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Advanced Sustainable Industrial Heating: Technologies and Applications

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "J: Thermal Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2025 | Viewed by 15013

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pouriya H. Niknam

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Guest Editor

School of Engineering, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, UK
Interests: thermal energy storage and conversion; waste heat recovery; industrial decarbonisation; process heating

Dr. Lorenzo Talluri

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Interests: energy engineering; engineering thermodynamics; thermal engineering; fluid dynamics
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Dear Colleagues,

More than half of GHG emissions from industry result from heating processes. Additionally, up to 70% of industrial energy occurs in the form of heat. In this context, several technological solutions are under development with a potential role as game-changers in decarbonisation at an industrial scale.

This Special Issue aims to explore the latest research on industrial decarbonisation, particularly for industrial heating, and to identify technologies supporting decision makers to integrate technological solutions into shaping new energy infrastructure and setting policy frameworks on energy security and net zero. Potential technologies include, but are not limited to, the following:

Electrification, e.g., heat pumps;
Alternative fuels, e.g., low-carbon hydrogen;
Renewable energy sources for heating;
Thermal energy storage and the role in elevating heating processes;
Industrial heating networks;
Policy and regulation and business models;
Advanced materials for enhanced thermal efficiency;
Application of AI in low-carbon industrial heating;
Other emerging heating technologies.

Dr. Pouriya H. Niknam
Dr. Lorenzo Talluri
Guest Editors

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Keywords

industrial decarbonisation
Low-Caron heating
industrial heating
waste heat recovery
thermal energy storage
renewable energy integration
electrification
hydrogen
alternative fuels
thermal efficiency
heat pumps
net zero

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 3774 KB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Carbon Industrial Heating in the EU and UK: Integrating Waste Heat Recovery, High-Temperature Heat Pumps, and Hydrogen Technologies

by Pouriya H. Niknam

Energies 2025, 18(16), 4313; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18164313 - 13 Aug 2025

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Abstract

This research introduces a two-stage, low-carbon industrial heating process, leveraging advanced waste heat recovery (WHR) technologies and exploiting waste heat (WH) to drive decentralised hydrogen production. This study is supported by a data-driven analysis of individual technologies, followed by 0D modelling of the integrated system for technical and feasibility assessment. Within 10 years, the EU industry will be supported by two main strategies to transition to low-carbon energy: (a) shifting from grid-mix electricity towards fully renewable sources, and (b) expanding low-carbon hydrogen infrastructure within industrial clusters. On the demand side, process heating in the industrial sector accounts for 70% of total energy consumption in industry. Almost one-fifth of the energy consumed to fulfil the process heat demand is lost as waste. The proposed heating solution is tailored for process heat in industry and stands apart from the dual-mode residential heating system (i.e., heat pump and gas boiler), as it is based on integrated and simultaneous operation to meet industry-level reliability at higher temperatures, focusing on WHR and low-carbon hydrogen. The solution uses a cascaded heating approach. Low- and medium-temperature WH are exploited to drive high-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs), followed by hydrogen burners fuelled by hydrogen generated on-site by electrolysers, which are powered by advanced WHR technologies. The results revealed that the deployment of the solution at scale could fulfil ~14% of the process heat demand in EU/UK industries by 2035. Moreover, with further availability of renewable energy sources and clean hydrogen, it could have a higher contribution to the total process heat demand as a low-carbon solution. The economic analysis estimates that adopting the combined heating solution—benefiting from the full capacity of WHR for the HTHP and on-site hydrogen production—would result in a levelised cost of heat of ~EUR 84/MWh, which is lower than that of full electrification of industrial heating in 2035. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Sustainable Industrial Heating: Technologies and Applications)

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26 pages, 3824 KB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Process for the Production of Methanol with Carbon Capture (CO₂) Integrating the Concept of Electrification by Heat Pump and Use of Renewable Energy

by Edgar Correa-Quintana, Yecid Muñoz-Maldonado and Adalberto Ospino-Castro

Energies 2025, 18(10), 2633; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18102633 - 20 May 2025

Viewed by 1246

Abstract

The electrification of industrial processes offers sustainable opportunities for reducing carbon footprints and enhancing energy efficiency in the chemical industry. This paper presents the technical and environmental evaluation (life cycle assessment) of a proposed process for methanol production from the conversion of a conventional process to produce gray hydrogen by SMR technology at a plant located in the Magdalena Medio region of Colombia. The new process incorporates the concept of industrial electrification including a heat pump (HP) system with the use of propane as a working fluid for the distillation and separation system of the water–methanol mixture. The process includes the use of photovoltaic energy (PV) as a thermal supply mechanism for the methanol production process and carbon capture utilization (CCU). The proposed process is compared with a reference methanol production process that uses a dry and wet conversion mechanism. The results obtained using the HYSYS V12.1 simulation software allow identifying a 5% improvement in the performance for methanol production and a reduction in energy consumption of between 30 and 53%, which provides important perspectives on the overall energy efficiency of the process with a significant contribution to the decarbonization (−62%) of the methanol synthesis and production process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Sustainable Industrial Heating: Technologies and Applications)

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22 pages, 7346 KB

Open AccessArticle

Process Line for Waste Heat Recovery in the Production of Stretch Film Based on Compressor Heat Pumps with Environmentally Friendly Refrigerants

by Paweł Obstawski, Jacek Słoma, Krzysztof Górnicki and Michał Awtoniuk

Energies 2025, 18(1), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18010162 - 3 Jan 2025

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Abstract

The production technology for stretch film is highly energy-intensive. Electrical energy is used not only to power individual components of the technological line but also to change the physical state of the raw material (granules) from solid to liquid, which is poured onto the first calender roller. The calender roller must be cooled to solidify the liquid raw material, and the low-temperature heat generated in this process has been treated so far as waste heat and dispersed into the atmosphere. A low-temperature process heat recovery line has been developed, enabling its transformation into high-temperature heat. High-temperature process heat can be utilized in the technological process for the preliminary preparation of raw material when recycled material (regranulate) with highly variable parameters is added to the base material (granules) with strict specifications. The regranulate content can be as high as 80%. The waste heat recovery system is based on two compressor heat pumps powered by eco-friendly refrigerants. This innovative solution facilitates a circular economy, reduces the carbon footprint, and aligns with the European Green Deal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Sustainable Industrial Heating: Technologies and Applications)

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