Ferrero Rocher bets on 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 the 22 manufacturing plants it has around the world 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 carried out the replacement of the 18 existing diesel burners in the hazelnut drying plant located in Talca with biomass burners, powered by the hazelnut shells themselves.

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

The hazelnut dryers work twelve hours a day between February and June, to process the production of some 8,000 hectares of hazelnut crops. The fruit with its peel remains three days inside the drying room. To reduce the humidity in the shell without damaging the hazelnut itself, work is done with mildly aggressive temperatures, between 48º and 52°C. When the hazelnut enters the process, the humidity of its shell is approximately 12%; and once completed, this percentage is reduced to 8%.

The Ferrero Group plant initially discarded the hazelnut shell, although it later sold it as a by-product, until two years ago it decided to begin testing with the Y-300LA biomass burner from Natural Fire. Their good results, due to their calorific value and economic savings, have advised the Ferrero group to use hazelnut shells as fuel.

News published by Patricia Plaza