Study 19: Decarbonisation of cooking and drying processes

Companies are seeking to reduce their environmental impact, in particular by cutting their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This drive is underpinned in particular by the targets set by France as part of the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC), which aims for an 81 per cent reduction in GHG emissions from the industrial sector. Among the key areas for action is work on manufacturing processes.

This study focuses on the decarbonisation of drying and firing processes, for which three types of solution are examined:

• energy efficiency,
• electrification,
• renewable and recovered energy.

The aim of the study is to examine the application of these various decarbonisation solutions across three case studies and to compare the results up to 2050 from an energy, economic and environmental perspective.

The application cases studied are the drying and firing of tiles, the drying and curing of a powder coating line, and the roasting of barley malt.

This study shows that all of the solutions enable significant reductions in GHG emissions. To achieve further reductions in GHG emissions associated with certain processes or in specific cases, CCUS solutions (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) may be necessary.