By Rafael Castro, Business Development Manager, JBT Marel
Key takeaways:
- Energy recovery systems significantly reduce costs by capturing and reusing heat from cooling phases to power heating phases, eliminating steam consumption and reducing boiler demand by up to $20,000 per year per retort.
- Passive suction technology cuts water usage by 45% while maintaining food safety standards, leading to substantial reductions in both heating and cooling energy requirements during thermal processing.
- Sustainability initiatives are now mandatory as 80% of consumers are willing to pay nearly 10% more for sustainable products, while food processing accounts for 15% of global fossil fuel consumption with significant efficiency opportunities.
Sustainability isn’t just a good business practice today; it’s mandatory to meet customers’ evolving preferences. In last year’s PwC Voice of the Consumer Survey, 46% of respondents shared they are buying more sustainable products in an effort to reduce their environmental impact. What’s more, 80% of consumers shared they are willing to pay an average of 9.7% more for sustainably produced or sourced goods if they meet the right criteria.
In food and beverage manufacturing, however, it is paramount to balance sustainability with safety. Food processing accounts for at least 15% of global fossil fuel consumption, and close to half of that energy usage (42%) occurs at the processing and packaging phase. This indicates there could be room for improvement, but in food manufacturing, it’s not as easy as switching to LED lights.
Retort machines, for example, are often used for commercial food sterilization. They can use a great deal of energy when eliminating bacteria and microorganisms in food products by heating them to safe levels and then rapidly cooling them to prevent overcooking or nutrient loss. To tamper with these temperatures or the length of time they need to be held at a certain temperature would result in food that is not safe for consumption.
Fortunately, advancements in modern manufacturing are reducing the amount of energy needed to safely package food. In retort and rotary systems, there are products available to improve energy efficiency through energy and heat recovery systems and passive suction systems.
Recovery systems
To reduce emissions and steam consumption and perform cooling water heat recovery in retorts, energy recovery systems use a multi-tank method to store and process hot and cold water. These tanks transfer energy between the come-up and cooling portions of a retort’s thermal process, and then energy is extracted during the cooling phase to be used for heating in the next come-up phase.
The benefits are two-fold. From an energy storage standpoint, energy recovery systems do not send superheated water back to a cooling tower and do not use cold water from the cooling tower in the initial cooling phase, thus reducing cooling tower load. Rather, the system collects energy from the hot process water during the first portion of the cooling phase. This begins the recovery phase, where the system transfers heat energy to the cold process water during the first portion of the come-up phase. By eliminating steam consumption during this first phase, manufacturers can reduce boiler steam demand.
Similarly for rotaries, systems recover energy from the rotary cooler’s hot water discharge and use that energy to then heat up the water in the rotary preheater. This provides utility savings from reduced steam consumption in the rotary preheater and a reduced cooling tower load.
Passive suction
In addition to overall energy usage, retorts also require large amounts of water. Reducing water and energy consumption can lead to dramatic utility savings, and this can be achieved by using a low-energy or passive suction system. Passive suction systems draw in water evenly along the length of the retort, allowing for less water to be used during the thermal process. Less water means less steam is needed to heat the product, and less cooling water is needed to cool it again.
Low Energy Suction Systems (LESS) provide food processors increased energy savings through a bolt-on system that reduces retort water volume by up to 45%, significantly decreasing heating and cooling costs per process. LESS can be added to existing machines as an upgrade kit for streamlined implementation. This passive system requires no maintenance and offers a total cost savings of over $20,000 per year, per retort.
As consumer demand continues to drive increased sustainability practices throughout the industry, professionals face the critical challenge of integrating environmentally conscious practices without compromising product safety. Innovations such as energy recovery and passive suction systems help food manufacturers to make meaningful and measurable strides in reducing energy and water consumption without sacrificing safety or quality.
Rafael Castro is a dedicated and experienced professional with over 17 years of service at JBT Corporation, where he started as an applications engineer in 2007. Currently, he holds the position of Western US Sales Manager for the Preservation product line. In this role, Rafael has a focus on driving sales strategies and expanding market presence throughout the United States, leveraging his expertise to deliver exceptional results and customer satisfaction.
Prior to his current position, Rafael served as a Senior Product Line Specialist for the Rotary product line. Throughout his career at JBT Corporation, he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence and the ability to adapt to evolving industry demands. Rafael’s extensive experience in sales management, product specialization, and engineering has equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of the preservation sector.
