Helping bio-fuel company grow
In Sweden, the development of sustainable energy is moving up higher on the agenda. Recently, Rockwool insulation has been used for an expansion of the leading Scandinavian ethanol factory.
By the end of 2008 BIS Isenta, Ahlshell, Rockwool Technical Insulation and Rockwool Scandinavia could celebrate not only the New Year but also the completion of an extensive and much talked about building project in Sweden. With the inauguration of its second production line, Scandinavia’s leading supplier of grain-based ethanol bio-fuel, Lantmännen Agroetanol, has expanded its ethanol plant significantly.
Until now the factory, situated on Händelö less than 10 km east of Norrköping centre, has been producing 58 million litres of ethanol annually. The plant expansion will ensure an annual production capacity of 210,000 m3 ethanol and 175,000 distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a by-product of ethanol production.
Ethanol better alternative
In a world where fossil fuels are running out, climate control is at the top of the agenda and oil dependence is becoming an issue, bio-fuels are offering a good alternative. One of these bio-fuels is ethanol, an alcoholic substance made from fermented sugar or corn. Ethanol doesn’t impact the environment as negatively as oil does. In Brazil ethanol is widely used as an alternative to gasoline. Mixes of bio-fuels with benzene and oil are also ways of reducing carbon emissions and this is already compulsory in countries like Austria, Slovenia, Sweden and Lithuania. The Netherlands, Germany, France, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom are considering making bio-fuels compulsory too.
“For Sweden the ethanol factory expansion is an important step in developing sustainable energy for the country. The project has attracted a lot of attention, and we are of course proud to take part”, says Business Director Peter Isacsson on behalf of the involved Rockwool companies, Scandinavia and Rockwool Technical insulation.
International project
A total of 10 000 meters of process pipes, 3000 meters of pipe bends and many installations have been insulated with Rockwool pipe sections and wired mats produced in Denmark. The international project was carried out in a close co-operation with BIS Insenta, the biggest contracting company in the insulation industry in Sweden and part of the German Bilfinger Berger Group and Ahlsell, a leading technical trading company for the Nordic countries.
“The project was our first bigger contract with Isenta in Sweden and everything has worked out fine. When it comes to projects like these, the contractors need to know they can count on suppliers to deliver quality products on time. So we were happy to hear that the Isenta team were pleased with the quality of our products and logistics,” Peter Isacsson concludes.
