Dryficiency
DryFiciency was a Horizon 2020 project successfully implemented between 2016 and 2020. Funded under the European Union's largest research and innovation program, Horizon 2020, DryFiciency contributed to fostering competitiveness, sustainability, and innovation across Europe. The project aligned with Horizon 2020's mission to address major societal challenges while promoting energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.
The primary objective of the DryFiciency project was to lead the European energy-intensive industry to achieve high energy efficiency and reduce fossil carbon emissions through waste heat recovery.
DryFiciency successfully realized its vision of fostering competitiveness, improving energy supply security, and promoting sustainable production in Europe. It focused on the application of heat pumps in industrial drying and dehydration processes, particularly in the agricultural, ceramic, and pet feed industries.
The project achieved its ultimate goal by developing technically and economically viable solutions for upgrading idle waste heat streams to process heat streams at higher temperature levels, up to 160 °C.
During its four-year duration, DryFiciency successfully developed and demonstrated two high-temperature industrial heat pump systems for waste heat recovery. The results were remarkable, with the systems:
- Saving up to 80% of energy in industrial drying processes,
- Reducing CO2 emissions by up to 75%
By providing replicable and adaptable technology for both new and existing plants, DryFiciency paved the way for the widespread adoption of high-temperature heat pumps in energy-intensive European industries. The heat pumps were demonstrated under real production conditions at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 in industrial drying processes at two leading European companies: Agrana Stärke and Wienerberger.
As a successfully completed Horizon 2020 project, DryFiciency has made significant contributions to Horizon 2020's goals of excellent science, industrial leadership, and addressing societal challenges. The project's outcomes are now set to drive sustainable innovation, enhance energy efficiency, and reduce environmental impacts across industries in Europe and beyond.