{"id":10171,"date":"2026-04-24T11:35:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T09:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hch2.de\/?post_type=aktuelles&p=10171"},"modified":"2026-04-27T15:09:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:09:41","slug":"climate-friendly-pathways-for-industrial-sand-drying","status":"publish","type":"aktuelles","link":"https:\/\/hch2.de\/en\/news\/climate-friendly-pathways-for-industrial-sand-drying\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate-friendly pathways for industrial sand drying"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich<\/a> and Nivelsteiner Sandwerke<\/a> und Sandsteinbr\u00fcche GmbH (Herzogenrath) are collaborating in the HySand demonstration project to develop climate-friendly, cost-efficient solutions for industrial sand drying.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nivelsteiner company supplies high-purity quartz sand to industries such as foundries and construction chemicals. Before further processing, the material must be fully dried. At present, the company uses light fuel oil to heat rotary kilns for this purpose \u2013 resulting in CO\u2082 emissions. With climate targets tightening and fossil fuel costs rising, a shift to more sustainable processes is becoming increasingly important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is where the company dries the quartz sand: in so-called rotating rotary kilns, light heating oil is currently still used to reach the required operating temperature. As part of HySand, climate-friendly alternatives are being developed. \u00a9 FH Aachen\/Arnd Gottschalk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Several alternatives are under consideration. One option is to use electricity from renewable sources. Green hydrogen and hybrid energy systems could also play an important role in the future. The Institute for a sustainable Hydrogen Economy (IHE)<\/a> at Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich is investigating how energy supply systems for sand drying can be tailored to specific sites \u2013 and what role hydrogen could play in this context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In rotary kilns, the sand is typically heated to around 100 to 130 degrees Celsius. The heating oils used for this process reach significantly higher temperatures of several hundred degrees at the burner. \u00a9 Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich\/Reisen <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cAs a producer of quartz-based speciality sands, we have been supplying the glass, foundry and construction materials industries since 1904. As part of the energy transition, we want to set the right course at an early stage and adopt more climate-friendly processing steps. This will help future-proof our production,\u201d said Bernhard Russel, Managing Director of Nivelsteiner Sandwerke und Sandsteinbr\u00fcche GmbH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an initial feasibility study, the HySand partners are developing concepts for using renewable energy sources \u2013including climate-friendly electricity and hydrogen \u2013 as heat sources for this energy-intensive process. A key focus of the work at IHE is how to supply sites that are not connected to a hydrogen pipeline. In such cases, hydrogen derivatives \u2013 chemical carriers in which hydrogen is stored \u2013 can provide a practical solution by enabling easier transport and storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HySand is part of the Helmholtz Cluster for a Sustainable and Infrastructure-compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H2), which aims to help transform the Rhenish mining region into a model region for a sustainable hydrogen economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project also involves RWTH Aachen University,<\/a> FH Aachen<\/a> and DTG GmbH Development & Technology<\/a> (Niederzier). It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research<\/a>, Technology and Space with \u20ac593,000. Results from the feasibility study are expected by mid-2027. The results of the feasibility study are expected to be available by mid-2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSand is a key raw material for many industrial sectors and value chains. This makes it all the more important to decarbonise energy-intensive processing steps. HySand focuses specifically on the drying process,\u201d said Professor Uwe Feuerriegel, Chair of Thermal Energy Engineering at FH Aachen, who initiated the project.
\u201cWe are exploring different ways to reduce emissions from sand drying. Hydrogen is one of them,\u201d said Dr Sarah Deutz, project lead at the Institute for a sustainable Hydrogen Economy (IHE), Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of HySand, the Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies (AMT)<\/a> at RWTH Aachen University is developing an online system for continuous monitoring of the drying process. The Chair of Thermal Energy Engineering at FH Aachen<\/a> is modelling the process and assessing optimised operating modes from a thermodynamic perspective.
DTG GmbH Development & Technology and IHE are preparing cost estimates, developing a business plan and identifying pathways to transfer the results into industrial applications. In addition, IHE is using simulation-based analyses to compare different climate-friendly drying concepts in terms of both cost and environmental impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project shows how established industrial processes can become more climate-friendly through targeted technological change \u2013 without the need to replace entire infrastructures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The copyright for the images used on this website is held by Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich, aligator kommunikation GmbH and stock.adobe.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10078,"template":"","categories":[253,252,254],"tags":[261],"class_list":["post-10171","aktuelles","type-aktuelles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-forschung-en","category-general-en","category-wasserstoff-en","tag-structural-change-en"],"yoast_head":"\nClimate-friendly pathways for industrial sand drying - HCH2<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hch2.de\/en\/news\/climate-friendly-pathways-for-industrial-sand-drying\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Climate-friendly pathways for industrial sand drying - HCH2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich and Nivelsteiner Sandwerke und Sandsteinbr\u00fcche GmbH (Herzogenrath) are collaborating in the HySand demonstration project to develop climate-friendly, cost-efficient solutions for industrial sand drying. 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