Airbus uses biomass for heating

The French aircraft manufacturer Airbus uses woodchips to heat its production facilities after Polytechnik company  has installed a new biomass fueled boiler to produce thermal energy.

The Austrian company renowned for its advanced combustion solutions using biomass to provide energy has reported that the installed boiler is  to produce saturated steam with the heat output of 13.5 MW.  It will primarily serve to heat the production facilities area of 350,000 square meters including the assembly hall and the paint shop for airplanes. The use of woodchips will lead to the significant reduction in the consumption of gas which would be otherwise used as a source of energy and in reduced carbon dioxide emission.

In accordance with environmental strategy

The plant is supposed to burn up to 22,000 tonnes of woodchips per year, an amount which is considered to be in accordance with the environmental strategy. Airbus with its headquarters in Toulouse has established cooperation for the supply of forest biomass with the forestry cooperative COFOGAR, one of the largest forestry organizations in South West France. Even 70% of the woodchips will come from the property of its members, while 30% of the biomass will be supplied by the surrounding wood processing plants.

To ensure cleaner combustion and optimize purification, the gases from the system go through the multi-cyclone separator and electro filter before entering the chimney. In normal mode, the emission of residual particles is only 2-8 mg/m³ and the measured values of emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide almost equal to zero, so the limit values of the corresponding French regulation are easily met. This happens due to the almost complete combustion of fuel and results in more than 90% efficiency.

Smart investment decision

Besides the reduction of CO2 emission by as much as five times, the new plant reduces heating costs by 50% in comparison with the same plant using natural gas. There is also the possibility of additional income from the sale of emission certificates and ash remaining after combustion as a fertilizer to farmers. A part of the investment in the new plant is covered with the support from the French energy agency ADEME.

Company Polytechnik is one of the world’s leading suppliers of heat and power plants with an excellent reputation for the quality of its services from engineering to the installation and commissioning of turn-key plants (EPC contractor). Following its development strategy for the new markets including ex-Yugoslav countries, the company established a branch company in Novi Sad in 2015 that is managing operations in this region.