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Oct 14, 2023

IETF Phase 2, Spring 2022: competition winners

Updated 9 May 2023 © Crown copyright 2023 This publication is licensed

Updated 9 May 2023

© Crown copyright 2023

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IETF grant offered: £231,699Project costs: £463,400Location: Hope, DerbyshireStudy Competition: Breedon Cement CCS

The UK mineral products sector produces 400 Mt of aggregates, industrial minerals and manufactured mineral products every year. As part of this, over a third of the cement and lime that is produced in the UK is manufactured by four operations located in and around the Peak District. As a result, cement and lime production is the largest single contributor to industrial CO2 emissions across Derbyshire, representing 31% of the total CO2 emissions in the region.

Decarbonisation of this industry is critical due to the strategically important nature of cement. The concrete made from cement is essential to delivering new homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces, roads and railways, as well as the infrastructure that provides us with clean water, sanitation and energy. The UK is largely self-sufficient in these materials - over 95% of UK concrete is produced locally. Support from the IETF now will enable the development of low carbon products, thus future proofing the cement industry for years to come.

It is estimated that 61% of required emissions reductions to achieve net zero across the cement sector needs to come from carbon capture and storage (CCS). In the production of both cement and lime, the majority of the CO2 is a direct consequence of processing the limestone raw material and this can only be abated by carbon capture, transport and storage. Carbon neutrality, or better, at the production stage can be achieved with a high proportion of biomass or other zero carbon fuel in the fuel mix combined with carbon capture.

Breedon's Hope cement works emits over 1 Mt of CO2 per year. There are significant technological challenges associated with capture of a complex gas stream in such volume, as well as subsequent transportation to a suitable storage facility. Therefore, this project consists of 2 main elements:

i) CCS feasibility studyii) Connecting pipeline feasibility study

The project aims to significantly advance knowledge of the infrastructure required by Derbyshire's cement and lime plants to achieve a low carbon future. The feasibility studies will explore the implementation of carbon capture technologies at Hope, including a technology vendor option appraisal, site utilities integration review, pipeline feasibility engineering, and preliminary capture plant design, culminating in a detailed feasibility report. This project will be 50% funded by Breedon and the match-funded support from the IETF will reduce project risks, enabling a baseline definition for entry into FEED to be secured which could ultimately support the permanent installation of such technology at Hope.

Dr Edward Cavanagh, Breedon, Hope Cement Works Manager, said: "Understanding the possibilities of CCS for a site such as the Hope Cement Works, deep within the Peak District National Park, will not just facilitate a major breakthrough for the operation but also assist with ensuring that significant steps continue to be taken against the sectorial roadmap for net zero carbon cement production."

IETF grant offered: £136,417Project costs: £329,561Location: PeterboroughEnergy Efficiency Deployment Competition: Energy efficiency improvements of low temperature ovens

Pioneer Foods (UK) Ltd is a leading cereal manufacturer in the UK, producing breakfast cereals and healthy fruit snacks. Focussing on one of its manufacturing facilities in the UK, the Peterborough site produces a variety of granola based products for major retailers and brands in the UK and Europe. With an ambition to reach net zero in the coming years, Pioneer Foods are continuously implementing projects to improve energy efficiency, optimise processes and reduce carbon emissions. Following an initial feasibility report by Envirya in 2021 through a successful IETF grant application, Pioneer Foods have joined up with their energy engineering partners to implement a process optimisation project on our Ovens.

The aim of the project is to maximise the energy efficiency of the industrial drying process through well established technologies that can be retrofitted to the pre-existing ovens to reduce overall gas consumption and carbon emissions. The technologies to be implemented on the 3 ovens include;

With the support from IETF grant funding, Pioneer Foods have successfully been able to execute energy saving projects towards their net zero commitments. Due to increasing cost of fuel and grains, investment in decarbonisation has become more difficult. Without funding, the project would have been limited to focusing on one oven only, implementing burner replacement only to provide the quickest payback. With CapEx funding from IETF, Pioneer Foods have been able to target projects on all 3 ovens, increasing overall process efficiency.

Following the implementation of the burners, heat recovery, damper control and High efficiency motors, it is expected that the overall carbon savings from the project will be in excess of 326 tCO2e per year. This will drastically improve the efficiency of the process whilst demonstrating flexibility, repeatability and scalability for other industrial low temperature processes. This will truly highlight the benefits to retrofitting to existing low temperature thermal processes, outlining the potential barriers and how these can be practically overcome.

IETF grant offered: £92,481Project costs: £184,962Location: Buxton, DerbyshireStudy Competition: Lhoist decarbonisation study

Lhoist Group is a leader in lime, dolime and minerals. With headquarters in Belgium, they are present in 25 countries with more than 100 facilities around the globe. It differentiates its business by being close to its customers, understanding their needs and providing them with the high-quality products their activities require. It is a family owned firm originating within Belgium in 1889, but now involving 6,400 employees worldwide and over 50 nationalities.

Within the UK one of its facilities is the Hindlow plant, near Buxton in Derbyshire. The Hindlow plant manufactures high-quality lime, hydrated lime and other materials for a range of applications – chemical, environment, building, civil engineering, gas treatment and water.

Lhoist is pleased that this plant is part of the ‘Peak Cluster’ project alongside other industrial partners and Progressive Energy. This project builds on the significant effort already undertaken as part of HyNet to envisage CO2 capture on an industrial scale for sites a little further from the original coastal cluster. The funding supports additional study around the feasibility of carbon capture at Hindlow, combining that with other facilities and using a pipeline solution to safely convey the emissions for underground storage in the Irish Sea.

Andrew Jackson, Energy Strategy and Transition Director, Europe, said: "Lhoist is delighted to be a recipient of IETF funding from DESNZ and looks forward to developing the project further. This sort of project is completely aligned with our carbon roadmap, promoting the sustainable manufacture of high-quality industrial lime at Hindlow in Derbyshire for decades to come and we are excited for it to become a reality."

IETF grant offered: £19,000Project costs: £39,145Location: Wrexham, WalesStudy Competition: Heat recovery on process ovens and dryers in cereal manufacturing

Kellogg's plant in Wrexham has been manufacturing breakfast cereals since the late 1970s. The process of cereal manufacturing is energy intensive and it requires large volumes of natural gas to cook, dry and toast the cereal at high temperatures. In this feasibility study, the company is assessing the possibility of recovering the waste heat from these processes to reduce the overall gas demand.

The problem is challenging due to various constraints and operational requirements of the process, for example, the ability to operate the dryers independent of the rest of the process for flexibility in production. Additionally, the dryers cannot be operated independent from the process and so operation times are fixed to a certain window. The physical distance between the dryers and the ovens would also require consideration and detailed engineering design in order to implement a heat exchanger network. The resulting solution would aim to utilise the waste heat generated by the process and increase the energy efficiency of the overall process.

The aims of this feasibility study are to identify opportunities for energy savings and carbon reduction and gain a reasonable understanding of risks, costs of investments and resources required for the selected solutions.

The IETF feasibility study grant, combined with match-funding from the company's funds, will cover the cost of this study. The project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly and generate financial savings, which will mitigate to some extent the rising costs of energy and meet the objective of the company's carbon-neutral targets. In conjunction with the IETF, the company are working towards its carbon-zero aspirations.

Phil Makin, Technical Development Manager, said: "The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund is enabling our Wrexham site to unlock future sustainability savings and benefits, whilst driving down our overall carbon footprint and helping towards Kellogg's 2030 carbon neutral target."

IETF grant offered: £73,100Project costs: £152,690Location: Barnsley, South YorkshireStudy Competition: Feasibility study into the viability of using waste heat recovery and development of an approach to redeploy the waste thermal energy to maximise the energy efficiency

Naylor Drainage's plant in Cawthorne, Barnsley, has been manufacturing specialised clay pipes and other construction products since the last 130 years. The process of clay pipe manufacturing is very energy intensive, and it requires large volumes of natural gas to first dry the clay pipes and then bake them at high temperatures in specially designed kilns. In this feasibility study, the company is assessing the possibility of utilising the waste heat from the exhaust gases of the kilns to offset the gas demand of the dryers as well as to produce electricity from the heat, which would have otherwise been wasted.

The problem is challenging due to various constraints and operational requirements of the process, for example the ability to operate the dryers independent of the kilns for flexibility in production, the physical distances between the heat sources and sinks, the distributed nature of heat from multiple kilns, access requirements, etc. and would require careful consideration, engineering design and a bespoke solution. The aims of this feasibility study are to identify opportunities for energy savings and carbon reduction and gain a reasonable understanding of risks, costs of investments and resources required for the selected solutions.

The IETF feasibility study grant, combined with match-funding from Naylor's corporate funds, will cover the cost of this project. The project is expected to provide significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and savings on its gas consumption upon completion and will provide some level of immunity from rising gas prices.

The company have thus appointed Hallam Energy at Sheffield Hallam University as expert subcontractors to lead this study. Hallam Energy is led by its Director, Dr Abhishek Asthana, who has delivered 65 industrial efficiency and decarbonisation projects, including 5 IETF projects. Hallam Energy are carrying out an in-depth techno-economic study involving the testing, analysis of heat sources and sinks, engineering design and specification and financial modelling of the proposed investment.

Alex Farrer, Group EHS Officer, Naylor Industries, said: "We are keen to operate in a sustainable manner for our planet and play our part in reaching the national net zero emissions target by 2050. We would like to lead the way on energy efficiency and decarbonisation for the ceramic industry in the UK. The IETF grant from DESNZ is a vital resource for industries like ours which have limited disposable funds but are keen to convert our environmental ambitions into practical action through this ambitious project."

IETF grant offered: £1,122,686Project costs: £3,207,676Location: ManchesterEnergy Efficiency Deployment Competition: Heat integration project

The purpose of the Heat Integration project at Carrington is to reduce steam consumption on the polypropylene plant by harnessing heat from a vapour steam that would otherwise be wasted. Therefore, reducing natural gas usage need to produce steam via the site boilers by 30% and therefore a considerable cost reduction. From a sustainability perspective, over 4000t of CO2 will be saved annually.

The heat integration project technology is to be installed on the Polypropylene plant which has a propylene recycle system downstream of the main reactor. Liquid propylene is vaporised using low pressure steam in the exchanger with the largest steam demand on site in order to be able to separate polymer solid from propylene vapour. In the propane rejection column reboiler, propane is vaporised using low pressure steam in the exchanger with the second largest steam demand on site.

The heat integration scheme is proposed to utilise the sensible and latent heat available in the propylene recycle vapour stream to provide the heat duty of the propane rejection column reboiler. This will prevent the need for steam to be utilised on the column reboiler the vast majority of the time.

A scheme of piping system modifications together with a new reboiler and flowmeters will be installed as part of this project with associated control and safety system changes.

The project will be funded 65% by Basell Polyolefins UK Ltd, which is part of LyondellBasell, with 35% being funded by the UK government.

The project is a step change for the site from a sustainability perspective and it allows the plant do make real headway in meeting its environmental goals for CO2 emissions. The government investment has really helped in making the IRR and payback for the project extremely attractive which can sometimes be challenging for sustainability projects with relatively high initial investment. A reduction in natural gas consumption will help the Carrington plant, and the UK as a whole to remain competitive in the production of polypropylene against plants in other countries, and protect and improve margin in what is a very competitive industry.

Ludovic Museur, Site Manager Carrington / Director of Basell Polyolefins UK Limited, said: "Lyondellbasell's Carrington site is fully engaged to reduce its energy consumption to sustain our activity that delivers customers’ needs, and address climate change by reducing our CO2 footprint. That is why we are really thankful to IETF to have granted us with a subsidy that makes the implementation of the heat integration project possible. This project will not only reduce natural gas consumption by 30% but also abate the total site CO2 emissions by 20%, making a real step change."

IETF grant offered: £1,038,853Project costs: £2,968,150Location: ManchesterEnergy Efficiency Deployment Competition: Convert falling film steam evaporator on glucose channel to use mechanical vapour recompression

Cargill is a global company with more than 155 years of experience, working in over 70 countries with 155,000 employees. The main purpose of the company is to connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, people, and animals with the food they need to thrive. Cargill combine experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial, and industrial customers in more than 125 countries.

The company was founded in USA in 1865 and has been operating in the UK since 1955. Within the UK there are now 20 locations that make up Cargill PLC, one of which is Manchester. The plant of Cargill Manchester in Trafford Park is part of the Food Ingredients and Bioindustrial business unit. The site uses wheat as the raw material to produce glucose syrups, ethanol and other by-products including gluten and bran. Glucose manufacture has taken place on the site since 1911 but has been owned by Cargill when Cargill's acquisition of Cerestar was completed. The site operates a large CHP plant fulfilling steam and electricity requirements for the plant and exporting excess electricity to the grid.

The final production stage of Cargill Manchester's glucose refining Channel 1 uses a falling film evaporator to increase the dry solid content of the glucose before it is blended to a customer recipe and loaded for transportation. Energy modelling and pinch analysis carried out on the glucose refinery has identified a potential opportunity to reduce energy and CO2 emissions by switching to an alternative established technology.

The project proposal is to convert the existing 4 stage falling film evaporator to utilise mechanical vapour recompression to achieve the required evaporation. In principle the project encompasses switching from thermal to electric energy via electric heat pump technology. Installing 2 fans will recompress and circulate the heat vapours around the evaporator to be used as the heating medium. This negates the need for continuous steam addition throughout the evaporation process and will lead to steam reduction. The addition of power consumption from the new installed fans is netted off and results in an overall reduction in natural gas and an associated reduction of CO2 emissions.

A company spokesperson said: "This project wouldn't go ahead without the IETF funding as it does not give a good financial return and does not meet the internal project payback threshold required to obtain CAPEX funding from Cargill."

IETF grant offered: £2,622,157Project costs: £4,370,262Location: WarringtonDeep Decarbonisation Deployment Competition: Steam boiler project hydrogen fuelling

Ingevity's Warrington site manufactures a family of specialty chemicals known as Polycaprolactones, used in both polyurethane CASE applications (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants and Elastomers) and thermoplastic applications such as bioplastics and medical. Manufacture of these Ingevity products uses energy in the form of steam, which is currently supplied by 2 natural gas fired boilers.

The project, supported by the IETF grant, is to replace the current boiler systems at the plant with new natural gas fuelled boilers outfitted to be able to convert to hydrogen fuel at a future date. Estimated by the manufacturer to enable a 4.3% improvement in energy efficiency, installation of new boilers will support the company's strategy to reduce its carbon footprint for its caprolactone products and provide additional opportunity for future decarbonisation through the use of hydrogen.

The existing boilers, operated by a third party, have been in operation since 1995 and due to poor reliability and expensive maintenance costs, are at the end of their economic life. Ingevity is making the investment in the new boiler system and IETF funding will enable the site upgrades needed to futureproof the boilers for conversion to hydrogen.

"Ingevity's mission is to purify, protect and enhance the world around us," said Steve Hulme, senior vice president and president, Advanced Polymer Technologies at Ingevity. "We are excited to install upgrades that optimise operational efficiency and support sustainability efforts, and further expand our positive impact on our planet beyond the benefits derived from the use of our products."

Three new natural gas fuelled boilers will be installed, with space provided for the retrospective installation of any equipment to allow hydrogen fuelling. The boilers will be made hydrogen ready through the installation of a new hydrogen let down station and other equipment on the boilers themselves. Upon commissioning of the three new boilers by Ingevity, the existing steam plant will be mothballed and then demolished.

The new boiler system will also include capacity for a fourth boiler, should this be required in future years or following the fuel switch. Output from a fourth boiler would add capacity and mitigate risk for any downrating of maximum steam production if the system switches to 100% hydrogen fuelling, an expected output reduction indicated by the boiler manufacturer. The fourth boiler would be located in the same building and supply the same manufacturing plants as the other 3 boilers.