Source: Energy & Management Powernews, September 29, 2022
Cocoa shells instead of natural gas: Only at the company Olam Food Ingredients in Mannheim, this fuel switch of a special kind is likely to work.
On the way to CO2 neutrality, the cocoa producer Olam Food Ingredients is converting the process steam generation for its production at the Mannheim site from natural gas to biomass. MVV Enamic, a subsidiary of MVV Energie AG, is carrying out the construction of the modern boiler plant on the company's premises.
The use of cocoa shells for steam generation is unique in Germany, according to a statement from the energy supplier. Unlike the energy sources commonly used, such as pellets or wood chips, the plant had to be redesigned and redesigned specifically for the burning behavior of cocoa shells. Another challenge was flood protection: Because of its location directly on the banks of the Neckar River, the entire boiler plant is built on two-meter-high supports.
In the future, Olam Food will be able to use the shells produced during cocoa processing, most of which previously had to be transported away and disposed of, for steam generation directly on site. The company plans to obtain 90% of the process steam required for production in this way from 2023 onwards, which at the same time will mean a reduction in CO2 emissions of 8,000 tons per year.
Supporting MVV customers in the energy transition
"The project is an excellent fit for MVV Enamic. This is because we not only want to support our customers in the energy turnaround, but have also committed ourselves with the Mannheim Model to be climate neutral by 2040 and thereafter to be one of the first energy companies in Germany to be climate positive," explained Joachim Hofmann, Managing Director of MVV Enamic.
With the delivery of the 25.5 tons heavy and 14.3 meters high biomass boiler, the heart of the new plant, the first important milestone of the large-scale project has now been reached: from the production site in Serbia, the boiler was four days on the road with heavy transporters. With the support of two truck-mounted cranes, the boiler components were unloaded at the company's site.
The new boiler plant consists of a biomass boiler and a redundancy boiler, as well as buildings and peripheral systems. MVV Enamic planned it as part of a contracting steam supply agreement and is responsible for its implementation. In addition, the energy service provider will take over the financing and operational management of the plant for a period of 16 years. In the next project step, the biomass boiler and the associated buildings and peripheral systems are to be assembled. Commissioning of the new boiler plant is scheduled for spring 2023.
Singapore-based Olam Food Ingredients operates in 60 countries and is one of the world's largest cocoa manufacturers.
Author: Günter Drewnitzky
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