Wood powder burners in direct-heated grain dryers for increased resource efficiency and lower CO2 emissions, stage 2

Long-term test and evaluation in a large scale real environment

drying is done with combustion heat in dryers that supply heat directly by contact between the flue gas and the grain, or indirectly via heat exchange to air.

Today, direct-acting grain dryers heated with fossil gas are the standard alternative for new construction in the grain industry, as they provide high efficiency and low investment costs. During drying, heat is added to the grain through direct contact with the flue gas. Direct heat supply is generally 10-20% more efficient.

The intention with this project is to develop a combustion system for wood powder for integration into a new facility planned to be built in Uddevalla by Lantmännen. The pilot plant will be tested and evaluated in a real environment and a plan will be drawn up for the implementation of a commercial solution in more plants.

The solution means that fossil gas is replaced by renewable and bio-based raw materials (wood powder) based on residual products from the wood industry. The solution can either be used in the conversion of existing direct-acting dryers or in new construction. In ten years’ time, an implementation of the solution can be expected to replace 10,000 MWh of fossil gas each year.