Hublet opts for sustainable, eco-friendly timber drying
When you think of forests, trees are generally what come to mind, especially the noblest of them all: the mighty oak. Oaks are historically well-represented in this country and their timber is used to create furniture and wood flooring. In Belgium, solid wood floorboards tend to be associated with the name ‘Hublet’, Europe’s main supplier of quality sawn oak boards for the secondary woodworking industry. To dry this timber in a way that is more environmentally friendly and responsible, owner Jean-François Hublet turned to the experts at BIOSYNERGY.
Specialists in planed square edge oak
Hublet has specialised in the distribution of oak for the woodworking industry since 1951. The company dries approximately 10,000 m³ of oak timber in its six kilns each year. Hublet subsequently distributes this timber to customers in Belgium, Europe and the rest of the world. «Our position in the hardwood flooring market is very strong,» says Jean-François. «Much of our sawn timber is produced by our sawmill in France. Additionally, we have entered into partnership with several medium-sized sawmills, ensuring a continuous demand for their products. Due to our ability to reliably supply quality timber, we have now grown into a major player.»
Green heating for drying kilns
«Until recently, we relied on natural gas to heat our kilns,» continues Jean-François. «If we ignore the year 2022, during which gas prices increased tenfold, gas has always been a simple, cheap choice of fuel. Our decision to switch to wood as a source of energy was mainly inspired by a desire to establish circularity and recover our industrial waste. Afterwards, it is possible to turn it back into a raw material and reuse it on site. We began working on this in 2017, when we launched our wood planing business.» As someone whose speciality is wood, Jean-François naturally cares about the environment. He had already been searching for an environmentally friendly drying solution for some time when he encountered BIOSYNERGY.
Reducing carbon emissions by 245 tonnes annually
BIOSYNERGY visited Hublet to investigate their existing system. What did they discover? The company was producing a staggering 200 tonnes of wood waste annually, and together, their six drying kilns used more than 1200 MWh worth of gas.«Their existing system was very suitable for replacement with a biomass boiler. To achieve this, we collaborated closely with Humblet's suppliers to find the right technical solution for the dust extraction system, civil engineering and hydraulic distribution. Now the 200 tonnes of wood scrap that were previously going to waste, easily provide enough energy to heat all six kilns. That has allowed Hublet to reduce their carbon emissions by an impressive 245 tonnes a year,» says BIOSYNERGY’s Thibaut De Veyt.
Excellent solution and great collaboration
Jean-François is full of praise for their collaboration with BIOSYNERGY. «We first ran into each other at a trade fair in Ghent and the people at BIOSYNERGY were quick to produce just the right solution for our situation. We went over the plans together and the implementation went very smoothly. The system will go into commission soon and I am full of confidence. Exciting!» says Jean-François.
«As a company whose speciality is wood, we are naturally concerned about the environment. We had already been searching for an environmentally friendly drying solution. BIOSYNERGY was quick to produce just the right solution for our situation. We went over the plans together and the implementation went very smoothly. The system will go into commission soon and I am full of confidence. Exciting!»
Jean-François Hublet
