Alternative Fuels: Energetic Use of Liquid By-products from Sugar and Soy Processing

Abstract

For years now SAACKE GmbH in Bremen has been developing firing and burner systems that enable energetic use of residual substances while minimising emissions with the aim of optimising energy efficiency and creating closed production cycles in industry as far as possible. Here we discussed the energetic use of soy molasses from soy production show how it is possible to save resources and reduce emissions with appropriate firing systems. The SSB-LCL burner developed by SAACKE especially for the utilisation of low calorific liquids as biogenic fuels makes soy molasses or vinasse from sugar cane energetically useful with a very low heating value. The first reference plant with soy molasses is in operation in Brazil since 2007. At a water tube boiler there are two burners installed, each with a capacity of 12 tonnes/h soy molasses which is about 25 MWth for each. Based on this positive results we installed another plant in Serbia in the year 2012 in which we are using the newest development of the SSB-LCL technology: the staged air muffle. With this we lower the NOx-formation significantly, so that the reached values are about 50 % less than before. With the installed capacity of 20 MWth the yearly emissions of CO2 are reduced by about 30,000 tonnes/year compared to the before used natural gas as fuel.