The efficient utilization of waste heat from industrial processes can provide a significant source of energy savings for production plants, as well as be a driver of sustainable operations and the abatement of emissions. Industrial waste heat usually is contained in liquid or gaseous outlet streams. Although the possible ways to utilize waste heat are discussed in a wide variety of papers, these either provide only a general overview of utilization options and opportunities or focus on a narrow range of industrial processes. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the practical aspects of waste heat utilization in the European Union so that the reader can gain perspective on (i) the thermal classification of waste heat, (ii) liquid and gaseous waste streams and their typical temperatures for industrial use cases, (iii) the technical, economic, physical, and environmental aspects barring full utilization of the available waste heat, (iv) waste heat sources in various industries, and (v) standardized equipment and technologies applicable to industrial waste heat utilization, including their advantages, disadvantages, and weak points.

This study investigates the industrial-scale application of a simple convective solar drying process of pineapples as part of a circular economy strategy for developing countries. A renewable energy concept is presented, which follows the circular economy aims by effectively employing a simple system for biogas production and a two-stage drying system. Both these systems meet the requirements for implementation in the specific conditions of developing countries, of which Togo, where pineapple is a major crop, is taken as an example. With respect to earlier findings available in the literature, the paper focuses on the solar drying process, which is critical to the proposed strategy. A portable solar dryer working in indirect heating mode was built and later also modified to enhance its performance. Three main factors influencing the convective drying process, namely, drying time (270 min, 480 min), solar radiation intensity (650 W/m², 1100 W/m²), and slice thickness (6–8 mm, 12–14 mm), were considered. The statistical Design of Experiments (DOE) method was applied to reduce the number and scope of experiments. In the best case, the moisture content was reduced from 87.3 wt % in fresh samples to 29.4 wt % in dried samples, which did not meet the quality requirements for dried fruit. An additional conventional post-solar drying procedure would, therefore, still be necessary. Nonetheless, the results show that in the case of pineapple drying the consumption of fossil fuels can be decreased significantly if convective solar pre-drying is employed.

The objective of the present study was to experimentally investigate and compare the characteristics of three oxygen-enhanced combustion (OEC) methods; premix enrichment (PE), air-oxy/fuel combustion (AO), and additionally also oxygen lancing (OL) method. The overall oxygen concentration varied from 21% to 38%. Combustion tests were carried out using the gas burner with the thermal input of 750 kW fired by natural gas. The characteristics of OEC methods, such as the concentration of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide in flue gas, in-flame temperatures distribution in the horizontal symmetry plane of the combustion chamber, heat flux to the combustion chamber wall, flue gas temperature, and the stability of flame were investigated. NO_x emissions increased by more than 40 times and by 20 times for the PE method. The tests using the AO and OL methods with NO_x emissions below 150 mg/Nm³ at all oxygen concentrations showed significantly better results. For all OEC methods, radiative heat transfer increased with increasing oxygen concentration. The available heat was 20% higher at 38% O₂ than at 21% O₂. The flue gas temperature decreased with increasing oxygen concentration, which was affected by a decrease in N₂ concentration in the oxidizer and a simultaneous increase in radiant heat flux.

The paper presents a method developed for the energy retrofit of specific Heat Exchanger Networks not containing Utility Paths. This useful and highly practically oriented method involves a systematic approach to obtaining the most efficient minimal modification topology of a Heat Exchanger Network, which brings the greatest benefits in terms of energy savings of the modified process. In principle, it is focused on finding the most suitable location for a new heat exchanger insertion to create the most efficient Utility Path. The next step of the developed retrofit method is the detailed design of the newly integrated heat exchanger using commercial software in combination with several heuristic rules regarding the cost-free investment and maintenance cost minimization of a new heat exchanger and considering heat transfer enhancement within the available exchanger type, space, and fluids pressure drop constraints. The detail design stage of the method also includes observation and reassessment of the performance and operational parameters of the existing heat exchangers. Then, the developed method is applied to the case of the Heat Exchanger Network retrofit in the process of the hydrogenation of oil.