We are entering a period where there is a greater-than-ever demand for power in domestic and commercial settings. Higher demand implies that access to energy has become a challenging issue to adjust to as political ups and downs (both international and domestic) continue to influence how power is obtained.
Located in Bavaria, Germany (south of Munich), blueFLUX Energy AG sought out novel approaches to eliminate biogenic waste while simultaneously producing sustainable energy. As they work to create systems that transform waste from industry, municipalities, and agriculture into high-quality energy sources, waste management, and energy management collide.
According to Dr. Ulrich Mach, COO of blueFLUX, “Our product is a plant that uses a patented hydrolysis process to efficiently convert organically degradable waste into the high-quality energy carriers synthetic coal, synthesis gas, green hydrogen (for industry through to mobility), bioethanol, and biomethane within a few hours and at competitive costs.”
Although the idea of converting trash into energy is not new, the company’s method offers a fresh way to do it. Their decentralised strategy in a modular container design distinguishes their technology. Their strategy is regionally based, which makes the process more effective for both waste disposal/recycling and locally generating energy, as opposed to moving materials around to processing facilities.
blueFLUX uses a hydrolysis process, but their technology speeds up the process to no more than two hours for efficient energy creation. (Modeled with Solid Edge.) Image courtesy of blueFLUX Energy.
While nearby Holzner Druckbehälter GmbH, the parent company of blueFLUX Energy, may be viewed as a startup, it has a long history in industries ranging from industrial coatings to medical devices to container construction. Holzner Druckbehälter entered the renewable energy industry in 2012.
The biogas plant’s microbiological methanation was the subject of the initial project. After five years, the attention shifted to the efficiently producing green hydrogen from organic waste, and the blueFLUX method was created, according to Mach.
To provide the product with its own platform, blueFLUX Energy AG was formally established in June 2020. The company is focusing on integration into agriculture and industry as the first customers’ projects are now being realized.
According to us, the goal of waste management should be recycling or refinement rather than disposal. Organic waste has a lot of promise and will be crucial for reducing climate change and producing electricity. Mach claims that the blueFLUX process enables the production of green energy sources by utilizing local material cycles. These procedures are capable of becoming decentralized and CO2-free.
BlueFLUX is considering the idea of a circular economy, a production and consumption model that incorporates sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling current materials and products for as long as feasible, as the world starts to shift away from fossil fuels. The business considers a decentralized energy generation model to be an essential component of this circular economy.
Dr. Ulrich Mach, Chief Operating Officer, blueFLUX Energy AG
In just a few hours, according to blueFLUX, their plants can transform biodegradable garbage into high-quality energy carriers. The system’s adaptability allows it to be used with a variety of scenarios, settings, and materials.
blueFLUX technology has a broad set of capabilities when creating clean energy from biological waste. Image courtesy of blueFLUX Energy.
Three main processes make up the blueFLUX process for producing energy. The first phase, according to the business, is hydrolyzing basic materials to produce carbon and steam. Then, using a gasification process, both products are turned into gas. The quantity of hydrogen in the synthesis gas is increased and then separated in the final phase.
“The transition away from fossil fuels has begun, and in our opinion, it cannot be stopped at this point. Working with regularly produced and easily accessible materials is achievable with the circular economy, according to Mach.
Solid Edge CAD software is used by the blueFLUX team to create the tools for designing and developing their plants. We were able to utilize Solid Edge’s 2D/3D CAD software for free for a whole year as a result of our participation in the Solid Edge Startup Programme, which also helped us to develop and produce highly modular systems more efficiently. Siemens and ISAP AG support us as solution partners by providing Solid Edge training and software licenses.
To overcome the design obstacles, the blueFLUX team employed Solid Edge in conjunction with ISAP’s EdgePLM COMPACT. The 2022 update’s inclusion of massive assemblies has made it possible for them to produce fully digital designs. The team is able to accelerate their design process, making their plant implementation effective and efficient by working simultaneously on massive assemblies.
BlueFLUX manufactures a lot of pressure vessels and customized plants, thus they need a tonne of sheet metal parts for such projects. Even complex sheet metal components can be easily created thanks to Solid Edge’s Part Sheet Metal environment’s wide range of possibilities. Production quality is dependable since sheet metal components are handled precisely, according to Mach.
Additionally, for the piping and tubing of the various components, we employ XpresRoute. It enables us to move swiftly and intuitively. The suggested routings significantly simplify the process of assembling the separate components.
Image courtesy of blueFLUX Energy
Hubert Kohler, managing partner of Holzner Druckbehälter GmbH, founder of the company and originator of the blueFLUX technology. Image courtesy of blueFLUX Energy AG.
There is no denying that the market will see an increase in demand for sustainable ways of production as the need for additional energy continues to rise. The energy and climate change crises are major problems in the globe today, and blueFLUX wants to help find solutions.
“Together with our parent company, we are intensively dealing with the necessary growth and are planning a significant plant expansion in order to ramp up the unit output to meet the market demand,” Mach claims.
BlueFLUX is collaborating with possible investors to assist with internationalization and worldwide growth as they search for additional partners and suppliers to help them achieve their market ramp-up. Mach and his organization are enthusiastic about the future after receiving declarations of intent from numerous nations and companies. This business wants to remain at the forefront as the demand for sustainable energy grows.
