EnerFab enters in to a 3 year contract with Lanka Walltile PLC to replace 125 tons of LPG. The recent hike on crude oil based fuels has impacted the manufacturing industry with massive energy bills. EnerFab offers biomass based fuel replacement technologies which offers over 75% savings in fuel cost over LPG. The gasifier system use chopped and dried Gliricidia sticks as fuel, obtained from sustainable and renewable energy plantations and out growers.
EnerFab is a biomass engineering company specializing in commissioning gasifier systems to replace diesel, furnace oil (HFO) and LPG based furnaces, boilers, ovens and other thermal applications. EnerFab has commissioned five industrial gasifier units to replace diesel and HFO and LPG. They are also in the business of supplying Gliricidia fuel-wood for their gasifier units, offering a total fuel replacement solution.
Lanka Walltile PLC (Lanka Walltile), established in 1975 with Japanese collaboration, is a leading exporter of ceramic products. Lanka Walltile conform to British, European, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japanese and American Standards along with ISO 9001 quality system certification for design development and manufacture of ceramic glazed wall tiles. Their export markets include Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Middle East, Maldives, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, USA, India and UK.
5 kg of Gliricidia can replace 1kg of LPG
The furnace unit being retrofitted, at present consumes 125 ton of LPG per month. The standard replacement ratio between LPG and Gliricidia is approximately 1:5. Thus the 3 MW WBG-1000 gasifier unit will consume approximately 630 ton per month. The system includes several accessories such as automated fuel loaders and controls.
The benefits from such fuel replacement projects can be felt almost instantly with a massive 75% fuel cost savings. The payback period for the project is estimated at 19 months. At present the cost of 1 kg of industrial LPG is Rs 130, while the cost of Gliricidia fuel-wood sells between Rs 10-20 depending on the condition of wood and location of supply.
Gasifier and Accessories
LPG combustion releases approximately 2.7kg of CO2 per kg of LPG. With a consumption of 127 tons of LPG per month, a total of 338 tons (4,000 tons per year) of CO2 are emitted to the atmosphere. Since energy plantations are sustainable and renewable, they are carbon neutral. The same amount of CO2 released during combustion of fuel-wood is absorbed by the energy plantation during photosynthesis. Therefore, with the fuel replacement project, Lanka Walltile will be going green by contributing a 4,000 ton reduction of CO2 emissions per year.