From 2024, 20,000 to 30,000 households in and around Eindhoven will be able to heat their homes with heat that is released when processing asphalt containing tar at A. Jansen BV in Son en Breugel. And of course this could virtually shut down the controversial biomass power station at Strijp-T.
And that is only the first step that demolition and concrete company A. Jansen and Ennatural are taking together. In the longer term, André Barendregt, general manager of the Sonse company, hopes to also use a second technique. With a new method, all kinds of residual materials are processed and much more heat is released in the process.
At present, the water that enters the heat network is heated by biomass, possibly additionally with gas.
If the heat from A. Jansen BV is used, the biomass power station is only needed at peak times and for maintenance of the asphalt processing.
In addition, Ennatural will start looking for opportunities to use geothermal energy in May. For this purpose, the heat company based at Strijp-T has applied for a permit to detect geothermal energy in the subsurface of Eindhoven, with the exception of the water extraction areas. “We expect this year to have more insight into whether the layers of the earth are suitable for geothermal energy,” says manager Mireille Jongen of Ennatural.
Ennatural can supply its customers with sustainably generated heat with these new sources, says Jongen. But finding those alternatives is very difficult. “We have investigated it, but there are simply few sources, for example from companies,” says Jongen. The municipality of Eindhoven is getting started with wpoor of the sewage treatment plant on the Van Oldenbarneveltlaanfor houses in the Generalenbuurt.
A. Jansen BV on the Wilhelmina Canal has an installation that processes asphalt containing tar. That is the ‘old-fashioned’ asphalt, with tar. Nowadays it contains bitumen; the new asphalt can therefore be reused. The environmentally hazardous tar is removed from the asphalt in the form of (cleaned) gas. What remains are sand and gravel that are reused when making new concrete.
A. Jansen BV is investing 5 million euros in the necessary adjustments to the installation. “On the other hand, we get paid for the supply by the heat supplier. We don’t earn on it. This just fits well with our ambition to produce more sustainably. If phase two starts working, then that is a business model in itself,” says the director.
To make use of the heat possible, a double transport pipeline – there and back – has to be laid over a length of 6 to 7 kilometers to Vredeoord in Woensel. There the water can be connected to the existing pipes that also go to customers at Strijp-S and in the city center via the Strijp-T junction. Large pumps will soon be placed at the beginning and end that will propel the water.
In total, it concerns a considerable investment of millions of euros, but Jongen does not want to give exact figures. How the transport pipeline will run is still the subject of consultation with the municipality of Eindhoven. It is possible that here and there a diversion to new customers – companies, institutions or districts – is also possible.
The second phase is even less certain. According to Barendregt, the first trials using ‘residual flows’ have already been successful. In a few months, the decision will be taken to invest in it and the process can be further elaborated.
The asphalt processing produces about 8 megawatts of heat, good for 20,000 to 30,000 households. This is comparable to the biomass power station at Strijp-T. Phase two is good for double the heat, 16 megawatts.
With this, Ennatural could provide many more households with heat. For example in Meerhoven, where customers are still dependent on the biomass power station of the municipality, or in existing neighborhoods that have to get rid of gas. The more so because this concerns heat from high temperatures, up to about 80 degrees.
The processing of tar-containing asphalt has generated negative headlines in recent years. A.Jansen BV started storing asphalt on the site in 2007, pending the environmental permit for the processing plant. However, that took years, so the mountain grew considerably. This led to objections from Aquabest’s neighbors and to all kinds of proceedings. “Ultimately, the installation has been running since 2018. From asphalt mountain to sustainable heat is of course a nice story,” says Barendregt.