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GEA: innovation that adds value
The Mechanical Separation division developed and brought to market its Protein-Plus system. This
enables significantly more protein to be extracted from milk. Because the system does not have to be
emptied as frequently as before, its availability is improved. A further environmental benefit is that
the system saves up to 600,000 liters of water per year. This provides customers with added value
worth tens of thousands of euros in total per machine per year. The system’s modular construction
also means that separators already in use can be upgraded.
GEA’s Refrigeration division continued to make advances in the use of environmentally friendly
refrigerants, especially those that are not harmful to the climate. GEA’s engineers devised a new
patented process for the efficient use of carbon dioxide in conjunction with ammonia for lowtemperature
applications. The company extended its range of screw compressors with the launch
of a new product line. These compressors are mainly installed when environmentally friendly
ammonia is used as a refrigerant. This division is therefore well-equipped to meet the needs of
the market and offers its customers tailor-made solutions for their preferred application using
the most suitable, environmentally friendly refrigerant.
Lurgi: plastic made from gas
During the period under review, Lurgi’s research and development activities focused mainly on
its fast-growing gas-to-petrochemicals business. As a market and technology leader, Lurgi offers its
customers innovative, inexpensive and resource-saving processes for converting natural gas into
value-added chemical and petrochemical products. Under this process, gas is first converted into
synthesis gas. The next stage is to turn the synthesis gas into methanol, from which petrochemical
products such as plastics and synthetic fuels are finally extracted.
Traditionally these products are manufactured from crude oil, which is an increasingly scarce and
relatively expensive resource. Lurgi’s continuous expansion of its alternative and extremely efficient
gas-to-petrochemicals and gas-to-synfuels technologies provides this plant engineering firm with
outstanding business prospects.
At a newly built HP POX high-pressure synthesis-gas research facility on the premises of the Freiberg
University of Mining and Technology in eastern Germany, Lurgi’s engineers are working with scientists
from the Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering on the optimization
of proprietary Lurgi processes for the production of synthesis gas. Their aim is to use extremely high
pressure to convert gas and other commodities, such as hydrocarbons, even more efficiently and
economically into synthesis gas before this is refined into methanol and other petrochemical products.
This offers considerable competitive advantages for Lurgi’s customers, as it substantially reduces
plant operating costs.