Major energy and resource demands of a brewery - Essay Example

Major energy and resource demands of a brewery The brewing industry accounts for the largest industrial uses of resources, particularly water (Olajire 1), in the world and in as much as the industry has seen profound enhancements in technology over the years, it still faces a great deal of environmental challenges that impede its sustainability. High energy and water consumption rank among the brewing industry’s major environmental consequences, followed closely by wastewater, solid waste, and other by-products; with the increasing global concerns about sustainability and efficiency, the brewing industry has a lot of ground to cover to be compliant with these global environmental goals. This paper will examine the major energy and resource demands of a brewery, specific examples of measures of the brewery industry to be more sustainable, particularly industry sustainability efforts regarding water, energy, and materials; additionally, this paper will also make fundamental recommendations or suggestions for improving sustainability in the craft brewery. Major resource demands Water is an essential resource in the brewery industry especially because it is a vital ingredient that is utilized in almost every step in the process of making beer, comprising nearly 95% proportion of beer by mass. Breweries in the contemporary world have water demands that range from about 0.4 to 1m3per hl of beer that is produced, and the consumption rate varies considerably depending on a number of key factors of production. For instance, the consumption of water varies based on the beer type, and number of beer brands, the size of the brews, the packaging and pasteurization process, as well as the cleaning system, and the type of equipment used. The bottling process consumes more water than the kegging process, and the cooling systems account for further water losses through evaporation especially in hot climates, but cold climates lead to energy saving in the chilling process (Chauvin 48); in this case, the entire beer brewing process needs large quantities of good-quality water. The brewing process is not efficient on the use of water especially because large quantities of water are lost through wastage; wastewater is a major component of the waste products of brewery operations despite substantial technological enhancements in the industry. It has been estimated that nearly 3 to 10 liters of wastewater is generated per every liter of beer that is produced in breweries ("MillerCoors Sets New Record for Water Conservation") ; the quantity of wastewater generated by breweries largely depends on the scale of production and specific water usage. A large proportion of the wastewater produced through brewing, rinsing, and cooling processes is disposed off, or safely treated for reuse but this process is usually very expensive for average brewers who find it economically unsuitable. In this respect, most brewers hardly reuse their wastewater because the high cost of treating it, leading to the high demand for good quality water in the brewing process. Apart from water, energy is yet another major resource of the brewing industry; the typical cost of energy and utilities in the brewing industry ranges between 3% to 8% of a brewery’s general budget, and this may vary considerable depending on things such as size of the brewery, among other key factors. The entire brewing process accounts for colossus demands of both thermal, which is used to raise steam in boilers used for wort boiling and heating water in the brew house as well as in the bottling hall, and electrical energy from the general grid. High electrical energy consumption is largely accounted for by the massive refrigeration system, followed by the brew house, bottling hall, and the wastewater treatment plants; the most efficient brewery will consume between 8 to 12 kWh electricity, 5hl water, and 150 Mj fuel energy to produce one hectoliter of beer. The high energy demands of the brewing industry result from the high energy utility systems and process designs but site-specific variations may arise due to differences in the recipe of products, type of packaging, climatic conditions, as well as the incoming temperature of water to the brewery. Nearly 60% of the total primary energy consumed by the brewing industry comes from natural gas and coal, fuels that are used as inputs to the boilers for the production of steam for a number of brewing processes and on-site electricity generation process. Direct process uses such as heating, cooling, in addition to refrigeration, as well as non-process uses such as facility heating, exert a substantial energy demands that are met by these fuels, thereby threatening industry sustainability. Overall, a vast proportion of thermal energy is consumed by the brewing operations and pasteurization while electrical energy is spread among fermentation, beer conditioning, and space utilities. Sustainability Measures Sustainability measures in the brewing industry involve reduction of resource and energy demands in the brewing process, because the inefficient use of resources contributes great environmental impacts in the ecosystem ("Heineken to be Inaugural Participant..."). Efficient use of water leads to dramatic reduction in the proportion of water consumed in the brewing process, thereby creating both environmental and economic benefits, and conservation of water sources. Proper maintenance of the brewing process systems could also lead to sustainability in the brewing industry (Satrom 23), especially because substantial amounts of water are usually lost through inefficiency in the processes of brewing. Energy efficiency is also another fundamental aspect of a brewery’s environmental sustainability strategy; the energy demands by a brewery are largely determined by the utility system and process design. The entire brewing process is energy intensive, particularly due to the high energy-consuming processes in the brew house; however, with gradual technological advancements, the energy consumption in breweries has reduced remarkably leading to sustainability.Generally, energy efficiency in the brewing industry is achieved by technology such as insulation upgrades, high efficiency furnaces, among other things; in particular, energy demand can be reduced substantially using waste heat as process heat or energy-rich by-products for thermal energy. Fossil fuels can also be replaced by the anaerobic fermentation of brewery wastewater and biogas production and the biofuel produced in this manner can be used in proficient heat and power units. Solar energy can also substitute the demand for fossil fuels as the primary sources of energy used to run production processes in the brewing industry as well; overall, development of alternative sources of energy and reduction of overreliance on fossil fuels is a fundamental aspect of achieving sustainability in the breweries. Overall, sustainability in the brewing industry can be achieved both through the efficient use and through conservation of input resources such as water and energy. The Swan Brewery case study The Swan brewery located in Western Australia has long been involved in sustainability initiatives by committing to environmental responsibility through the implementation of cleaner production processes that seek to enhance environmental and business performance. Some of the cleaner production options implemented by the brewery include water use and recycling, and energy saving initiatives that promote efficiency in energy use. Process water in the Swan brewery is treated through reverse osmosis to remove impurities, and water use is controlled through process control; efficiency in water consumption is further achieved through preventive maintenance programs that minimize leaks (“The Swan brewery water and energy efficiency” 3). Housekeeping practices in the brewery avoid unnecessary use and water losses are recovered from various processes or units; for instance, a large proportion of water is recovered from the gravity can rinser, and from the the refrigerator coolers defrost water and carbon dioxide purifiers cooling water. Energy efficiency is achieved through various energy saving initiatives such as basic housekeeping measures, pipe and equipment insulation, preventive maintenance, and continuous review of the energy efficiency of processes and equipment. Installing a variable speed drive to the motor at the wastewater treatment plant and running a smaller air compressor at weekends to during low demands are the newest proposals from a recent energy review. Overall, these sustainability initiatives have already resulted to substantial energy and water savings; for instance, water recycling saves over 60,000 KL of water a year and Swan’s annual electricity demand has been reduced by about 220,000 kw hrs. Other cleaner production options being considered by the brewery include recovering waste heat from compressors through heat exchangers, sand filtration to recover wastewater for non-product processes, and co-generation of electricity and steam; power factor alterations and solar energy as an alternative to steam, are being considered too. Recommendations for the Craft brewerysustainability Craft breweries is increasingly encountering shortages of supplies(Sullivan 16), which challenge its sustainability; the general initiatives that can enhance sustainability in Craft brewery entail an integrated approach that includes improvement of energy efficiency, implementation of energy recovery, and the development of alternative energy sources. First, Craft brewery must implement energy efficiency and conservation initiatives that will reduce the amount of energy used to produce one unit of beer; this can be achieved through the optimization of energy using systems and processes to reduce their energy consumption. Insulation upgrades, use of compact fluorescent bulbs, and high efficiency furnaces, among other adjustments can lead to substantial energy savings. Secondly, energy conversion or recovery initiatives can also lead to enhanced sustainability in the Craft breweries; lost energy from fossil fuels can be recovered by combustion of energy-rich wastes for heat generation. Combustion of spent grains can be a brilliant way of generating thermal heat and electricity in the Craft brewery, thereby enhancing sustainability by reducing energy losses. Thirdly, Craft brewery should consider developing alternative energy sources such as biofuel and solar energy and biogas production can yield biofuel that can be used in well-organized heat and power units, and other applications, thus leading to sustainability. The solar system can be a low cost energy supplier that can highly offset the high-energy demands for the Craft brewery; installation of solar collectors will help the Craft brewery save on energy costs by taking advantage of cheap solar energy thereby leading to further improvements in sustainability. Ultimately, breweries have high energy and water demands that nearly threaten their own, and the environment’s sustainability; high water demands by breweries exert a lot of pressure on the environment, particularly because that also leads to high proportions of wastewater being produced by the breweries. A lot of inefficiency exists in breweries use of water because large amounts of the water are wasted through the processes and are not recycled due to the high cost of treatment; breweries are also energy intensive since most of the processes require a lot of energy, both thermal and electrical. Sustainability in the breweries is a major concern because of the potential depletion of production resources such as water and energy in the environment; a reduction of wastage through efficiency use of resources and optimization of processes is highly recommended for the brewery industry. Works Cited Olajire, Abass. “The brewing industry and environmental challenges”.Journal of Cleaner Production (2012), p1-12. Satrom, Satrom. E. How maintenance adds to the brew. Electrical Apparatus, 56(5), (2003), 21-24. Chauvin, Lucien O. "Brewing at the Top of the World." Beverage World 124.1753 (2005): 48.  Sullivan, Laura. "Trouble brewing: The risks of running a craft brewery." Risk Management 59.5 (2012): 15-8. "MillerCoors Sets New Record for Water Conservation." CSRwireSep 03 2013.  Web. 20 Nov. 2013 . “The Swan brewery water and energy efficiency”.Seg.curtin.edu.au. Print . 2002.  Web. 20 Nov. 2013 "Heineken to be Inaugural Participant in United Nations Global Compact LEAD." CSRwireJan 28 2011.  Web. 20 Nov. 2013 . http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/31492-Heineken-to-be-inaugural-participant-in-United-Nations-Global-Compact-LEAD Read More