Waste Heat Recovery
Capture and reuse the 20-50% of energy currently lost as heat
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Section 3 of 5Turning Waste into Resource
Industry wastes 20-50% of input energy as heat—exhaust gases, cooling water, hot surfaces, product cooling. That's 130 exajoules per year globally, enough to power all of Europe. Waste heat recovery captures this energy and reuses it for process heating, space heating, electricity generation, or district energy. The technology ladder matches recovery method to temperature: high-temp (>400°C) can generate steam or power via Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC); medium-temp (100-400°C) ideal for process preheating and steam; low-temp (<100°C) requires heat pumps to "upgrade" for useful applications. Best opportunities: furnace exhaust, cooling systems, compressor heat, boiler blowdown, dryer exhaust. Modern heat pumps unlock previously unusable low-grade sources, achieving 300-400% efficiency (COP 3-4).
High-Temperature (>400°C)
Furnace exhaust, kilns. Use waste heat boilers (steam), ORC systems (electricity), or air/fuel preheating. 50-75% recovery typical.
Medium-Temperature (100-400°C)
Dryers, ovens, compressors. Heat exchangers for process integration, economizers for boiler feedwater. 60-80% recovery.
Low-Temperature (<100°C)
Cooling water, condensate, refrigeration. Heat pumps upgrade to useful temps (COP 3-4). District heating, space heating, preheating.
Interactive Heat Recovery Mapper
Explore waste heat sources across industries and discover recovery technologies—click on sources to see options
Select Industry
Total Waste Heat: Steel Manufacturing
Click on heat sources below to see recovery options
Heat Sources
Waste Heat Magnitude
20-50% of industrial energy input is lost as waste heat—globally 130 EJ/year
Recovery Potential
50-80% of waste heat can be recovered economically with existing technology
Economics
Typical payback 2-5 years. Heat pumps unlock low-temp sources (<100°C)
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