Evonik and Uniper Launch Sustainable District Heating Project

GERMANY: The Technical Options for Thermal Energy Recovery (TORTE) initiative was formally launched in Gelsenkirchen by Evonik and Uniper. The TORTE project, which is part of Evonik's initial phase of the "Herne Green Deal" to modernise the Herne chemical facility sustainably, will supply the district heating network with industrial waste heat from the manufacturing of isophorone. By the end of 2024, about 1,000 dwellings in the Ruhr area will be supplied. In order to offer local consumers with district heating, Uniper has erected a massive on-site heat pump that can recover up to 1.5 megawatts of heat from this industrial low-temperature waste heat. With the aid of this sustainably recovered heat from the Herne site, Uniper will be able to lower its annual emissions of CO2 by 1,750 tonnes. Additionally, the project helps Evonik achieve its sustainability goals of lowering carbon emissions and utilising fewer fossil fuels at its locations. "Evonik's journey towards sustainability at Herne is just beginning." According to Christian Schmidt, Head of the Crosslinkers business line, "Our long-term ambition for the site is to run completely independently of fossil fuels - including the elimination of fossil-based raw materials from our production and reduce our carbon footprint." We help our customers fulfil their CO2 emission and performance standards by concentrating on our footprint and the handprint of our products. In order to create new, lower fossil carbon-based solutions like our next-generation IP, IPD, and IPDI eCO products, which contribute to the creation of a more sustainable future, we use renewable raw materials.

The German Chemical Industry Association's (VCI) "Responsible Care Initiative" recognised the TORTE project as the winner due to its energy-efficient and sustainable use. The judges considered the Herne initiative to be a model for the comprehensive and sustainable conversion of a chemical facility to environmentally friendly manufacturing and preservation. "The chemical industry has long sought to optimise production and reduce emissions by capturing and repurposing industrial waste heat energy," stated Dr. Rainer Stahl, the site manager for Evonik in Herne. "The Herne site can become a model for sustainable chemical production by using waste heat to make a sustainable contribution to the municipal heat supply in our local community." The Herne location has seventeen production facilities totaling more than 250,000 square metres. Evonik wants to attain carbon neutrality by transforming the industrial site sustainably through the "Herne Green Deal." To test a novel form of electrolysis technology, the H2annibal project is underway in addition to the TORTE project. The objective is to create green hydrogen, which may be utilised at Herne as a renewable feedstock for the manufacturing of isophorone diamine (IPD), which will be more environmentally friendly.

Source: Evonik