Gloggnitz, Austria, 27.03.2025
GIG Karasek is collaborating with Piller Blowers & Compressors GmbH, a leading German manufacturer of blowers and compressors for the process industry, on a groundbreaking project for BASF SE.
As the EPC contractor and technology provider, GIG Karasek is delivering the world’s most powerful industrial heat pump system for BASF’s Ludwigshafen site. PILLER is supplying the 11 blowers, which are connected in series as part of the steam compression system and serve as the central element of GIG Karasek’s innovative CompriVAP technology. The system demands maximum blower performance and will achieve an impressive thermal output of up to 50 MWth.
Andreas Schnitzhofer, Managing Director of GIG Karasek. Photo © GIG Karasek
Andreas Schnitzhofer, Managing Director of GIG Karasek, explains: “We chose PILLER because of its many years of experience in blower and compressor technology, and we regard PILLER as a top-class supplier for our large-scale CompriVAP system. We are combining our expertise and experience to accelerate industrial transformation using forward-thinking, energy-efficient solutions – for maximum performance and sustainability in heat pump technology.”
Christoph Böhnisch, Managing Director of Piller Blowers & Compressors. Photo © PILLER
Christoph Böhnisch, Managing Director of PILLER, adds: “We are proud to be part of this pioneering project. We are especially pleased that our globally recognized expertise is now being applied in Germany for the first time, in close collaboration with GIG Karasek and BASF at the Ludwigshafen site. With our specially developed VapoLine product line, we are strengthening our position as a technology leader in vapor (re-) compression.”
Sustainable transformation of steam supply
The goal of the project is to convert the steam supply at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site to a sustainable, CO₂-free production process. This investment will allow BASF to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions currently generated during the production of formic acid by 98 percent.
Visualization of the CompriVAP plant featuring an 11-stage compressor system from PILLER. © GIG Karasek
About the companies
PILLER Blowers & Compressors GmbH is a leading global manufacturer of blowers and compressors for a wide range of processes and applications in the process industry. Continuous technological progress over the past 100 years has allowed PILLER to establish itself as a technology leader in vapor (re-) compression. With a strong focus on heat recovery, the company is playing an active part in the sustainable transformation of the industry.
Contact: pbc-marketing@piller.de
GIG Karasek, part of the Dr. Aichhorn Group, is a global industrial partner with decades of experience in thermal separation technology. Since 2022, the company has increasingly focused on innovative environmental technologies such as industrial heat recovery, electrochemical CO₂ conversion, and IIoT solutions.
Contact us for more information: presse.gigkarasek@gigkarasek.at
Christoph Böhnisch, Managing Director of PILLER (left), and Andreas Schnitzhofer, Managing Director of GIG Karasek. Photo © PILLER