Ash Utilisation
In recent years the thermal utilisation of solid biomass for heat and electricity production has increased substantially in Austria and the European Union. The promotion of energy production from biomass has also led to a strong increase in the amount of combustion residues, i.e. ashes. At present, a large fraction of the biomass ashes produced is disposed of in landfills. Considering the fact that biomass ashes are a valuable secondary raw material for fertilizing and soil improving measures the current situation is far from satisfying.
The thermal utilisation of biomass resulted 2007 in 350,000 tons of ash in Austria, whereas 295,000 tons were generated in large-scale applications (district heating plants, process heating plants, combined heat and power plants). According to the latest statistics almost 50% (170,000 tons) of the ash were disposed of in landfills in 2007, causing significant costs. An increased utilisation of biomass ash is therefore of high interest both for the economy and the closing of the mineral cycle.
The services offered by BIOS regarding ash utilisation are as follows:
- Performance of R+D projects for the practical utilisation of biomass ash
- Chemical analysis of biomass ash, characterization and evaluation of utilisation possibilities (Analyses)
- Implementation of concepts for fractionated heavy metal separation in biomass combustion plants
- Preparation of ash utilisation and logistics concepts for biomass heating and biomass CHP plants
- Development and planning of the process technology in biomass combustion plants optimized for ash utilisation (ash removal, ash treatment, ash storage, ash storage)
