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Use of energy in the brewing industry
For the manufacturing industry, the question always arises: How can process heat be provided in a climate-neutral way? The solution, which varies from individual to individual, can be energy savings, recovery or even completely new technologies. A small collection of ideas from the BRAUWELT.
Drying the malt consumes the most electrical energy in the malting processMalt, the usual suspect
If you ask a maltster about the biggest energy consumer in his operation, the kiln fans are usually at the top of the list. In the steeping process, the malt absorbs water by itself. After germination, this water has to be dried out of the malt again. One way of increasing the efficiency of this process is not to run the fans at 100 per cent of their maximum output during the steeping process. Another reason for running the fans according to demand is that in most cases a batch is finished "too early", creating a pause between the carbonisation and drying phases. Bühler developed an algorithm that, based on green malt moisture, maximum carbonisation time and final moisture, provides the operator with a precisely calculated fan speed, thus achieving maximum fan efficiency. The solution is completely digital and can be retrofitted without an initial investment. The business model provides for a participation model in the energy costs saved, a clear case of a win-win situation!
The plant in Eemshaven on the coast benefits from the good supply of renewable wind energyEmission-free malt production
Let's stay with malt production, but enter a completely new order of magnitude: Holland Malt is planning 100% emission-free operation for its Eemshaven plant in the Netherlands, with a capacity of 280,000 tonnes. Whew, a truly ambitious undertaking! Pillars of the project: uncompromising heat recovery, a huge energy storage system and appropriately sized heat pumps. The conversion of the plant is scheduled for completion by the end of 2023 and is currently one of the largest heat pump projects in Western Europe. An extremely challenging undertaking, which is admittedly favoured by the location on the coast and the sufficient wind energy available there.
The high-temperature heat pump at the Aying brewery achieves a cop (coefficient of performance) of just under 4High-temperature heat pumps
Speaking of heat pumps ... high-temperature heat pumps represent a lever to turn on energy efficiency. A pilot project at the Aying brewery looked at ways to optimise the operation of the new bottle washer. The implementation of a process that combines the new washing machine with a high-temperature heat pump and the already existing combined heat and power plant resulted in substantial savings in primary energy and water use.
Plants for the anaerobic recovery of biogas are available on the market in modular container design Wastewater treatment for small and medium-sized enterprises
The efficiency of the processes increases with the size of the brewery. The more continuous the operation, the better the coordination of material and energy flows. This is particularly true, for example, for the operation of the bottle washing machine in combination with a high-temperature heat pump described above. If possible, production should take place in blocks to prevent the system from cooling down.
But even for medium-sized breweries, there are already very attractive solutions in most areas for turning the energy screw. Anaerobic wastewater treatment, for example, is well established. On the one hand, the organic components in the wastewater can be converted into biogas, which can be used in a combined heat and power plant or a gas boiler. In addition, the company saves on wastewater fees. Market-ready solutions are offered in a space-saving and modular way in standard containers.
Simplified diagram of a steam boiler system with condensing boiler utilisation in a breweryHydrogen storage technology
Why should a brewery take the complicated route of producing its own hydrogen and accept a loss in efficiency of up to 30 percent? Quite simply, the increasing volatility of renewable electricity production makes hydrogen an attractive storage technology. This is where hydrogen can play to its strengths: It can be stored cheaply and with high energy density, and then used with high efficiency. Even at night and when there is a lull. Hydrogen technology in boilers is well established and can be safely controlled. When purchasing a new boiler, it is advisable – even if the role that hydrogen will play in the energy supply is still not foreseeable – to provide appropriate interfaces for a later conversion. For existing installations, it makes sense to check the future security now.
The brewery as a district heating supplier
The holistic consideration of industry and energy management can enable better and cheaper overall systems. The heat supply of a residential complex with around 800 flats in Graz/Austria was created by using the accruing fermentation heat (or the waste heat of the refrigeration systems) of the Puntigam brewery. The entire usable area of the so-called "brewery quarter" is designed for operation with low-temperature heating of approx. 45 °C. Two heat pumps ensure that the brewery's waste heat is at the required temperature level and supply around four million kilowatt hours of heat to customers every year.
Even if "green beer" may only have seemed really attractive to the Irish ... the brewing industry is just about to do its homework in terms of the energy transitionSomething is happening
As an energy-intensive industry, the brewing industry is particularly hard hit by the rise in energy prices. Those who want to survive in the long term cannot avoid critically scrutinising all processes for their energy efficiency. And, where appropriate, to invest in new technologies. However, the development is going in the right direction, as many successful user examples show.
