Optimizing Energy Savings in Polyisoprene Production Through Solar-Based Thermal Technology

The textile industry is one of the most energy consuming industry sectors with lot of chemical treatments, from fibers/raw materials productions to garment finishing. In order to maximize energy conservation, besides hot condensate and flue gases heat recovery, solarized hybrid systems should be analyzed and implemented. Potential implementation cases are presented and discussed in detail. The investments into solar-based thermal technology will have an essential role in clean energy transition from habitual textile plants to eco-friendly textile production. The natural gas consumption could be significantly decreased through solar energy partial substitution as shown in polymer production for polyisoprene. The case study showed energy efficiency increase employing flue gases through an economizer and an air preheater and condensate heat recovery simultaneously with the solar energy in polyisoprene manufacturing, resulting in fuel savings of as much as 84%, when compared to basic process variant.