​​​​​​​​Green technology for a green industry

Environmental focus​

As an environmentally responsible company, Tetra Pak is at the forefront with a dedicated green strategy focusing on sustainable use of natural resources with due regard to the profitability and green image of our customers. By means of new thinking and innovative technology, we are constantly developing new ways to reduce the resource usage, product wastage, and effluents of dairy plants to protect the environment:

Concentration

Transportation of milk and whey contributes heavily to the environmental footprint and is very costly.

Concentration of the product by means of RO, however, will remove water selectively from the product, and raise the total solids content. Thus, it is possible to transport 3 or 4 times as much dry matter per transport unit. The excess water can be used as process water, contributing further to reduced resource usage.

Benefits

• Considerable reduction of transport costs (two thirds)
• Reduced CO₂ emission
• Excess water can be used for process water, reducing well water consumption

Product Recovery

In connection with cleaning of a process line after produc­tion, the first flush water is a mixture of product and water, and this diluted product is most often discharged as waste water. However, by means of RO technology, the Product Recov­ery process recovers valuable solids from the flush water and retrieves the water. Production wastage is reduced to an absolute minimum, as the concentrated product and the RO water can be reused.

Benefits

• No waste of product
• Considerable reduction of waste water discharge and effluent charges
• Reuse of water, reduced water consumption
• Very short payback period

Green Flush

Green Flush is a highly resource-saving, software-based solution for effective flushing of a membrane filtration plant. Compared to a traditional full plant flush, Green Flush re­duces water consumption and the flow volume required for effective flushing by up to 30%. Additionally, implementa­tion of Green Flush will shorten the time required for flush­ing considerably and reduce power consumption accord­ingly.

Benefits

• Reduced flushing time and resource usage by up to 30%
• Considerable reduction of waste water discharge and effluent charges

CIP Recovery

Cleaning of milk powder plants requires large volumes of lye, and after a CIP cleaning the lye contains a great deal of dissolved and suspended matter, making it unsuitable for direct use in a new CIP sequence.

As an alternative to dumping large quantities of spent lye, Tetra Pak Filtration has developed a separation method, regenerating 70% to 90% of the lye.

The process can run at 80°C, making it unnecessary to cool the lye prior to separation. This again reduces the resource usage, as energy loss from cooling and reheating is eliminated.

Benefits

• 70% to 90% regeneration of spent lye, chemical consumption reduced
• More efficient cleaning
• Considerable reduction of waste water discharge and effluent charges
• Reuse of water, reduced water consumption
• No energy loss from cooling or heating

ESA^TM

The ESA^TM or Energy Saving ATD (Anti-Tele­scoping Device) is a technology that reduces power consumption of membrane fil­tration plants dramatically, while maintaining the output of the plant.

Benefits

• 10-40% reduction of the flow in the loops (energy savings)
• Reduced need for cooling
• Possibility of increasing the capacity of an existing plant
• Possibility of energy subsidies in some countries
• Less dead volume in the plant

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