VEOLIA y VYNCKE, Companies associated with AVEBIOM have participated in the design, installation, commissioning and operation of the plant.
The energy services company Veolia It has advised PROSOL on the project's definition from the outset. And once the plant, tailored to its needs, was built, it is responsible for operating and maintaining the biomass boiler, guaranteeing its operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The facility has required an investment of 13 million euros and will generate a significant impact in terms of the environment, employment and use of local resources.
The boiler, designed and supplied by Vyncke, It has been specifically configured to meet the energy needs of a coffee processing plant. It has the capacity to generate 11 tons of steam per hour to serve the various manufacturing processes of the plant: powering drying and roasting equipment for coffee beans, and for cleaning and sterilizing production equipment.
The boiler has a nominal efficiency of 87%, with peak performance that can reach up to 89%, Exceeding typical efficiency standards thanks to an optimized fuel recovery system. To achieve this performance, the boiler is equipped with a water-cooled moving grate and unburned fuel recovery systems, which reintroduce the fuel into the combustion process, maximizing biofuel utilization.
Two biofuels instead of natural gas
The main fuel used by the boiler comes from PROSOL's own production process: the sediment or coffee pot, a by-product with a high calorific value of 5,900 kcal/kg. In addition, the following are used wood chips coming from the Sierra de la Culebra, which was affected by forest fires two years ago.
Veolia Biomass Veolia is responsible for producing and supplying the necessary wood chips from sustainable sources. Furthermore, thanks to its experience using coffee grounds as biofuel in other European plants, Veolia is achieving maximum boiler efficiency and significantly reducing waste management costs at the coffee plant.
By replacing natural gas with biomass as an energy source, the plant will reduce its operating costs and also decrease its CO2 emissions by 14,500 tons per year. This reduction is part of the company's roadmap, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
Emissions control and efficiency
The facility includes an advanced exhaust gas cleaning system with continuous monitoring to ensure compliance with the strictest environmental regulations. Exhaust gases undergo a filtration process using cyclones and bag filters, along with lime injections to reduce sulfur oxides (SOx) and a non-selective catalytic reduction (SNCR) system using urea injection to control nitrogen oxides (NOx). These systems allow the plant's emissions to be reduced to below the industry average.
In addition, the installation is equipped with an economizer, which harnesses the energy from the exhaust gases to preheat the water entering the boiler, thus improving the overall efficiency of the system.
This technological solution, which combines high energy efficiency with advanced waste management, is a model to follow for the agri-food industry, and demonstrates how biomass can be a key source of renewable energy in the decarbonization of various industrial processes.
He President of the Regional Government of Castile and León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco attended the inauguration and highlighted the importance of projects like this for sustainability and the circular economy in the region. He also noted that the Regional Government will continue to support these types of initiatives through funds earmarked for energy efficiency and renewable energy..
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