45
AAK Denmark
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In western Africa, the shea tree produces a fruit which
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imported shea kernels from West Africa to Denmark
where the high-quality oil is extracted.
The AAK vision
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rial called shea meal that has no nutritional value. The
AAK site in Aarhus, Denmark has long held aspirations
to burn shea meal as a single fuel source used to power
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this vision in the past.
Tests and trials
Many European power plants have purchased our shea
meal and attempted to burn it as a single fuel source,
but none have succeeded, in part because the ash and
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different from wood and other solid fuels. Therefore,
shea meal is generally mixed with wood pellets, straw
and coal to be burned for fuel.
In 2012, we became aware that a supplier had
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Together with this supplier, we conducted extensive
tests using a small 500 kW combustion chamber in
which shea meal was burned.
These experiments indicated that shea meal could be
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the technology at an industrial scale. In 2015, a 5 MW
steam boiler was ordered and a joint development
project was initiated with the supplier.
Results from 2019
After several trials and rebuilds, the 5 MW boiler has
been connected to our steam supply system, and
production in Aarhus is now partially powered by energy
produced from shea meal. During 2019, this initiative
has led to a 7 percent reduction of GHG emissions
compared to 2018 – a great achievement based on the
efforts of our dedicated employees in Aarhus.
“As the largest processor of shea kernels globally,
AAK Denmark has full focus on sustainable production.
By applying the best available technology to increase
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energy, we can stay at the forefront of sustainable
production”, says Palle Jensen, Site Manager AAK
Denmark
As we gain experience in burning shea meal as a
single fuel source and seek to optimize the boiler’s
energy output, we will continue to evaluate if this
technology and the materials we have chosen are viable
in the long-term perspective.
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