Combustion of wood chips and composting residues for process steam generation in a potato processing industry

This case study is of a biomass fired boiler that generates process steam for a potato processing company in the Netherlands.

The 10 MW biomass boiler uses very low-grade wood chips and composting residues to produce 10 tph of saturated process steam (18 Bar). The steam is used to convert fresh potatoes to various peeled, cut and precooked potato products, which are then delivered to various supermarkets around Europe. The biomass fuel displaces over 8 million m3 of natural gas annually.

The biomass boiler installation is highly efficient through the use of flue gas condensation, and avails of an advanced flue gas cleaning system, including SNCR, SCR, bicarbonate injection and a baghouse filter, leading to very low emissions. The project demonstrates that the substantial investment can be justified economically since the plant is operating year-round to supply the baseload of the industrial heat demand, while using an inexpensive low-grade fuel that is locally available and has no  competition from higher value applications.