Sustainable Bioelectricity and Heat from Mercer Timber Products’ Biomass Power Plant

At our Saalburg-Ebersdorf site, Mercer Timber Products (MTP) operates its own biomass power plant. Through this plant, we generate heat and bioelectricity for use in our mill. The plant has a firing heat capacity of 49.5 MW and an electrical capacity of 12.89 MW.

SURE Certification (Sustainable Resources Verification Scheme GmbH)

At MTP, we use only natural wood. In order to sustainably utilize any resources that the raw material wood offers us, we use sawmill byproducts (such as bark), as well as sustainable biomass fuels also purchased by us, as fuels in the production process.

MTP is proud to be SURE certified. With this certification, we only use fuels that come from sustainably managed forests.

A Cogeneration Plant

Our biomass power plant is more specifically known as a cogeneration plant. In this complex process, electrical and thermal energy are generated simultaneously.

The generated thermal energy is used for the drying process of our sawn timber. The remaining biomass fuel is transported via a trough chain conveyor to the combustion plant or the grate firing system. For this, we use a steam turbine technology process. Here, one-third

of the steam is converted into electricity by means of a steam generator. The water in the generator is heated to a vaporous state and passed over a steam turbine, which transfers the kinetic energy of the steam to the turbine. The generator coupled to the turbine converts this mechanical power into electrical power.

What happens to the ash produced in the process?

Through this cogeneration process, filter ash (fly ash) is produced, in addition to the grate ash, as a result of using bark and other wood byproducts. During the incineration process, flue gas is produced and then cleaned in a flue gas cleaning system and emitted via a stack. The filter ash, also a residue of the incineration process, is separated from the flue gases via a filter and then collected in a closed system.

Our leader in the power plant

Our power plant team has been headed by Ms. Lutz since 2020, a process engineer and international welding engineer.

Ms. Lutz, Manager of MTP’s power plant

“I would like to encourage women to choose a job in process engineering. From my point of view, this field is very exciting and versatile. Power plants consist of a variety of components that involve many disciplines such as electrical engineering, automation engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, and codes of practice both in operation and during revisions. There are many opportunities to learn something new every day!”