Decarbonation of cooking and drying processes - part II
This study focuses on decarbonising drying and cooking processes. It is a direct follow-up to another ALLICE study of the same name. Three types of decarbonisation solutions are examined: energy efficiency, electrification and the use of renewable and recovered energy sources. The study aims to examine the application of these solutions in three case studies and compare the energy, economic and environmental results up to 2050.
The applications studied are glass annealing lehrs, metallurgical tempering furnaces and starch drying systems. An initial energy efficiency solution has been implemented for all three cases. This is considered a prerequisite for the use of carbon-free energy. It is widely accepted that carbon-free energy can only become widespread if energy consumption is reduced. Based on this initial development, several alternative energy solutions are then studied on a case-by-case basis : hybridisation, electrification, solar, geothermal, hydrogen and biomass.
Overall, two trends emerge from all the case studies.
- Firstly, energy efficiency consistently ranks as one of the most economically attractive solutions. This is only challenged by electrification solutions offering additional benefits or renewable energy sources at highly competitive prices, such as geothermal energy.
- Secondly, electrification is consistently one of the solutions offering the greatest reduction in CO₂ emissions. However, it often generates the least profitable returns. At the same time, there are often renewable energy solutions with a similar impact on GHG emissions that are more economically attractive.
This study shows that all solutions can significantly reduce GHG emissions. To further reduce GHG emissions linked to certain processes or specific cases, CCUS solutions may be necessary (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage). Finally, it is important to consider the other environmental impacts of the processes, particularly with regard to water usage.
