The cheapest energy is the one you don’t use!
During continuous operation Heinzel Pöls is the energy producer for its own site. The burning of black liquor is what makes the plant self-sufficient with respect to energy. Emerging excess energy is delivered to the district heating through excess power and warm water.
Energy efficiency in accordance with optimum chemicals recovery: during the impregnation and cooking process in pulp production, a separation into the material components (mostly cellulose fibres) and the energetically valuable and soluble components like Lignin and resins happens. This soluble mixture is called black liquor and consists of organic and anorganic substances.
In order to gain energy from black liquor it has to be concentrated in an evaporation facility. The concentrated black liquor is burned in a boiler and makes up around 97% of the entire fuel energy for one year.
Vapor is produced in the recovery boiler, which is used for power generation as well as for producing the required process heat. Many years of experience in the correct operation mode enable high efficiency levels in energy production and process chemicals recovery. The process chemicals accumulate at the bottom of the boiler and can be recovered to almost 100%. This nearly closed system preserves the environment and resources.
- Installation of a Fiberizer
- Optimizing pulp pump for medium consistency
- Annual savings: 1,445 MWh electricity and 400 to CO2
For the reduction of emissions and fossil CO2
The fuel black liquor derives from the renewable raw material wood. With this the energy generation in Pöls makes a great contribution to the reduction of fossil CO2 emissions. Heinzel Pöls many years ago has set itself the goal to use the entire energy gained from the pulp process efficiently and environmentally conscious.
Power generation
Cogeneration not only leads to a high efficiency but the CO2 neutral fuel black liquor is efficiently converted into electricity. Through the further extension of the turbine setup, Heinzel Pöls in future will be able to make even better use of the excess energy. The goal: to feed an additional 115 GWh annually of the so-called green electricity into the local net.
Currently the power generation comes up to 50.0 MW. With this amount of green power Heinzel Pöls reaches an additional reduction of fossil CO2 of 65.000 tons per year. Currently the entire fossil CO2 savings make up to 29.0 t/h (currently = 2023-10-30, 09:23).
District heating
In 2011 Heinzel Pöls realised a large district heating project and now delivers district heating to the communities Pöls, Fohnsdorf, Judenburg and Zeltweg through an 18 km long supply network. With this we came closer to the goal of annual CO2 savings of 25.000 tons and the slogan „Q² your heating advantage from Pöls“ has become reality for approx. 15.000 households. The district heating supply currently is at 17.0 MW.
- Improved air quality
- Traffic reduction due to less raw material transports
- possibility to easily extend the net
- high supply reliability
- For more information see www.waerme-vorteil.at (german)