Dutch brewery becomes first in the world to burn iron as a clean recyclable fuel

A green fuel alternative is emerging in the form of metal powder, which hopes to reduce the need for burning fossil fuels. Cheap iron powder, when ground very fine, burns readily at high temperatures, releasing energy as it oxidises. This process emits no carbon and produces easily collectible iron oxide, or rust, as its only emission.

The next part of the process is even more surprising – the rust can be regenerated straight back into iron powder with the application of electricity. If this is done using solar, wind or other zero-carbon power generation systems, then you up with a totally carbon-free cycle.

The iron charges up via one of several means including electrolysis, and discharges in flames and heat – acting as a kind of clean battery for combustion processes.

The first business in the world to put this process to the test on an industrial scale is Swinkels Family Brewers from the Netherlands. Recently, the company has been working with the Metal Power Consortium and researchers at TU Eindhoven to install a cyclical iron fuel system at its Brewery Bavaria, capable of providing all the heat necessary for some 15 million glasses of beer a year.

Peer Swinkels, CEO of Royal Swinkels Family Brewers said:

 

“We are enormously proud to be the first company to test this new fuel on an industrial scale in order to help accelerate the energy transition… As a family business, we invest in a sustainable and circular economy because we think in terms of generations, not years. We combine this way of thinking with high-quality knowledge in the collaboration with the Metal Power Consortium. Through this innovative technology, we want to make our brewing process less dependent on fossil fuels. We will continue to invest in this innovation.”

 

Iron powder is cheap and abundant, it is easy to transport, has a good energy density, a high burning temperature of up to 1,800 °C (3,272 °F), it doesn’t need to be cryogenically cooled and it doesn’t lose energy during long periods of storage. As a burnable clean energy storage medium, it has its advantages.

Chan Botter, who leads student team SOLID at TU Eindhoven, a group dedicated to the advancement of metal fuels commented on the future plans for this technology:

 

“While we’re proud of this huge milestone, we also look at the future… Our ambition is to convert the first coal-fired power plants into sustainable iron fuel plants by 2030.”

 

According to this paper in 2018, this kind of cyclical process of generating electricity could approach a theoretical efficiency of around 40%. Although it may seem a little odd to generate renewable energy and then have 60% of it in the form of inefficient steam turbine generation processes, however this process could end up being a flexible and cost-effective way to capture, distribute and export renewable energy.

Existing power generation infrastructure would be able to run iron powder, with retrofitting if needed to deal with a different combustion process. This would enable a very clean, yet load-responsive power grid.

Eventually, economics will determine how far this idea gets, but the idea certainly seems to be a good contender as a green energy solution, with advantages over hydrogen, pumped hydro, batteries and kinetic energy storage (depending on its use).

It is an interesting concept we’ll be sure to keep our eye on!