Ferrero Rocher opts for biomass after replacing 250 diesel burners

The Italian multinational Ferrero Rocher has approved the replacement of 250 diesel burners with biomass burners in 17 of its 22 manufacturing plants worldwide after awarding the project to Natural Fire, according to the Spanish edition of 'Bioenergy International', published by the Spanish Biomass Association, Avebiom.

This company has replaced the 18 diesel burners in the hazelnut drying plant located in Talca with biomass burners, fueled by the hazelnut shells themselves.

Diesel consumption was 4,300 liters per day, which is now 100% replaced by the hazelnut shells generated by the industry, 8.7 tons per day, making the cost of fueling the burners practically zero. The calorific value of hazelnut shells is 17,500 kJ/kg, similar to that of high-quality wood pellets, although the ash content is only 1.5%.

Hazelnut drying facilities operate twelve hours a day between February and June to process the production from approximately 8,000 hectares of hazelnut orchards. The nuts, still in their shells, remain inside the drying facility for three days. To reduce the moisture content of the shells without damaging the hazelnuts themselves, the drying process uses relatively gentle temperatures, between 48°C and 52°C. When the hazelnuts enter the drying process, their shell moisture content is approximately 12%; once the process is complete, this percentage is reduced to 8%.

The Ferrero Group plant initially discarded hazelnut shells, although it later sold them as a byproduct, until two years ago when it decided to begin testing the Natural Fire Y-300LA biomass burner. The positive results of these tests, both in terms of calorific value and cost savings, have led the Ferrero Group to use hazelnut shells as fuel.

News article published by Patricia Plaza