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Modules combined: Module 1 combined with Module 4, and Module 5
Focus: Energy, water and acid recovery
At the steel industry site in Germany, the objective is to test waste heat reuse from the gas scrubbing water circuit of a hydrogen-powered direct reduction plant to mitigate water evaporation and discharge losses. The reclaimed energy will power Membrane Distillation (MD; Module 4) for blowdown water desalination. The recovered water will be utilized for H2 production, closing the cycle and minimizing freshwater demand.
To address evaporation losses, CORNERSTONE will explore two strategies:
Develop a non-clogging heat exchanger (Module 1) to capture waste heat from gas scrubbing water. The recovered heat will be used in Module 4 (Membrane Distillation, MD) for freshwater production. Besides freshwater production, MD application will also reduce the temperature of gas scrubbing water, minimizing water evaporation and discharge losses.
Pre-treat gas scrubbing blowdown water through microfiltration or coarse filters from M+H, to remove suspended solids. Apply MD (Module 4) to the permeate to extract high purity water and reuse it for hydrogen production. The concentrated salt solution from membrane distillation will be used for acid production through Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis (BMED) (Module 5).
Added value for society:
Sustainable production of high-purity water
Reduced water abstraction leading to improved water preservation
Reduced energy consumption and CO2 footprint of the industry
Reduced discharge of low-grade heat into the environment
