Approximate reading time: 5 minutes

BERALMAR's friends wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2010!

The annual meeting of the Polish Association of Maufacturers of Ceramics for Construction (Związek Producentów Ceramiki Budowlanej) was held in Nieborów (Poland) on the 10th and 11th December, with the customary participation of BERALMAR.

BERALMAR used the occasion to present a series of technical solutions in the field of energy efficiency, led by Joanna Nalewajko and Miquel Moix.

It should be noted that BERALMAR holds energy efficiency as one of its core technical company values, as is shown by the existence of an R&D department mainly devoted to this field. This desire to optimise the efficiency of manufacturing processes and to find solutions for alternative fuels explains why BERALMAR has become a leader in the industry in the field of solid fuel firing or why it is a pioneer in the use of biogas in the ceramics industry, among other things.

As well as the presentations and internal meetings of the Association, the conference had the added attraction of a visit to a craft ceramics workshop with historical Majorcan connections, a visit to the Nioborow Palace and a festive dinner in which the attendees enjoyed a pleasant soiree.

We wish to inform our customers, friends and collaborators that the BERALMAR offices will remain closed for the Chritmas and New Year's holiday period between the 24th December and the 6th January inclusive.

Syngas, or synthesis gas, is a gaseous fuel obtained from biomass combustion. It is a low energy gas with less than 1,540 kcal/Nm3 in calorific power, composed mainly of monoxide, hyrdrogen, methane, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapour.

One of the great advantages of using syngas is related to CO2 emissions. Currently in Spain a medium-sized ceramics industry with a production of 300 tonnes/day has around 18,000 CO2 emissions rights per year, with a current market value of 400,000 euros, a figure which will increase significantly in the future. The rights could be converted into income through the use of neutral fuel emissions such as syngas.

BERALMAR's R&D department is currently involved in a project for applying this fuel to the ceramics industry and has successfully developed the first prototypes, with a calorific output of up to 10,000 kcal/hr, soon to be be installed in a tunnel kiln.

It is another example of BERALMAR's committment to developing combustion equipment for any new fuel which is technically and economically viable.