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Advanced Sustainable Industrial Heating: Technologies and Applications

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A Special Issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073) belonging to the section "J: Thermal Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 June 2026) | Viewed by 29048

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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

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Interests: thermodynamics; heat pumps; renewable energy; refrigeration; HVAC; geothermal energy; CO₂ power cycles; waste heat recovery
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Special Issue Information

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

Manuscript Submission Information

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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 (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 7427 KB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Influence of Selected Parameters of a Cold Crucible Induction Furnace on Its Electrical Efficiency

by Smagór Adrian and Przyłucki Roman

Energies 2026, 19(16), 3813; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19163813 - 14 Aug 2026

Viewed by 284

Abstract

This publication presents the results of numerical simulations concerning changes in the cold crucible design, the influence of the cold crucible melting process parameters, and the impact of the computational model on electrical efficiency and, consequently, on energy savings. The simulation was conducted in 3D, but it is limited only to electromagnetic field analysis. A total of 24 computational models were tested. Variants differed in the design of the crucible itself, the extent of charge adhesion to the crucible (operating parameters), and the charge model (charge shape, including the meniscus and cylindrical charge). Of the aspects considered, the extent of charge adhesion to the crucible bottom and walls had the greatest impact on electrical efficiency. Full article

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

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32 pages, 1958 KB

Open AccessArticle

Alternative Thermal Technologies for Industrial Process Heat: Barriers and Opportunities

by Miles Nevills, Indraneel Bhandari, Dipti Kamath, Sachin U. Nimbalkar, Senthil Sundaramoorthy, Ikenna J. Okeke, Aline Banboukian and Thomas Wenning

Energies 2026, 19(15), 3474; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19153474 - 23 Jul 2026

Viewed by 606

Abstract

Energy scarcity and subsequent global fuel market shocks have become a significant concern for the United States. Process heating in industry accounts for over half of all industrial energy usage and is almost entirely (>95%) supplied by natural gas, coal, and byproduct fuels. Many existing alternatives, technologies, and strategies can reduce dependency on this fossil fuel usage to promote energy security and competitiveness. It is expected that adoption of alternatives is limited by capital investment. A working group exploratory exercise was performed to evaluate the current barriers to alternative process heat technology adoption for the manufacturing sector. Although the working group’s findings emphasize electro-technologies due to their emergence as the central topic of discussion, we have contextualized these results by providing a fair and consistent comparison against several alternative thermal technology options. The most reported issue was the lack of financial incentives, with the second key issue for engineers and manufacturing sector decision-makers being the lack of awareness or understanding of available alternatives. This paper aims to provide an analysis of the levelized cost of heating for a variety of alternatives as part of addressing concerns from the emergent patterns reported in the exploratory exercise, as well as provide guidance on barriers to further adoption. Levelized cost of heating analysis considered the capital investment, operations and maintenance, lifespan, and fuel stream costs of various systems delivering heat to the product or process as a generalized cost per megawatt-hour delivered. The analysis indicates that biomass burners, industrial open-loop heat pumps, and central-receiver heliostat fields are at cost parity under average 2024 United States natural gas and electricity prices against well-optimized natural gas burners, though further cost reductions are necessary for consistent adoption. Full article

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

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26 pages, 3774 KB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

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

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 12866

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

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4275

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

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1981

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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