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Decarbonization Avenue : Industrial Waste Heat Recovery

India's industrial sector, a driver of the country's economic growth, consumes vast amounts of energy, with a substantial portion of this energy dissipated as waste heat. As of 2023, the industrial sector accounts for approximately 42% of India's total energy consumption. The recovery and utilization of this waste heat present a tremendous opportunity for both economic and environmental gains, potentially reducing CO2 emissions by up to 100 million tonnes annually by 2030. In India, industries such as cement, steel, glass, and chemicals, among others, are major consumers of energy and consequently significant generators of waste heat.

  • Energy Consumption: The Indian industrial sector consumed approximately 420 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in 2020, accounting for around 55% of the country’s total energy use.
  • Emissions: This sector is responsible for about 40% of India's CO2 emissions, underlining the importance of enhancing energy efficiency.
  • Potential Savings: By implementing waste heat recovery systems, industries could save up to 83 Mtoe annually by 2030.

 

Types of Waste Heat and Recovery

Depending on the industrial process, waste heat can range from low-grade (temperatures below 200°C) to high-grade (temperatures above 500°C). In India, industries such as cement and steel often generate high-temperature waste heat, whereas food processing and textile industries produce low to moderate temperature waste heat.

Examples:

  • Cement Industry: Potential to recover up to 30% of the energy used in production, with waste heat recovery systems potentially saving up to 20 Mtoe per year .
  • Steel Industry: Waste heat recovery can cover around 20-25% of the energy requirements, potentially saving up to 18 Mtoe annually .
  • Chemical Industry: Significant opportunities exist, particularly in recovering heat from exothermic reactions, with potential savings of up to 15 Mtoe annually .

 

Customized Solutions for Diverse Applications

The Indian market for waste heat recovery is evolving, with several pilot projects demonstrating the potential for broader implementation. Customized solutions are essential due to the diversity of industrial processes.

 

Developed Solutions

  • Boilers and Gas Engines: Established technologies are in place, allowing efficient recovery of waste heat, which can improve overall efficiency by up to 15-20% .
  • Emerging Technologies: Innovations are ongoing in areas such as chillers, compressors, and converting waste heat into cooling (thermal energy storage), with pilot projects showing promising results.

 

Challenges

  • Nascent Industry: Many applications remain underdeveloped, with a need for tailored solutions specific to Indian industrial conditions.
  • Lack of Standards: The absence of standardized practices and certified solution providers can hinder progress, necessitating the development of industry-wide standards and certifications.
  • Investment and Awareness: Initial investment costs and a lack of awareness among industry stakeholders pose significant barriers, with many companies unaware of the long-term cost savings and environmental benefits.

 

Case Studies

Cement Industry

  • Ambuja Cements: Implemented waste heat recovery systems across multiple plants. In their Rabriyawas plant, the system generated about 13 MW of power, reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 55,000 tons annually.
  • UltraTech Cement: Deployed waste heat recovery systems with a total capacity of around 121 MW across various plants, leading to an estimated reduction of 0.5 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Steel Industry

  • Tata Steel: Installed waste heat recovery systems at their Jamshedpur plant, which generated about 14 MW of power, resulting in a reduction of approximately 0.13 million tons of CO2 emissions per year.
  • JSW Steel: Implemented a waste heat recovery system in their Vijayanagar plant, producing about 69 MW of power and reducing CO2 emissions by around 0.58 million tons annually.

Power Sector

  • NTPC Dadri: The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) implemented a waste heat recovery system at the Dadri plant, which resulted in energy savings of about 0.26 TWh annually and a reduction of approximately 0.2 million tons of CO2 emissions.

Decarbonization potential

In India, the industrial sector is a major consumer of energy, accounting for about 40% of the total energy consumption. A substantial portion of this energy, approximately 30-35%, is lost as waste heat. Considering India’s industrial CO2 emissions, which contribute around 25% to the country’s total CO2 emissions (approximately 2.7 billion tons per annum as of recent data), the potential for waste heat recovery becomes evident. Waste heat contributes to around 0.81 billion tons of CO2 emissions annually in India.

  • Energy potential from industrial waste heat in India is between 200-250 TWh per annum.
  • Assuming optimal implementation of waste heat recovery systems, this could translate into an annual reduction of approximately 150-180 million tons of CO2 emissions by 2030.

 

Key Datapoints

  • High-Temperature Processes: Innovations in materials and technologies to withstand and utilize high-temperature waste heat, potentially increasing recovery efficiency by up to 25%.
  • Digital Tools: The integration of IoT and AI for optimizing heat recovery systems, enabling real-time monitoring and adjustments to maximize efficiency.
  • Heat-to-Cold Technologies: Progress in technologies that convert waste heat into cooling solutions, particularly relevant for India's climate, with the potential to reduce cooling energy demands by up to 30%.
  • Low-Grade Heat Recovery: Advances in materials and systems to efficiently capture and utilize low-grade waste heat, with potential energy savings of up to 10 Mtoe annually by 2030.

Industries impacted

  • Automobiles & auto components
  • Chemicals & petrochemicals
  • Electrical
  • Electronics & semiconductors
  • Engineering goods & machinery
  • Fertilizers
  • Mining & metals
  • Oil & gas
  • Packaging & plastics
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Power
  • Printing & publishing
  • Paper & forest products
  • Textile & apparel
  • Waste management

Themes & Topics

  • Waste heat recovery across industries

    • Automobiles & auto components 

    • Cement

    • Chemicals, petrochem & pharma

    • Commercial sectors such as restaurants, hotels & hospitals

    • Consumer durables manufacturing

    • Cosmetics, toiletries and consumer products

    • Data centers

    • Engineering goods & machinery

    • Food & beverages

    • Healthcare services & equipment

    • Mining & metals

    • Oil & gas

    • Packaging & plastics

    • Pharmaceuticals

    • Printing & publishing

    • Paper & forest products

    • Textile & apparel

  • High temperature sectors

    • Waste heat recovery from boilers

      • Cogeneration

    • Industries

      • Cement

      • Metals

      • Chemicals

      • Glass

 

 

 

 

 

  • Low temperature heat recovery

    • Low temperature waste heat from internal combustion engines

    • Waste heat recovery from chillers & air conditioners

    • Waste heat recovery from compressors

    • Stirling engine

    • Seebeck effect

    • Organic Rankine cycle

    • Kalina cycle

    • Pre-heating for industrial processes

  • Industrial waste heat for district heating

  • Use of heat pumps for waste heat recovery and use

  • Producing hydrogen from waste heat

  • Heat storage for low temperature heating

  • Heat exchangers for low temperature heating

  • Heat pumps

  • Awareness creation

  • Training/capacity building

  • Collaboration & partnerships

  • Use of IT & digital tools

  • Case studies

  • Business models

    • ESCO

  • Financing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



All Decarbonization Avenues @ EAI


Renewable Energy :

  • Utility Scale Solar PV |
  • Distributed Solar PV |
  • Solar Thermal |
  • Wind Power |
  • Biomass for Heating & Power |
  • Biofuels |
  • Hydro Power |
  • Geothermal Energy |

  • Energy Efficiency :

  • Industrial Waste Heat Recovery |
  • Low Carbon Thermal Power |
  • Energy Efficient Industrial Equipment |
  • Smart Grids |
  • Heat Pumps |
  • Digital for Decarbonization |
  • Energy Efficient Buildings |

  • Energy Storage :

  • Green hydrogen |
  • Thermal & Mechanical Storage |
  • Battery Storage |

  • Agriculture & Food :

  • Sustainable Forestry |
  • Regenerative Agriculture |
  • Smart Farming |
  • Low Carbon Food |
  • Agro Waste Management |

  • Waste Management :

  • Reducing Food Waste |
  • Solid Waste Management |

  • Materials :

  • Bio-based Materials |
  • Advanced Materials |
  • Product Use Efficiency |
  • Industrial Resource Efficiency |

  • Water :

  • Water Use Efficiency |

  • Decarbonizing Industries :

  • Low Carbon Metals |
  • Low Carbon Chemicals & Fertilizers |
  • Low Carbon Construction Materials |
  • Low Carbon Textiles & Fashion |
  • Corporate Carbon Management |
  • Decarbonizing Oil & Gas Sector |

  • Low Carbon Mobility :

  • Electric Mobility |
  • Low Carbon Trucking |
  • Low Carbon Marine Transport |
  • Low Carbon Aviation |
  • Low Carbon ICE Vehicles |
  • Mass Transit |

  • GHG Management :

  • C2V - CO2 to Value |
  • CO2 Capture & Storage |
  • Reducing Emissions from Livestock |
  • Reducing Non-CO2 Industrial & Agricultural Emissions |
  • Managing Large Carbon Sinks |

  • Communities :

  • Low Carbon Lifestyles |
  • Low Carbon Cities |

  • Finance :

  • Climate Finance |

  • Platforms :

  • Multi-stakeholder Collaboration |
  • Low Carbon Accelerators |

  • Moonshots :

  • Moonshots |