GEA plans CO2 recovery solution for small and medium-sized breweries
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Decarbonizing breweries
GEA plans CO2 recovery solution for small and medium-sized breweries
At BrauBeviale 2023, GEA will present its project plans for developing a CO2 recovery system fo
r smaller breweries with a capacity of 50,000 hectoliters of sales beer per year. These systems collect CO2 from the fermentation process and make it available as a high-purity resource for in-house production or other applications in the food industry.
Decarbonizing breweries
GEA plans CO2 recovery solution for small and medium-sized breweries
Düsseldorf (Germany), November 29, 2023 – At BrauBeviale 2023, GEA will present its project plans for developing a CO2 recovery system for smaller breweries with a capacity of 50,000 hectoliters of sales beer per year. These systems collect CO2 from the fermentation process and make it available as a high-purity resource for in-house production or other applications in the food industry. As a result, CO2 recovery not only lowers production costs, but also contributes to a more environmentally friendly process with a reduced carbon footprint.
CO2 supply bottlenecks
While such recovery systems are already established in large breweries, the rising price of carbon dioxide is making CO2 recovery from in-house fermentation processes an option for smaller companies too. Food-grade carbon dioxide is needed to pressurize vessels before filling and to improve shelf life. In recent years, the CO2 usually purchased by smaller breweries has become scarce and expensive. “The fertilizer industry, which is an important CO2 producer, has been severely slowed down by high energy prices, for example. Some breweries even had to close the taps, because without CO2, bottling won't work,” explains Klaus Bonfig, Head of Utilities in GEA's brewing business. "GEA regards this Craft CO2 Plant development project as an opportunity to help smaller breweries become more sustainable and autonomous.”
Adapting large systems to smaller breweries
With more than 120 CO2 recovery plants installed in 35 countries, GEA has extensive experience in configuring these systems. The large-scale plants have a capacity of 100 to 8,000 kilograms of CO2 per hour and are suitable for breweries producing between 200,000 and 16 million hectoliters of sales beer per year. Now cost-efficient compact systems are planned specifically for breweries with an annual beer output of around 50,000 hectoliters, which process 25 kilograms of CO2 per hour, which is purified and liquefied with glycol from the central brewery system. The focus of scaling is on simplifying the system. Thus, a special compressor eliminates the need for an additional refrigeration system for liquefaction. All components are skid mounted. These measures contribute to the optimization of operation and also make it easier for breweries to integrate the system into their existing processes. Depending on the CO2 price, the large systems usually pay for themselves in around three years. The GEA experts also anticipate an attractive return on investment for companies applying a Craft CO2 Plant.
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
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Contact Media Relations GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft Fanny Förster Peter-Müller-Str. 12, 40468 Düsseldorf, Germany Phone +49 211 9136-1504 fanny.foerster @gea.com
About GEA GEA is one of the world's largest suppliers of systems and components to the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. The international technology group, founded in 1881, focuses on machinery and plants, as well as advanced process technology, components, and comprehensive services. With more than 18,000 employees working across five divisions and 62 countries, the group generated revenues of more than EUR 5.1 billion in fiscal year 2022. GEA plants, processes, components, and services enhance the efficiency and sustainability of production processes across the globe. They contribute significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, plastic usage, and food waste. In doing so, GEA makes a key contribution toward a sustainable future, in line with the company’s purpose: "Engineering for a better world".
GEA is listed in the German MDAX and the STOXX® Europe 600 Index and is also among the companies comprising the DAX 50 ESG and MSCI Global Sustainability and the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Indices.
More information can be found online at gea.com.