Decarbonization of Industrial Heating: Paving the Way Towards Sustainability
Industrial heating plays a significant role in global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for about 51% of the energy consumption onsite, and for about 31% of process-related emissions among various sectors. As industries seek to reduce their carbon footprint and combat climate change, decarbonizing industrial heating becomes paramount for sustainability.
To achieve this goal, innovative approaches and technologies offer promising solutions. Renewable hydrogen, electrification with sustainable electricity, and renewable energy as heating sources are known methods for decarbonizing process heating.
Lesser-known solutions, like novel equipment design, can also contribute to decarbonization. Researchers at the University of Houston propose a unique approach by converting energy-intensive industrial reactors into autothermal ones. This transformation involves turning hydrocarbon steam cracking into an autothermal oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODHE), producing the same product, ethylene, but with significantly lower energy consumption. The key difference is that for ODHE only an initial heating for activating the reactants is needed. The reactor can be designed in a way that the heat of reaction is conducted to the reactor inlet to activate the reactants without further heating. This design reduces CO2 emissions by at least 23%.2
While we continue the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, innovative engineering empowers industries to lead the way toward sustainability. Decarbonizing industrial heating not only reduces emissions but also enhances resilience, cost-effectiveness, and environmental stewardship, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future.
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