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Turning Waste Heat into Community Heating

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We Don't Have Time

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How a chemical plant’s waste heat supplies 40% of a city’s district heating

Energy user: Heavy Industry
For years, a major sulphuric acid plant let immense amounts of heat wash out to sea. By installing a closed-loop circuit with compact plate heat exchangers, they captured this thermal energy instead. Now, rather than heating the ocean, that energy flows directly into the local district heating network.
This circular approach turns an industrial byproduct into a valuable community resource. The initiative successfully captures enough waste heat to supply 40% of the city of Helsingborg’s entire district heating demand, while cutting carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to taking 55,000 cars off the road every year.
Additional benefits:
  • Exceptional economics: The system achieved a payback time of less than one year, turning waste heat into a highly profitable by-product and a steady revenue stream for the plant.
  • Reduced dependence on fossil fuels: By supplying heat to the city, the project cut the need for oil-based heating and avoided building a new 45 MW power plant, delivering major system-wide savings.
  • Industry-wide potential: While much waste heat is still lost globally, this solution shows how existing sulphuric acid plants can recover previously unused heat, unlocking new opportunities for district heating, industrial processes, and even desalination.
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