How to use waste energy and material side streams

Tuesday, 27 April 2021

How is there a connection between the avocado you eat and waste energy from the process industry? The case is that the waste energy can give value to others, and prevent unnecessary new energy use. The mapping of waste energy and its new potential for use, is one of the projects the Eyde Cluster has initiated.

We have not yet started to grow avocados. This is only one of many ideas presented as opportunities in reuse and to use waste energy.

- The mapping og waste energy is a part of the EU project INCUBIS, says Stine Skagestad, the leader of circular change in the Eyde Cluster.

Our circular economy projects

The member companies in the Eyde Cluster have their own activity connected to the Eu project. Here they map energy amount, temperature and energy carriers, as water, air and metal.

Avocado farms

Waste energy can be used in several areas. For example to make a marked for growing avocados in Norway - a vegetable who requires lots of water and heat, and create a problem for countries where there are a lack of water supply. Norway has enough of water, and to use waste energy from companies, the avocado also gets the heat it needs.

Read the comment in DN (Norwegian)

Waste energy to fish farms

- Eramet and Stolt Fishfarms in Kvinesdal, South in Norway, is also a good example. Here the fish farm was made right next to the company Eramet, and gets its waste energy to heat the water for the turbot. says Christophe Pinck, EU advisor in the Eyde Cluster and in the INCUBIS.

- The Horizon 2020 project INCUBIS complements the cluster other regional activities very well, such as Agder Symbiosis. Agder Symbiosis is a regional collaboration platform to facilitate regional value creation through valorization of sidestreams and wastes. There is still a large potential to utilize waste heat and other resources through better planning processes and increased cross sectorial collaboration, adds Pinck.

Material side streams

The project is aimed to map material side streams, and investigate in which areas these can be used, to make value. The project leader is Gunnar Kulia.

Skagestad points out Eramet as a good example, with their Greenstone, where the waste can be a new product, useful in both agriculture and construction.

Now interdisciplinary groups, with national and international experts, are working to investigate the possibilities for use, and how new products can be made of the material side streams.

- All of these projects are connected and complement each other. All of them contributes to the transformation from a linear economy to a circular economy, says Skagestad.

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