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Fast, green and cost-efficient sanitation for breweries

Breweries are an energy-intensive, time-consuming and water demanding businesses. There are many aspects of brewery operations that can improve profitability and their environmental footprint, investing in a complete and effective ozone solution will ensure a cost-efficient and easy-to-use production line using minimal resources and resolving in a pollutant-free production process.

Mellifiq offers more than 20 years of experience implementing advanced oxidation solutions in the food and beverage processing industry. Our innovative solutions, combining ozone and conventional technologies, are ideal for production, clean-in-place processes as well as treatment of the discharged wastewater.

Our goal is to offer a more efficient and sustainable solution that helps you to improve your business profitability and output quality. By reducing your energy costs you will also automatically lower your production facilities environmental impact.

Common challenges facing modern breweries.

Water and chemical demanding bottle rinsing and CIP

Bottling and CIP processes require high levels of disinfection to ensure high quality and fault-free final product. As a result, breweries often find themselves using an excessive amount of traditional disinfectants in the form of high-temperature water or chemicals.

The use of traditional disinfectants leads to high operational costs, energy demands and, in the case of chemicals, storage costs as well as having to treat chemical residues.

Contaminated process and feed water

Ensuring a high-quality water feed is of highest importance as any contamination in the brewery process may lead to a low-quality product in taste, appearance and smell.

If not treated, spoilage will lead to highly increased production costs and severely reduced up-time as the process equipment will need to be manually disinfected before production can resume.

Overview of ozone treatment solutions for breweries.

Ozone is the most efficient disinfection agent available and replaces traditional chemicals such as hypochlorite, peracetic acid (PAA) and hydrogen peroxide. It offers at least 20 times higher microbial inactivation potential which means that both concentration and disinfection time can be significantly reduced – and that the treament is very gentle on materials.

Mellifiq’s ozone systems offered by our Ozonetech brand produce ozone in-situ and on- demand only requiring oxygen as raw material. After use, the remaining active ozone quickly and naturally decomposes into oxygen, leaving no chemical byproducts behind. The produced ozone cannot be stored which significantly reduces storage needs at the brewery.

Watch the introduction video below for brewery sanitation for fermentation tanks, filling machines and other process equipment.

Sanitizing the equipment with ozone

Sanitation and disinfection in breweries

Our technology can benefit your business in the following areas:

Reducing energy costs
Eliminating the need for handling, storage and administration of chemicals in cleaning and disinfection
Prolonging the brewing equipment lifetime
Reduce production down-time
Minimizing water consumption

Ozone applications in breweries and beverage production

There are many different steps of the production that can benefit from ozone treatment, see the following list of applications.

Ozone disinfection of fermentation and lagering (maturation) tanks

Ozone technology can be used in-lieu of disinfection chemicals and integrated into a current Clean-in-Place (CIP) system for sanitation of all brewery process equipment. Fermentation and lager tank cleaning and sanitation cycles can be shortened by up to 30 minutes per CIP. Ozone is a perfect replacement for hot water disinfection which avoids frequent heat expansion of pipes, joints and tank material. Using ozone as a part of the CIP of such process equipment also sanitizes pipes effectively. Since no by-products are left in the system, the final rinse can be avoided, saving water and time.

Filling machines

All components of the filling line can be disinfected with ozone as a part of the CIP cycle. In addition, it can be used for bottle rinsing, especially applicable in mineral water or cider production where bottle rinsing is crucial. Hot water, which is especially common for filling machine sanitation, can be replaced with cold ozone, saving time and energy.

Keg sanitation

Ozonated water is also suitable for keg filling machines and its CIP system. Ozone replaces steam and hot water in these applications, making it an economically viable application.

Aroma compounds removal

For breweries that produce successive batches of various types of beverages – mixed batches of beer, cider or flavored mineral water – aroma cross contamination may occur. The effective oxidizing characteristics of ozone present a novel way of removing aroma compounds that may otherwise contaminate the finished product.

Open surface ozone sanitation

Ozonated water is an effective surface sanitizer (also known as COP, clean out of place), which means it can be used for conveyor belts (for example in the filling line) and floor areas in the brewery.

Eliminating Pectinatus and Megaspaera

In recent years, anaerobic bacteria such as various strains of Pectinatus and Megaspaera have emerged as a serious issue in brewery operations and are often found in lagering and fermentation tanks and the filling machine. The superior disinfection capacity, as a strong oxidizing agent, of ozone, offers elevated peace of mind pertaining to this emerging problem. Read more at our dedicated web page for ozone disinfection.

Supply water quality assurance

Sanitized and clean supply water for industrial use is an issue in food and beverage production in many parts of the world. Ozone is a cost-effective method to sanitize the supply water used for brewing, sanitation of process equipment and plant-wide rinsing. Not only does ozone offer the most effective sanitation, it also removes BOD and COD. In addition, it provides ultra-clear water by removing particles and discolorations – and leaves no by-products or taste. It is a perfect alternative to chlorine dioxide sanitation, which is commonly used in large breweries.

Did you know

Our solutions are used worldwide, not only in breweries but also in wineries, the food industry, and in all kinds of applications where tanks, pipes, and process equipment need to be disinfected.

Cleaning and sanitation – our solutions versus chemicals

It is imperative to clean the brewing equipment, such as piping, fermenters and cooling tanks, from residues left by the organic compounds from the fermentation process. In addition to unwanted particles and compounds that adhere to the inside surface of the equipment, such leftovers enable a proliferation of microorganisms, creating biofilms. This will inevitably affect the quality of the end product. The table below shows a number of cleaners and sanitizers used to clean brewing equipment today.

Compound	Application	Challenge
Acetic Acid (cleaner)	Very effective copper cleaner	Rinse water should be applied to avoid oxide deposits which may promote bacterial growth
Hypochlorite (sanitizer)	• Effective at breaking up organic compounds • Low cost sanitizer • Sanitation effect favored by elevated temperatures	• Corrosion may occur, even for stainless steel vessels (SS304 and SS316), especially with hot water • Copper vessels are easily oxidized, leaving copper in the beer • May affect the taste of the following brew unless boiled water is used for rinsing • If system is not cleaned properly, it will lose its sanitizing ability
Ozone (sanitizer)	• Can be applied cold, thus reducing energy costs • Leaves no harmful by-products • Produced on-site (in-situ) which eliminates chemical handling • Negligable consumables (power) cost • Gentle on materials • No rinsing required	• Mechanical installation • Should not be mixed with other organic chemicals in order to achieve maximum effects
Sodium/Potassium Hydroxide, Caustic (cleaner)	• Very effective detergent and removes organic residues • Removes scorched surfaces	• Extreme handling caution must be taken to avoid skin and eye damage • Very corrosive to aluminum and brass
Paracetic Acid, PAA (sanitizer)	• Readily available sanitizer agent with minimal by-products • Relatively low application temperature	• Shelf-life of beer is reduced unless thoroughly rinsed • Relatively expensive at required applied concentrations • Smell
Iodophor (sanitizer)	• Effective sanitizer • Not very common the industry anymore	• Handling precautions must be taken due to its skin and eye irritating characteristics • Stains upon exposure • May affect flavor
Heat (sanitizer)	• Potentially effective but requires a prolonged exposure at high temperature	• High operational costs • Time consuming due to heat up and cool down periods

The ozone sanitation operation

Brewery sanitation process that the RENA Vivo ozone system is part of.

1. CIP station

The current CIP station, rinse or chemical tank is used for circulation and buffering.

2. RENA Vivo system

Ozonetech RENA Vivo ozone system is connected to CIP tank or circulation piping.

3. Circulation back to the ozone system

During sanitation, water is continuously circulated back to the ozone system, allowing for accurate ozone control.

4. Tanks to be sanitized

Fermentation tanks, lager tanks and filling machines are effectively sanitized – no heat or chemicals needed.

Eliminate sanitation chemicals

Ozone can be used as sanitation agents to reduce total CIP time, realize water savings and reduce chemical handling and consumption. The figure below conceptualizes the benefits of upgrading your current CIP system with an integrated solution from us. Read more about CIP and process equipment sanitation.

Not only can disinfection chemical use be avoided, by applying ozone in the pre-rinse phase, caustic cleaning can be enhanced which may further reduce chemical consumption.

Replace hot water sanitation with our solutions

Many breweries apply hot water to sanitize tanks, filling machines and other process equipment. For hygienically designed systems, ozone presents large energy savings opportunities and achieves 3-log reduction of unwanted bacteria in 10-15 minutes.

At the same time as substantial energy savings can be realized, equipment lifetime is improved and maintenance issues are reduced by avoiding frequent mechanical tensions during heating and cooling between CIP-cycles. Annual operational downtime can be avoided by up to 300 hours which increases production capacity.

Contact us at Mellifiq today to move towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable technology for your sanitation needs. You will not just save time, you will also save lots of energy, reduce water consumption and thereby facilitate a leaner production.

Potential annual savings with ozone in lieu of hot water sanitation

Estimated annual savings for large scale, middle size and craft breweries by replacing hot water sanitation with ozone. Calculations are based on 85 deg C hot water sanitation once per day.

Improve your CIP, ensure feed water quality

It’s time to abandon old routines. When sustainability and green technologies are accepted as guiding principles in most industries, why not make the move? There is much to gain, not just money.

We offer a faster and more effective solution to sanitize water and process equipment for breweries of any size. The Ozonetech RENA Water Solutions are turn-key treatment systems, easy to install and operate for the complete disinfection needs of your facility.

Simple implementation

The systems are designed with integrated hydraulic connections. They can be installed both in existing piping and connected to water tanks. Ozone is efficiently dissolved into the water at maximum 1 ppm concentrations, still allowing for shorter sanitation cycles compared to hot water and disinfection chemicals such as peracetic acid or hypochlorite. All systems come with integrated controls and safety features for reliable and safe use. Installation is simple, for both existing and new breweries.

Key benefits

Ensures 100% bacteria-free feed water without chemicals
Maximum 1 ppm dissolved ozone concentration
One-touch start-stop operation
No heat and chemical handling

No raw materials to buy or handle

Using an Ozonetech ozone system in your cleaning and sanitation program eliminates the handling of hazardous disinfection chemicals. Ozone is produced instantly on-site and on-demand.

We use natural ambient air to produce oxygen which is then used to produce ozone. This makes our methods environmentally friendly and significantly improves the health and safety aspects of your production. Each ozone sanitation cycle only consumes 0.3 kWh for a craft brewery and less than 1 kWh for a large facility.

Save time, water and money

Ozone treatment can replace traditional disinfection methods that use chemicals and hot water.

No sanitation chemicals needed

Ozone does not leave any chemical residues. There is no need for water rinsing after disinfection is complete. Cleaning and sanitation is a major water consumer, and any brewery can save up to 10% of the total water consumption. And equally important, all sanitation chemicals can be eliminated. Hot water can be replaced by cold ozone sanitation, reducing energy costs significantly.

Disinfect in five minutes with a touch of a button

Ozone is the most effective disinfection agent commercially available. It’s up to 3,000 times more effective than hypochlorite and peracetic acid. We exceed required microbial kill rates quicker and at only 1 ppm concentration compared to other disinfection chemicals. You will be ensured bacteria-free process water and equipment in a matter of minutes. Just press the button.

Swap to an Ozonetech system. It will instantly reduce your water cost, energy cost, chemical cost, environmental impact and increase the production uptime.