Industrial Utility Efficiency
There were two situations brought to our attention. The first was that production at times was having to slow down, or even stop, due to compressed air system pressure falling below the required levels. The second reason was due to reports, from plant personnel, of compressed air moisture problems negatively affecting the bag life of the dryer baghouses.
Regular testing of pure gases helps to ensure the safety of consumers and of end products. Whether the pure gas is used directly for medical patients, or in the manufacturing of food, beverages, or pharmaceutical products, quality is of the highest importance. Inadequate levels of purity or unsafe contamination can be detrimental to the products or consumers.
Yearly energy reduction quotas drive utilities, plant, and energy managers to continue to reduce energy consumption in all areas. A frequent question asked is, “Where can we find more energy savings once we have a VFD compressor and we have fixed all our leaks?”
When compressed air comes into direct contact with a product, many applications believe their “standard” particulate and coalescing oil-removing filters, installed either side of a compressed air dryer, are sufficient to protect the downstream processes. Strangely enough, the removal of bacteria is often overlooked, despite this level of filtration being readily available, easy to procure, install and maintain.
Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) accounts for a significant amount of nitrogen usage in the food and beverage industry. MAP involves injecting nitrogen into beverage or food packaging to purge and displace any oxygen-containing air with nitrogen. Oxidation of lipids in food products causes rancidity. Since oxygen is replaced with dry, inert nitrogen in MAP packaging, no product oxidation will occur. The result is maximized product shelf life.
The Group successfully cut its energy-related CO2 emissions by 60 percent in absolute terms between 2014 and 2019. Various energy-saving measures, the LEED seal-winning sustainable design of production and office locations, and the transformation to green logistics are just a few examples of the Beiersdorf Group’s uncompromising climate protection program. Since the end of 2019, 100 percent of the electricity purchased worldwide comes from renewable energy sources.
“We have a goal of zero water waste globally in 2030. As a global company, we have a responsibility to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and as a brewery, we have a special responsibility to reduce water waste in our global production. The new water recycling plant in Fredericia will generate important learnings that can be implemented across our breweries in the rest of the world,” says Carlsberg Group CEO, Cees ’t Hart.
Danone today announced, in December 2020, that it has been highlighted for the second year in a row as a world environmental leader by the international non-profit organization CDP, whose disclosure and scoring system is recognized as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency.
“Since the Colgate brand is in more homes than any other, we have the opportunity to help people build sustainable habits into their everyday lives,” said Ann Tracy, Colgate’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “We are honored to be recognized by ENERGY STAR® for Colgate’s achievements in sustainability and ongoing efforts to lead action on climate change – from encouraging suppliers to reduce their energy consumption to making our operations even more energy efficient to helping consumers lead more sustainable lives through the use of our products.”
“Companies’ emissions don't end at the factory door. CDP data shows a company's supply chain emissions are, on average, over 11.4 times greater than its direct emissions. Meaningful corporate climate action means engaging with suppliers to reduce emissions across the value chain,” said Sonya Bhonsle, Global Head of Value Chains, CDP. “We congratulate Firmenich for making it on to the CDP Supplier Engagement Leaderboard. This demonstrates that they are setting the pace in environmental management and their commitment to reduce emissions and lower environmental risks across their supply chain.”
In 2021, Compressed Air Best Practices® Magazine interviewed members of the Molson Coors Canada team, at their Toronto Brewery, to gain an understanding of the work being done to improve energy efficiency. The team members interviewed were Doug Dittburner (Chief Engineer), Antonio Mayne (Utilities Optimization Engineer) and Khalil Daniel (Engineering Intern).
