April 2019
NEWS PLANT FOR LESS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
In October 2018 a new clean and green microturbine system powered by methane gas was tested and put into operation at the La.So.Le Est plant. After a few months of testing, the machinery can finally be said to be fully operational.
The investment is part of the new project "Technical Flour Drying" aimed at enhancing the core business of La.So.Le. Est - wood flours - making the production process more virtuous and efficient.
The new microturbine cogeneration system Capstone model C600S provides up to 600 kW of electric power and contains three air bearing microturbines, recently made available to the Italian market by Ibt Group, exclusive partner for Italy of Capstone products.
The microturbines oil-free technology, of aerospace origin, allow the production of hot fumes so "clean" that they can be exploited directly in the flour drying system . The patent makes reference to the complete absence of lubricating oil inside the turbines thanks to the utilization of air bearing technology, able to support the rotating turbine’s shaft without any mechanical contact.
The cogeneration plant powered by methane gas therefore supplies, at the same time, electricity, used for the production process, that thermal energy, with exhaust gases up to 280 degrees, which are conveyed to an atomizer for drying the wood flours. This is for La.So.Le. Est a considerable saving both in terms of lower energy consumption than environmental: it is counted that thanks to technological innovation as many as 472 tons of CO2 not released into the atmosphere can be saved.
The gas turbine used for the plant is, in fact, characterized by high overall energy efficiency, over 85% (for an annual operation of over 4 thousand hours), and very low emissions certified according to Californian standards, among the highest and rigorous in the world.
Our president Rino Garzitto commented: «Thanks to the new microturbine power generation system, in addition to reducing unit production costs, it will be possible to“ work ”raw material from a phase further upstream of the production chain, wet sawdust instead of by-products of subsequent processing, with the guarantee of a higher quality level. In this way we will be able, in fact, to certify our flours from the FSC point of view as "pure", and not only as "recycled", and to satisfy the growing demand for natural and bio-compatible materials from the bio-building sectors, of furnishing, hygiene, etc. ».
