Energy
We are moving from an era of cheap and abundant energy to a future where energy is scarce, difficult to produce and expensive. At the same time we are making ourselves dependent on extremely unstable regimes in unpleasant areas of the world. As is the case in a large number of other sectors, industrial plants in the malt industry require large amounts of energy. Against the background of increasing prices in the near future, the search for renewable, environmentally friendly and cheap energy sources is the order of the day. In addition, energy-saving measures are becoming more and more important.)
Furthermore, if it is assumed that 750 kg of water (45 % wet basis) has to be evaporated for one tonne of finished malt, a thermal energy requirement of 530 kWh/tonne of finished malt (or 45,580 kcal/dt) arises.
Since drying does not proceed ideally, particularly in the final phases (hygroscopicity), this heat consumption is even greater with convection drying.
Drying with air results in a heat consumption of 603 kWh/tonne of finished malt (or 51,858 kcal/dt) for the above evaporating temperature after heat recovery.
(See Mollier h,x diagram)
Combined heat and power stations for supply of the base load heat during operation have been run on vegetable oil at Kling-Malz in Schriesheim since December 2007. A significant amount of heat is therefore generated from renewable energy sources.