UK industry could unlock major energy savings by capturing and reusing waste heat, according to a new report from the Royal Society.
Industrial heating accounts for around 14% of UK emissions, while around half of the energy used in UK industry is lost as waste heat. The report argues this energy could be reused instead of being released into the environment.
The report, Unlocking thermal energy: Capture, storage and re-use of industrial waste heat, sets out how thermal energy reuse could cut emissions, reduce operational costs and accelerate progress towards net zero.
Heat losses are particularly high in energy intensive sectors such as steel, cement, glass and chemicals. These industries often heat materials to temperatures of up to 2,000°C before cooling them, releasing large volumes of thermal energy.
Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer OBE, Deputy Principal for Global Sustainability at Heriot-Watt University and Director of IDRIC, said: “Industrial waste heat is often treated as an inevitable by-product, yet it represents a vast reservoir of untapped potential.”
She added: “The findings make clear that if we design our future infrastructure with fuel switching and thermal efficiency in mind, the UK can accelerate its journey to net zero while strengthening industrial competitiveness.”
The report proposes a national approach based on heat cascades. High temperature waste heat could be reused on site, shared across industrial clusters and eventually supplied to heat networks serving homes and public buildings.
This approach could reduce the need for additional energy while easing pressure on electricity demand as heating becomes increasingly electrified.
New waste heat sources from hydrogen production, carbon capture and data centres will further increase the need for integrated systems.
Professor Andy Woods FRS, lead author of the report, said: “If the UK is serious about reaching net zero, dealing with the vast amounts of industrial waste heat needs to be integrated into decarbonisation strategies now, and not as an afterthought.”
The report warns that failing to act now could lock in technologies incompatible with future heat reuse. It calls for coordinated action across government, industry and regulators to treat waste heat as a valuable national resource.
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