Fraunhofer IGB's LowCarbDry steam drying cuts industrial energy use up to 80%

Researchers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (Fraunhofer IGB) have developed the LowCarbDry process, which replaces conventional hot‑air drying with electrically powered superheated steam. In partnership with Evonik Operations GmbH and the Pergande Group, the system circulates steam in a closed loop, recapturing heat through heat‑pump technology and mechanical vapor recompression. The team says the method can lower the energy required for drying by a factor of two to four, translating to up to an 80% reduction in consumption and associated CO₂ emissions. Recovered heat can be reused for further drying, other industrial processes, or fed into district‑heating networks, supporting a shift from fossil‑fuel‑based natural‑gas heating to renewable electricity.

The technology targets a wide range of industries that rely on drying, including cement, paper, chemicals, food, detergents and even insect‑larvae production, offering a potential pathway to substantial energy savings and lower operating costs across the sector.