Etekina is a project included in the European projects of Horizon 2020 whose objective is to save energy in industrial processes.

This project is divided into three use cases:

• The first case (our case) consists of energy saving. T6 heat treatment furnace for the aluminium industry, aiming to recover energy from the fumes of the solubilisation furnace through a heat exchanger, the project has been very successful, achieving energy savings of around 40%.
• The second case is applied in the ceramic industry, using a heat treatment furnace, heat recovery through a heat exchanger.
• The last case Heat treatment furnace for the Steel Industry. Heat exchanger applied to your use case. Savings of around 40%.

The Basque use case was led by FAGOR EDERLAN. In the Slovenian use case, it was led by METAL RAVNE and in the Italian use case, it was ATLAS CONCORDE, the company with which we have collaborated Brunel University.

These projects allow synergies and collaborations today and in the future.

As part of the initiatives for an efficient and green industry in the midst of the energy transition towards decarbonisation, we are working together with different companies on various projects for alternatives to fossil fuels.

In this case we would like to comment on the collaboration with H2Site for on-site hydrogen production technology as fuel gas or process gas.

Decarbonisation and the switch to hydrogen

Decarbonisation: Iberdrola and Insertec sign a collaboration agreement

With the aim of taking another step towards industrial decarbonisation, Iberdrola and Insertec have signed a collaboration agreement to develop electrification projects for industrial furnaces for melting, recycling and heat treatment for the automotive industry, among other industries. Solutions based on technologies such as the heat pump or through the consumption of green hydrogen are the two lines of work established.

Electrification + Green hydrogen = Decarbonisation

The implication of greenhouse gases (GHG) in climate change has been more than demonstrated. To curb this phenomenon, CO2 emissions must be reduced: industry must embark on a path of gradual substitution of fossil fuels.

The electrification of equipment is a clear objective in our industry. Together with Iberdrola, we are working on the development of heat pump-based solutions to achieve this.

However, we are also working in another area: green hydrogen. A universal, light and highly reactive fuel, it is generated by electrolysis, a chemical process that uses electrical current (obtained from renewable energy sources) to separate hydrogen from the oxygen in water.

This way of obtaining green hydrogen, as the IEA points out, would save the 830 million tonnes of CO2 per year that are generated when this gas is produced by fossil fuels.

GREEN ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION

Working towards a more environmentally friendly industry is a challenge for the foundry sector. It is a question of combining sustainability and productivity to move towards maximum plant efficiency.

To achieve this goal, Insertec has developed a range of solutions and equipment designed to reduce CO2 emissions and thus limit the carbon footprint of installations:

CDM Eco-Unit®. The best available technology for processing post-consumer waste. The combination of the deliming and melting processes in a single unit guarantees a reduced carbon footprint and maximum metal efficiency.

S-MIC. All-electric aluminum melting and holding furnace that revolutionizes the melting process by offering efficiency and superior molten metal quality. Compact, energy-efficient solution that offers significant advantages to the industry.

Electrical Furnaces for Heat Treatment T6. Hybrid solution annealing furnace: it combines gas and electric heating. Designed to drastically reduce CO2 emissions and improve energy efficiency, our furnaces achieve up to 30% energy savings compared to conventional systems. State-of-the-art T6 continuous heat treatment equipment, processes up to 300,000 LPDC aluminum subframes per year.

Concepts:

• Plant efficiency
• Sustainability
• Reduce carbon footprint
• Reducing CO2 emissions
• Maintaining yield/productivity
• Accelerate emissions reduction
• The fastest way to achieve zero-carbon aluminum is to recycle post-consumer scrap (PCS).
• Green aluminum

This LIFE BAUXAL II project will allow the transformation of a secondary aluminium oxide into an alternative raw material to Bauxites in the manufacture of refractories and thus on the one hand reduce the European dependence of refractory manufacturers on this raw material and the recycling of this aluminium waste.

www.bauxal2.com

INSERTEC is one of the 58 companies that form part of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor consortium through its participation in the H-ACERO project: Climate neutrality of the steel industry based on new technologies and processes with intensive application of hydrogen.

The main objective of H-ACERO is the decarbonisation of the steel industry through the implementation of hydrogen as a clean fuel in partial or total substitution of natural gas.

INSERTEC’s participation in the project will respond to the technological objective of developing a new generation of refractories to meet the new conditions established by the combustion of hydrogen (from the selection and characterisation of raw materials, the development of new formulations, and the optimisation of manufacturing processes and the installation of linings).

https://petronor.eus/es/2021/02/el-corredor-vasco-del-hidrogeno-une-a-78-empresas-y-organizaciones-en-la-industria-del-futuro/

https://www.sarralle.com/en/news/view/sarralle-signs-the-mou-at-the-basque-hydrogen-corridor-bh2c

We are working on the recovery of refractory waste generated in a steel mill, both alumina-based and magnesia-based, and using them for the manufacture of refractory materials.

These materials have already been applied in steel mills in non-critical points with good results. We want the steel sector to support and trust in these projects with the use of these materials.