The Danish iron foundry, BIRN, aims to reduce its natural gas consumption by around 25% this year. The reason is the recirculation from two new heat recovery plants that use the excess heat from BIRN’s fettling shop to heat the rest of the 10,000m² factory.

Emil Brodersen, energy specialist at BIRN Group, said: “We are constantly looking for ways to streamline our energy processes and optimise resource consumption and heat recovery has proven to have enormous potential for our company. The two plants have been in operation for just over two months and in that time have already saved us around 55,000m³ of natural gas, so it is a very interesting proposition for us — both from a sustainability and economic perspective.”

BIRN expects to invest in a third heat recovery system in the spring, which will be connected to the foundry’s furnace filter, and a fourth recovery system in the summer of 2024. Through ongoing investments in recovery systems, among other things, BIRN hopes to eventually phase out the use of natural gas completely.

The new heat recovery systems not only have a positive impact on BIRN’s natural gas consumption. It also has a positive impact on the surroundings of BIRN’s factory. Combined with the modernisation of production facilities, two chimneys have already been shut down this summer, and BIRN expects to be able to shut down more chimneys in the future through increased investment in heat recovery.

Mr Brodersen concluded: “We are continuously working to improve the environment around our factory wherever possible. So, when the two chimneys from our old oil centre and painting plant became redundant, it was decided that they should be removed.”