For the environment

Animal carcasses: a new approach to energy supply

The ground-breaking ceremony was a joint effort and the heating plant is due to go into operation in the fall.(Bild: Patrick Bucher Photography)

An unusual project in the name of environmental protection: rendering becomes district heating. 85 percent of the heat required for Unterfrauenhaid is supplied by rendering. The background.

The board of Energiegemeinschaft Unterfrauenhaid eGen worked with the market town for a year and a half to implement this three-million-euro project, which is fully focused on sustainability. Now the time has come.

A new start
The starting point is Tierkörperverwertung Burgenland, which processes almost 200 tons every day into bone meal and fat in a drying process. "The end is a new beginning" is the motto. This is because the waste heat generated in the work process is to be directed to a heating plant in future and used effectively.

"Smart alternative"
A heat extraction plant is being built at the rendering plant site for this purpose. "The introduction of district heating in Unterfrauenhaid offers a smart alternative to gas and oil. End consumers benefit from maintenance-free heating and favorable tariffs. They are safe from price fluctuations on the global market," emphasizes Alexander Freiberger, Chairman of the Energy Community.

Customers also save on maintenance and chimney sweep costs. The pipe network stretches over five kilometers. Excavations began in the summer of 2023.

Both the heating plant and the installed pipe system are designed in such a way that the entire village could be supplied.

Projektleiterin Stefanie Imre

70 properties included
All public buildings, a housing estate and private households will be connected to the network. In the first expansion stage, this will affect 70 properties. 85 percent of the heat required is supplied by the rendering plant, with the remainder coming from a wood chip boiler in which damaged wood from the region is burned.

"The current developments clearly show how important it is to focus on sustainable solutions. This is reflected in the popularity among the population, who have appreciated the security of supply since the energy crisis," explains Mayor Thomas Niklos (ÖVP).

Carcasses for industry
Incidentally, the rendering plant processes more than 50,000 tons of carcasses, slaughterhouse waste and expired meat from supermarkets every year. The end products are bought by industry. Animal fat is turned into biodiesel and the meat and bone meal, which has almost as much calorific value as brown coal, is sold to the cement industry.