German utility E.ON has reached a long-term partnership with Imerys, a French mineral producer, for recovering energy from industrial waste gases.
Under the alliance, E.On agreed to invest in the construction of an energy recovery plant at Imerys’ production facility in Willebroek, Belgium.
Syngas or synthetic gas from Imerys’ production will be used as an energy source for a new energy recovery plant, which is expected to have a capacity of up to 29MW.
The electricity generated from the plant will power the Imerys site and 40,000 households in the region, all through the year.
Synthetic gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, is produced as a by-product during the manufacture of carbon black.
It is a key additive in lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. Traditionally, syngas was disposed via thermal afterburning, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Imerys graphite & carbon vice-president Frank Wittchen said: “When it comes to syngas treatment, we were convinced that we needed to find a more sustainable way. We therefore set out to find a way to enable the recovery of the energy that was being lost when we flared the syngas.”
Through the tie-up, E.On can help in reducing the environmental footprint of the mineral producer.
E.On Power Plants Belgium, the Belgian subsidiary of E.On, will build the plant on a build-own-operate basis.
Expected to come online in the third quarter of 2025, the energy recovery plant will be fitted with emissions control technology to reduce nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide emissions to comply with EU regulations.
E.ON energy projects managing director Manfred Wirsing said: “Together with Imerys, we will improve the energy efficiency of the production site. As the produced carbon black is primarily used for lithium-ion batteries, the environment benefits on the one hand due to its importance in the transition towards e-mobility and on the other hand by the generation of power by the recovery of energy from the off-gasses − a double win for the environment.”
