A Methodology for the Identification and Characterization of Low-Temperature Waste Heat Sources and Sinks in Industrial Processes: Application in the Italian Dairy Sector

Waste heat recovery is considered as one of the most promising options to improve the efficiency and sustainability of industrial processes. Even though industrial waste heat is abundantly available and its utilization is not a new concept, the implementation rate of waste-heat recovery interventions in industrial facilities is still low, due to several real or perceived barriers. Foremost challenges are represented by technical, economic, financial and regulatory factors. An additional prominent barrier lies in the lack or incompleteness of information concerning the material and energy flows within the factories, and the types and characteristics of waste heat sources and possible sinks for their internal or external reuse. With the aim to overcome some of the information barriers and increase the willingness of companies to approach waste heat recovery and reuse, a methodology to map waste heat sources and sinks in industrial processes is proposed in this study. The approach here presented combines information from the most relevant publications on the subject and data gathered from the analysis of energy audits carried out by large and energy-intensive enterprises. In order to demonstrate its feasibility, the methodology was applied to the Italian dairy sector, because of its large energy consumption and its enormous potential for the utilization of low-temperature waste heat sources.