Modernizing Waste-to-Energy Plants for a Decarbonized Future

When looking to increase the availability and sustainability of its waste-to-energy plant located in north-east Bavaria, Germany, the Zweckverband Müllverwertung Schwandorf association turned to ANDRITZ for its expertise in flue gas cleaning technology. As well as the increased performance of the plant, the environmental factors have now also measurably improved.

Maximizing efficiency and environmental performance are very important issues to the Zweckverband Müllverwertung Schwandorf (ZMS) association. Made up of 17 waste disposal authorities in north-east Bavaria, the association is already doing an important environmental job by collecting and incinerating some 450,000 tonnes of municipal waste and transforming it into energy and district heating. However, it wanted to go a few steps further; in 2024, the association embarked on a major modernization project at its Schwandorf plant. The project, named “Triphönix”, aims to renew the furnace lines of the waste-to-energy plant, ensuring improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact.

Konrad Rieger, Technical Manager at ZMS says, “We are very proud of our Schwandorf waste-to-energy plant, which has a long-standing history as an energy center and is a vital energy supplier for the whole region. Since its inception in 1982, the plant has been feeding heat into the Schwandorf district heating network, providing the neighboring industries with production steam and supplying electricity to the public grid.”

Sectional view Müllkraftwerk Schwandorf (Germany)

Waste-to-Energy plant, Schwandorf (Germany)

ANDRITZ – A PIVOTAL ROLE

The plant's energy generation process involves using hot flue gases from waste incineration to generate high-pressure steam, which is then used to produce electricity and heat. The three turbines of the plant operate with high efficiency through combined heat and power (CHP) and generate electricity, while the remaining low-pressure steam is used for district heating and industrial processes.

After more than 40 years of operation, ZMS decided to renew the furnace lines of its waste-to-energy plants as part of the Triphönix project, but first, the flue gas cleaning system in furnace line 4 needed to be replaced. The association selected ANDRITZ for the challenging task of retrofitting a new, state-of-the-art flue gas cleaning system due to its extensive experience in supplying decarbonization technology.

The scope of supply from ANDRITZ included the replacement of the complete reactor and filter system, the reagent storage and supply system, and product discharge systems. ANDRITZ was also responsible for the engineering, delivery, installation, and commissioning of the Circulating Dry Scrubber (CDS) TurboSorp.

“This was an interesting and challenging project for us,” says Johannes Meyer, Technical Project Manager for ANDRITZ. “We supported ZMS from the beginning of the tender phase, sharing knowledge and applying our expertise, which was crucial in a project such as this. We immediately developed a trustworthy partnership with the customer, as well as with the subcontractors working on the project at the site.”

The renewal of the flue gas cleaning system was successfully completed, on time and on budget, in August 2024 and is the first step in the significant Triphönix project, which is scheduled for final completion in 2031.

Rieger says, “This retrofit increases the availability of the unit, and enables ZMS to deliver reliable and affordable energy to the industry and households in the vicinity and provide safe waste disposal for local authorities.”

“Furthermore, the new flue gas cleaning system complies with stringent German environmental standards and stricter EU emission limits. ANDRITZ has played a pivotal role in the Triphönix project, and despite the challenges posed by limited space at the existing facility, we successfully executed the project on time and within budget.”

Waste-to-Energy plant, Schwandorf (Germany)

A PARTNERSHIP INTO THE FUTURE

Clearly, the efforts of ZMS and ANDRITZ in modernizing the Schwandorf waste-to-energy plant highlight the importance of innovative solutions in achieving sustainability and decarbonization goals.

“The modernization of the Schwandorf waste-to-energy plant not only ensures a secure energy supply for the future but also contributes to the region's environmental goals,” says Rieger. “As the Triphönix project progresses, the plant will continue to play a key role in providing sustainable energy solutions and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Meyer concludes, “This partnership serves as a model for other regions and industries aiming to reduce their environmental impact and secure a sustainable future. This project proves that ANDRITZ is the perfect partner for tailored solutions, meeting both environmental and procedural requirements.”

THE ZMS SCHWANDORF PLANT IN NUMBERS

The Schwandorf waste-to-energy plant supplies the neighboring company Nabaltec with low-cost energy. The waste-to-energy plant also feeds heat into the Schwandorf district heating network and electricity into the public grid.

ENERGY GENERATION IN FIGURES:

The hot flue gases from waste incineration are used to generate high-pressure steam at a pressure of 72 bar and a temperature of 410°C in the steam boilers. Of this, about 7% percent is used for the company's own needs and approximately 2% for the neighboring industrial plant
The largest portion (about 91%) drives three turbines with generators (2 x 12 MW, 1 x 32 MW) installed in the Schwandorf waste-to-energy plant and generates electricity.
As the steam passes through the turbines, it expands and can be extracted as medium-pressure steam (26 bar, 350 °C) or low-pressure steam (6 bar, 160 °C).
The amount of extracted steam corresponds to about 55% of the originally generated high-pressure steam in the plant and is used for the internal requirements of the waste-to-energy plant (about 29%), as process steam for production purposes in the neighboring industrial plant and in the sewage sludge drying plant (about 54%), as well as for generating 90,000 MWh of district heating for the city of Schwandorf (about 17%).
Of the electricity generated by the generators, about 20% is used for the company's own needs, while the remaining 80% is supplied externally.
The energy content of the waste processed in the waste-to-energy plant in 2024 would substitute approximately 115 million liters of heating oil.

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