This project delivers a 30% reduction in fuel use, cutting carbon emissions by 550 tonnes annually, achieving approximately €170,000 in yearly cost savings, reducing particulate matter and SO₂ by 50–90%, and significantly lowering NOx, CO₂e, CH₄, and VOC emissions.
Meat Processing
Ireland
FLU-ACE™
This customer operates 15 manufacturing plants in Europe to serve a portfolio of 22 brands that are active in over 43 countries globally. Committed to reducing GHG emissions and water impacts in its supply chain, the organisation turned to Thermal Energy after recognising the potential at a trade show.
With growing consumer demand to reduce their ‘farm to fork’ carbon footprint, this customer implemented an innovative heat recovery project at its 164-year-old site using Thermal Energy’s proprietary FLU-ACE system.
The FLU-ACE system captures waste hot air from the hair singer exhaust at over 300°C and cools and condenses it to generate hot water for site washdown and sanitary water. The system also includes two additional 35m3 tanks to ensure hot water is available on demand. On average 606 kW of sensible and latent heat was being lost through the stack prior to installation which has been fully recovered with the FLU-ACE system.
The system commonly recovers around 600–800 kW per hour depending on the pig throughput, with the ability to generate water up to 90°C and offset up to 80% of the site’s gas use on the boilers while the pig singer is running, and more than 30% of the total site’s gas use.
There was minimal disruption at Ireland’s oldest traditional pig primary processing site since installation was carried out during weekend operational downtime, attracting 30% project funding through Enterprise Ireland and an additional grant from the SSE. The project also helps to maintain the company’s sustainability certification with Origin Green.
This customer is currently reviewing a phase two project with Thermal Energy on this site and opportunities elsewhere in the group.