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BAT from 2021: pioneering project already beats future emission targets today

Federal Environment and Economics Ministries visit modernized combustion plant / Best NOx values in all of Europe

Jörg Wegfahrt (TÜV Hessen, foreground) and Gerhard Meffert (Technical Manager Kunert Wellpappe) in the boiler house in front of the SAACKE Ultra-Low-NOx natural gas burner TEMINOX GL with sound insulation hood.

The participants of the working meeting (from left to right)): Jörg Wegfahrt (TÜV Hessen), Margit Hendricks (SAACKE Marketing), Ronan Nédélec (BMU Consultant), Anja Nowack (Federal Environment Agency), Engelbert Ebeling (Kunert Corrugated Board Boiler House Manager), Gerhard Meffert (Kunert Corrugated Board Technical Manager), Anna Lechermann (BMWi Consultant), kneeling: Sven Gose (SAACKE Technology and Development), Andrea Henkes (Darmstadt Regional Council), kneeling: Andreas Kunert (Managing Partner Kunert), Walter Lindner (SAACKE Sales) and Jürgen Prell (Managing Director Kunert Corrugated Board).

Biebesheim / Bremen, 20 June 2019 – The company Kunert Wellpappe, a medium-sized packaging specialist from Biebesheim in Hesse, and representatives of SAACKE GmbH from Bremen, specializing in industrial combustion technologies and energy management solutions, welcomed a delegation consisting of representatives of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi), the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the Federal Environment Agency, the Darmstadt Regional Council and TÜV Hessen to the Kunert site. The focus of the working meeting was the inspection of the combustion plant, in particular with regard to the emissions generated here. More than 100,000 industrial businesses in Germany have such stationary incinerators, for example to generate steam for production. Kunert is considered a pioneer in the industry in terms of environmental protection and, with the support of SAACKE, has modernized its burner to achieve the lowest nitrogen oxide levels in Europe compared to comparable plants. A performance that politics wanted to convince itself of on the spot.

Already below the emission limits of tomorrow today
With this modernization, Hesse is getting fit for the future: the 44th Ordinance on the Federal Immission Control Act will come into force in July 2019. Moreover, from 2021, the EU will no longer have different country-specific legislation, but rather stricter common emission limit values based on so-called best available techniques (BAT). With their commitment, Kunert is already today undercutting the limits of tomorrow: The declared target of ≤ 50 mg/Nm3 at constant combustion performance was even exceeded, because the plant operates safely below 30 mg/Nm3 (based on 3 % O2) with standard exhaust gas recirculation. The savings are roughly equivalent to the NOx emissions generated by 1,000 diesel cars per year. At the same time, CO2 emissions were reduced by 50 tonnes - a volume that on average five people emit each year. SAACKE took the project from the first consultation to the design and manufacture of the burner right up to commissioning. “The entire project from analysis to implementation went smoothly and was completed within a few months. Since then, the system has been running smoothly and with a clean flame,” explains Gerhard Meffert, Technical Manager at Kunert.

Harmonizing legal requirements and technical know-how
Sven Gose, responsible for the Technology and Development Department at SAACKE, emphasizes: “To protect the environment, we have to achieve much lower emission values for the combustion of fossil and alternative fuels than legally required. Our individual system solution achieves extremely low nitrogen oxide values - with low excess oxygen, no carbon monoxide emissions and for standard furnace dimensions. The proven technology will persuade many plant operators to follow the example of Kunert.” This is important because, despite progress in renewable energies, fossil fuels will continue to be part of the energy mix - and the trend is rising: in its World Energy Outlook 2018, the International Energy Agency assumes that global demand for natural gas will rise by 45% by 2040. In view of this perspective, other countries are already one step ahead: in China's urban regions, such as Beijing, stricter emission limits already apply today than those currently planned by the EU with BAT targets from 2021. SAACKE plants even fall below the Chinese nitrogen oxide specifications; the engineering competence for an even cleaner industry is therefore available. “The participants from the world of politics were pleasantly surprised by the results presented, because the findings provided illustrate the opportunities that legislation also has in Germany and Europe,” says SAACKE expert Sven Gose.

Greener, more efficient and safer production
With their know-how, SAACKE added a TEMINOX Ultra-Low-NOx natural gas burner with 6 MW firing capacity and se@vis pro V3.00 control software to Kunert's large water room steam boiler, which is in operation around the clock. This not only makes production more environmentally friendly, but also more efficient and safer. Thanks to intelligent combustion management, all processes become transparent: variable operating modes, extensive data analysis and remote maintenance provide information on the optimal utilisation of the boiler plant and prevent malfunctions. The managing partner Andreas Kunert is proud of the investment in the future and emphasizes: “The reduction of environmental pollution has always been part of our company philosophy. The almost 50 year old combustion plant for the production of steam would soon have become unmaintainable. We quickly agreed that we wanted to use the best possible technology for modernisation in order to meet our economic and social responsibilities. It would be desirable if funding for environmentally friendly projects was better known about and easier to find in the future - politics and industry should align even more closely together.” SAACKE's proposal to visit a plant with an even higher capacity in terms of emissions and technical feasibility at the next opportunity was very well received by all those present.

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Kunert Wellpappe Biebesheim GmbH & Co KG is part of the Kunert Group with 18 locations and a total of 1,900 employees in Europe and Asia. The entire group produces 300,000 tons of cores, corrugated board packaging and edge protection as well as over 225,000 tons of coreboard per year.

SAACKE GmbH specializes in thermal processes and plants in the industrial and maritime energy management sector and is one of the world market leaders in this field. The medium-sized family business was founded in 1931 and employs a total of around 1,200 people, including a good 450 engineers and technicians. It has production sites in Bremen, Croatia, China and Argentina as well as a worldwide service and sales network. Headquarters, main production and research and development are located in Bremen.

For technical questions and further company information please contact us:

SAACKE Ltd.
Contact: Margit A. Hendricks (Global Marketing Consultant) 
Südweststraße 13 • 28237 Bremen 
Telefon 0421 - 64 95 5340 
E-Mail: m.hendricks[at]saacke.comwww.saacke.com

For press enquiries please contact us:

DIALOG Public Relations 
Contact person: Bastian Korte 
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E-Mail: bastian.korte[at]dialog-pr.comwww.dialog-pr.com

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most available power
at lowest possible
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