Importance of Energy Efficiency in Textiles Manufacturing
Energy efficiency is becoming a pivotal focus in textile and non-woven manufacturing, a sector traditionally known for its high energy consumption. With growing environmental concerns and rising energy costs, adopting sustainable practices is no longer optional but essential for long-term profitability and environmental responsibility.
Process Optimisation and Heat Recovery Options for Textile Manufacturing
Textile production processes, including spinning, weaving, dyeing, and finishing, are energy-intensive. According to industry estimates, energy accounts for 15-20% of the production costs in textile manufacturing. Additionally, fossil fuels power many processes, contributing to significant greenhouse gas emissions. Optimising energy use not only reduces costs but also aligns with global sustainability goals.
Thermal processes such as stenter ovens and dryers produce large amounts of energy, often wasted from flue gases. Process Energy can install waste heat exchanger solutions to capture and re-use this energy. This energy can be delivered in multiple forms, such as hot water to replace boilers, or heating drying or process air.
Hot water and steam use is vital to textile manufacturing, but consumes large quantities of energy. Waste heat from hot effluent off dye baths can be recovered in a heat recovery system, delivering hot water back into the process. Care needs to be taken to deliver a reliable solution as the effluent contains many contaminants.
As the textile manufacturing sector tries to decarbonise, moving away from gas use is the main challenge. This is especially true in the UK due to the disparity of cost between gas and electricity. Process Energy can deliver a range of solutions, from waste heat pumps, to hydrogen, which deliver both carbon emission reduction and cost savings.
Focus Areas for Thermal Energy Audits
The following processes are most common within the textile and non-woven manufacturing sector. These are where an energy consultation would focus, as delivering energy efficiency solutions in these areas should deliver the highest reduction in carbon emissions, and highest cost savings.
- Dye baths
- Stenter ovens
- Process dryers
- Steam boilers and hot water systems