Combustion of wood chips in a dairy in Denmark – an industrial process heat case study
The use of biomass for energy in industry is growing rapidly in the last 15 years or so. Until about 2010, the use of biomass residues for process heat in industry was originally limited to industry sectors that had their own residues available to cover (some of) their own heat demand, e.g. sugar, palm oil, wood processing, pulp and paper, etc. By processing these residues, a waste problem could be avoided while generating useful heat at the same time. With the increasing demand for cost effective renewable heat however, also other industries have recognized the opportunity for biomass based heat provision to reduce the carbon footprint of their processes.
While there is a large potential to displace fossil fuels with biomass fuels in the large and energy intensive industries (steel, cement, etc), there are also many small and medium sized process industries such as food industries, paper industries, etc. In contrast to the larger energy intensive industries where these case typically require that large volumes of biomass are shipped to an individual site, the heat demand in these smaller industries can often be better matched with the biomass resources that may already be locally available, resulting in smaller transportation distances.
Case Study – Industrial Process Heat: Combustion of wood chips in a dairy in Denmark
Download the full report: Industrial Process Heat: Combustion of wood chips in a dairy in Denmark
Bioenergy in Denmark constitutes a significant portion of the country’s renewable energy sources, accounting for 31% of the total energy supply (2). The main application of bioenergy is in the district heating sector, where over 60% of district heating is produced from biomass. Additionally, biogas production contributes more than 15% of the country’s gas consumption.
The underlying case study concerns NORDEX FOOD, a family-owned dairy company in Denmark, that made a strategic decision in 2016 to convert its production site from using gas to biomass. The conversion was financially supported by a renewable energy subsidy offered by the Danish state.
The dairy chose the biomass-based solution over a new gas boiler solution due to higher annual savings and a more favourable cash flow projection over ten years. The plant can run on A1 wood chips with up to 30% moisture and wood pellets with 8% moisture and has a capacity of 2,6 MW.
The investment in biomass proved to be a good decision, with the payback time estimated at 5,5 years based on the gas and wood chip prices at the time. However, in early 2021, the dairy production site suffered a fire due to an electrical fault.
From an environmental standpoint, using A1 wood chips is considered environmentally friendly, and the boiler is equipped with an economizer and dust filter to minimize environmental impacts.
Operationally, the facility is managed by three blacksmiths who supervise the plant on shifts. The biomass boiler is approved for 72 hours of operation, eliminating the need for supervision on weekends.
Overall, the transition to biomass has proven to be a successful investment for NORDEX FOOD, providing environmental benefits and contributing to its competitive advantage in the market as well as to the image.
More case study reports
This report is part of a series of reports on the use of bioenergy in industry to supply process heat. Five case studies and a concluding policy synthesis report on biomass based industrial heat were published. In 2024, another 5 examples were prepared by Task 32 on application of biomass combustion in industry.
Find more information about Task 32: Biomass combustion.
