after wort boiling and just before fermentation, which is when the yeast is added to produce alcohol. This sometimes overlooked step is important for several reasons, according to Brew Your Own, a magazine dedicated to home brewing.
Importance of wort cooling
Cooling the wort brings the liquid down to a temperature at which the yeast will function best. Ale yeasts flourish in temperatures between 68 and 72 degrees, while lager yeasts prefer temperatures between 45 and 57 degrees. This is a far cry from the high temperatures the wort boils at. According to Beer & Wine Journal, wort boils at above 212 degrees – the exact temperature depends on the liquid’s specific gravity.
Production of dimethyl sulfide is slowed when the wort is cooled. While DMS is intentionally left in some commercial beers, many beer makers want to eliminate its presence from their brew. It has a tendency to smell like cooked corn.
Sometimes wort contains contaminants that affect the taste of the final product. Brewers want to be sure they have bacteria in their wort under control and rapid cooling helps slow any growth. Bacteria can’t reproduce well in high or low temperatures, but once the wort cools below 160 degrees, it flourishes. This is why it’s important to cool it as quickly as possible, to reduce the amount of time the fluid spends in this zone.
Finally, rapidly cooling the wort will maximize the cold break. According to Brew Like a Pro, the cold break occurs when proteins, tannins and other materials solidify in the wort. The quicker the wort is cooled, the more cold break will form. By increasing the amount that solidify, fewer will be transferred to the the final product. Their presence can make the beer cloudy and affect the taste.
How to cool wort
There are several ways to cool wort after it’s been boiled, though some are only efficient for small quantities. For instance, an ice bath might work for a home brewer, but would never be used in a craft or commercial beer setting. A shell and tube heat exchanger, sometimes called a counterflow chiller in the craft beer industry, is widely considered an efficient method for wort cooling.
The benefit of using a shell and tube heat exchanger rather than other options is how quickly the wort will be cooled. The exchanger can have the wort down to the desired temperature in 10 minutes, according to Craft Beer & Brewing. This is ideal for several reasons. The quicker you can cool the wort, the quicker you can add the yeast and the sooner your brew will be ready. Also, by minimizing the time it takes to cool, DMS will have less time to produce and bacteria won’t be able to multiply as well.
Comsol pointed out that this method is also an efficient one because the heated water can then be used for the next batch of wort.
The cold break will still be in the wort when it goes through the shell and tube heat exchanger. Brewers will be able to clearly see this when the wort that leaves the exchanger is cloudy. The solution to this is to direct the exchanger’s exit to a sanitary vessel and let the cold break settle at the bottom. After this, transfer the liquid to the fermenter and add the yeast.
Keeping all equipment clean is crucial to craft, commercial and home brewers alike. Fouling can be detrimental to a batch of beer and to a company that sells tainted product. Because of this, brewers must do everything they can to prevent contamination. All equipment should be cleaned properly after use. The shell and tube heat exchanger should be examined periodically to detect any leaks or deformities. Stainless steel shell and tube heat exchangers are easy to clean and more resistant to fouling. To get a quote on an exchanger for your brewing practice, contact Enerquip.
Waste heat recovery has been a topic of concern for large-scale industrial companies for several decades. Not only does recovering waste heat make an operation more environmentally friendly, but it also helps to cut costs. Additionally, it can reduce the amount of resources needed to power a facility.
Many industries and facilities have implemented different methods of waste heat recovery. One popular choice is using a shell and tube heat exchanger. According to the Energy Efficiency Guide for Industry in Asia, these exchangers are best suited for recovery methods dealing with warming liquids with heat recovered from:
The waste heat usually flows shell side, while the liquid is positioned tube side. This is because the higher-pressure liquid or vapor should be in the tube, because the shell is the weaker container. Utility fluids and products being heated can also be kept cleaner on the tube side of a heat exchanger. Waste heat typically produces condensation. Allowing condensates to form on the inside of the tube will typically cause flow irregularities and could lead to problems with the exchanger.
Vegetable oil processing plant
One example of a shell and tube heat exchanger put into practice for recovering waste heat is outlined in Energy Mines and Resources Canada’s Energy Management Series for Industry Commerce and Institutions. The paper explained a vegetable oil processing plant hoped to reduce its use of a steam heater in the refining process. The semi-processed oil needs to be heated from 30 degrees Celsius to 80 degrees before heading to the final stage of processing and then storage.
When the oil is transferred to storage, some heat is expelled that the company wanted to recover. This heat would then be used to warm the oil before going to the steam heater, reducing the amount of energy needed to bring the oil to its optimum temperature. By sending the oil through the heat exchanger prior to going into the steam heater, the oil can be heated to 70 degrees Celsius, requiring the steam heater to only raise the temperature by 10 degrees instead of 50.
By implementing this practice, it was predicted the processing plant could save $29,570 annually. Taking into consideration the cost of the exchanger and its installation, it would take slightly more than half a year to see financial benefits.
Diesel engines
Research done by Saiful Bari, a senior lecturer, and Shekh N. Hossain, a research student at the Barbara Hardy Institute, a division of the School of Engineering at the University of South Australia, showed shell and tube heat exchangers could also provide beneficial heat recovery methods for diesel engines.
Bari and Hossain explained the exhaust from diesel engines contains 38 percent usable energy. Heat exchangers were fitted to connect to the engine’s exhaust and arranged in parallel and series configurations. The two exchangers had different purposes. One, called the super heater, was used to superheat steam coming from the exhaust, which normally expands in the truck’s turbines. The second, named the vapor generator, was used to generate vapor from a liquid put into the exchanger.
The researchers found in initial testing that 16 percent of additional power was recovered. Knowing that the heat exchangers used were not built specifically for this application, they decided to customize them to more efficiently recover the heat. After optimization, 23.7 percent additional power was generated. They also found that maximum heat recovery could be achieved with both the series and parallel arrangements when the engine’s pressure is higher, specifically at 30-bar working pressure. With this pressure, up to 9.85 kilowatts of energy could be retrieved. With lower-pressure engines, the parallel configuration is more efficient than the series configuration because it produced a higher mass of steam.
Bari and Hossain attributed the success of their research partially to the fact that they customized the design of the heat exchangers to the particular engine used. They noted that, by using these shell and tube heat exchangers for heat recovering, the efficiency of the engine rose from 30 percent to 41 percent.
Both of these examples show that waste heat recovery can be used to save money and resources, as well as make processes more energy efficient. Many different industries can benefit from using shell and tube heat exchangers in this way.
The oil and gas industry has been advancing the heat exchanger market in various capacities, according to several reports recently published.
MarketsandMarkets explains that heat exchangers are an integral part of the petrochemical and oil and gas industry. The chemical industry is the most influential driver of heat exchanger business.
Get cracking
The global market for oil and gas equipment is expected to continue to grow to be worth $35.8 billion by the year 2022, according to Transparency Market Research.
Oil and gas equipment can be categorized in two parts: rotating and static equipment. Rotating equipment is comprised of valves, pumps and turbines, while static equipment includes valves, furnaces, boilers and heat exchangers.
“Cracking is the process of breaking the hydrocarbons into smaller pieces.”
Heat exchangers play an important role in processing oil and gas. They are used in the refining process in cracking units as well as in the liquefaction of natural gas. Cracking is the process of breaking the hydrocarbons that compose crude oil into smaller pieces, according to Chemguide.
Cracking takes place after the first round of distillation. Then, lubrication and heavy gas oils go through a cracking process. After cracking, a second round of distillation separates the pieces into groups. TechNavio says that heat exchangers come into play to separate oil from any water that is produced during the process.
The BBC explains that cracking is a thermal decomposition reaction, which means heat is used to break apart the hydrocarbons. Once the hydrocarbons are in smaller, more applicable pieces, they can be used to make fuels and polymers.
Still distilling
A report by the American Chemical Society explains that heat exchangers are also used in the diabatic distillation process. This process occurs when heat is transferred through a reboiler as well as inside the distillation column.
Part of the process involves pushing water through a series of trays to cool off the oil. Another portion circulates steam from the reboilers through a series of trays as well. Each tray has a heat exchanger. Introducing heat exchangers to the process has made it faster and more efficient, because they allow the reboiler to reach a higher temperature faster. Heat exchangers also help the condensers to cool faster.
Heating up
According to TechNavio, the oil and gas industry is also boosting the global waste heat recovery market. It is expected to grow 7.6 percent by 2019. Waste heat recovery is primarily done through the use of heat exchangers and other equipment such as turbines and industrial heating boilers.
“Between 20 and 50 percent of industrial energy output is wasted.”
A report from the World Economic Forum said up to half of industrial energy input is wasted. The way to utilize this wasted energy is through waste heat recovery. A U.S. Department of Industry report stated the converted heat can usually be used for generating electricity, heating and absorption cooling. Heat exchangers in this process are typically most useful for preheating air before it enters a furnace system. This takes some of the stress away from the furnace, allowing it to use less fuel and energy to heat the air itself.
The World Economic Forum reported governments and industries around the world begin to make environmentally friendly changes, and many have focused on striking a balance between three concepts: energy security, energy affordability and environmental sustainability. Large industries, such as oil and gas, have especially been looking into ways to achieve an ideal energy triangle.
According to the Department of Industry, low-temperature heat recovery, which is identified as being between 100 and 400 degrees, can use shell and tube heat exchangers to condense water vapor in the discharged gases.
In a report, Research and Markets explains that government regulations on greenhouse gas emissions have inspired the use of heat exchangers and other heat recovery equipment. Reusing wasted heat not only cuts down on emissions, but also reduces the amount of fuel needed to run oil and gas facilities. The report predicts that continued regulations on how environmentally friendly facilities need to be will keep driving the need for heat exchangers.
Editor’s Note: This content was last updated 4/1/24.
In the past decade, nations have sought new renewable fuel sources, including landfill, biodiesel, and even sewage. With an overabundance of sewage, Japan was an early adopter of this technology.
Japan’s sewage system covers roughly 80 percent of the land area where most people live through approximately 279 miles of pipelines. The Japanese Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism Ministry said there’s certainly no lack of sewage in the country and that the issue is persistent.
For that specific reason, the nation’s leaders leaned into the technology to use sewage as renewable energy. For example, a facility in Tokyo, built in 2021, converts sewage sludge into renewable hydrogen gas for fuel-cell vehicles. This one location near Tokyo Bay processes 1 ton of dried sewage sludge daily, generating enough hydrogen to fuel ten passenger vehicles each day.
In February of 2024, researchers from the University of Cordoba, Spain, announced the development of a sustainable method to convert sewage sludge from wastewater treatment into activated carbon. Activated carbon is used for water and air purification, environmental remediation, gas purification, chemical processing, and in the food, beverage, medical, and pharmaceutical industries for adsorbing impurities and contaminants.
Sewage is processed in various ways for various applications, but it is often pulled into a processing center through a heat pump and given heat treatment via shell and tube heat exchangers. Once complete, the energy produced from the process can be reallocated to heat, cool, generate power, and more.
In Albany, New York, city officials installed an $8.6 million power generator to turn sewage at the wastewater plant into harnessed energy. The North Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in Menands, New York, said the system saves taxpayers roughly $400,000 a year and can supply approximately 75 percent of the plant’s energy through the disposal process.
They noted that sewage sludge is renewable energy powered, literally, by the people, and it’s always available. New energy systems like this one not only help cities with daily energy needs but also help in critical times when power surges occur on the grid.
