• While the energy and industrial sectors have made huge strides towards renewables in recent years, the food system remains one of Europe's greatest weaknesses.
Food production, including bakery products, is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, with over 30% of Europe already suffering from water scarcity. Sooner or later, all this will be reflected in the prices of energy, flour and final products.
Therefore, the clear trend in bakery in the coming years will be the automation and total digitalization of bakery production, with maximum use of waste energy from exhaust gases and condensation steam, which can ensure up to 95% efficiency of the entire system, with energy savings of up to 40%, depending on the size of the production space and the initial technology.
Kornfeil energy saving technology
Kornfeil has long focused on the use of waste energy in bakeries through the EkoBlok system and the implementation of BioTherm thermal oil boilers, which enable efficient use of heat throughout the baking process. Years of experience have been transformed into the comprehensive Kornfeil energy concept, which represents a solution for a gradual or radical switch from fossil fuels and also includes the need to shift part of the production during the day, taking into account the use of solar energy and renewable sources.
The concept connects individual heat sources and technologies into a single functional unit – from heat production and distribution, through its use and accumulation, to recovery. The goal is to achieve maximum energy efficiency and self-sufficiency in baking operations through interconnected energy management and utilization systems.
This is primarily a concept for thermal oil technologies in baking ovens, which, thanks to a common heat transfer medium, allow for variability and the combined use of different types of heating media. However, there is also a solution for cyclothermal gas ovens, where biogas from renewable energy sources and the use of pellet burners that burn wood-based pellets, wood waste and agropellets as a by-product of agricultural production can be considered.
But let's get back to flexible thermal oil technology, where hearth, rotary and conveyor ovens can be used in combination for heating – natural gas, LPG or electricity in connection with renewable energy sources – photovoltaics, wind power plants and biomass.
Innovative thermal energy storage system
A new feature of the energy concept Cornfeel is the ThermoNest thermal energy storage system. This technology, for which an international patent application has been filed, was developed specifically for bakeries with thermal oil systems as one of the alternative ways to efficiently use renewable energy sources in baking, steam production and reduce fossil fuel consumption.
Since renewable energy sources are unstable and their production varies throughout the day and year, storing the energy obtained is essential for efficient and rational energy management in bakeries. ThermoNest allows the accumulation of heat when there is excessive pressure on the network and its use during times of higher consumption or when there is a shortage of energy from renewable sources.
In practice, this means that bakeries can use surplus electricity from the distribution network, especially in the summer months and on weekends, when energy is sold on the market at minimal or even negative prices, thus significantly increasing the economic efficiency of the entire operation.
Technical information:
- Usable thermal energy capacity: 5 MWh / 7,5 MWh / 10 MWh.
- Fossil fuel consumption savings: 50-70% depending on the size of the operation.
- Way of ussage: heating technology with thermal oil, steam production, thermal power stabilization.
- Emissions balance: converting carbon-free energy into stable process heat
- Network function: can be used as a power balancing element in the distribution network
When properly sized, ThermoNest thermal storage can also serve as a stabilizing element in the distribution network, i.e. an energy balancing service. Bakeries can thus offer part of their capacity to balance energy peaks, while taking advantage of favorable tariffs for reserved capacity or cheap purchases of surplus energy on the market.
Given the climatic and geographical conditions, storage and renewable energy technologies can be used most effectively from spring to autumn. However, in the transitional and winter months, it is necessary to supplement the system with backup energy sources – most often natural gas, LPG, biogas, biomass in the form of wood chips or pellets – depending on the local and regional possibilities of the respective operation.
The functional principle of the Kornfeil Energy Concept is based on connecting individual heating sources into a single controlled system, which allows the program to set energy usage priorities based on the current profitability or availability of individual sources. This principle represents a step towards the digitalization and automation of energy flow management in bakeries – the system can thus respond in real time to spot prices, the performance of renewable sources or immediate production needs.
Given that the availability of renewable sources fluctuates throughout the day and year, this approach allows for the gradual or partial replacement of fossil fuels, with the aim of permanently reducing CO₂ emissions. To maximize the use of solar energy in your own production, it is advisable to move part of the production processes during the day, such as packaging activities or preparing fresh bakery products for afternoon distribution. These measures should be complemented by storing electricity in batteries, which help to cover the time differences between energy production and consumption, although their implementation is currently a more financially expensive solution.
Use of residual energy
One of the key areas of development is the use of waste energy from bakery oven exhaust gases and waste steam. Kornfeil has been active in this field for more than twenty years, during which time he has implemented dozens of energy projects, including the installation of EkoBlok system, from smaller operations to large industrial bakeries. Long-term development and practical experience have allowed the creation of solutions corresponding to different capacities and technological requirements.
Based on this experience, the new EkoBlok ExtraSteam and EkoBlok ExtraClean model series were created, which allow for significantly more efficient use of the condensation heat from exhaust steam – present in every bakery throughout the entire production cycle. Exhaust steam accounts for approximately 10-12% of the so-called baking residues, with each kilogram of steam containing approximately 0,5 kW of usable energy. In practice, this corresponds to the power required to heat up to 1.000 liters of water to 60 °C per hour. The heat obtained can be further used to heat hot water for sanitary purposes, feed water for steam boilers or to operate crate washers.
The EkoBlok project includes two waste energy outputs – the first in the form of heating water at 60/80 °C and the second in the form of hot water heated to a temperature between 60 and 90 °C, depending on the project requirements. The same principle is used by the filtration and recovery device, which recovers energy from the exhaust steam and then purifies the air from odorous components, thus improving the working environment in the bakery.
Thanks to these innovations, it is possible to use up to 95% of the energy input for baking, which brings significant savings in primary energy and operating costs, as well as a reduction in the carbon footprint, in line with the objectives of decarbonization and sustainability in food production.
Article by Martina Kornfeilová, CEO Kornfeil
Read on White Art and: EkoBlok – Kornfeil heat recovery systems
