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Improving water efficiency with pumps

02 February 2024

For food and beverage companies striving for better water management in their production processes, selecting the right pump has become increasingly important. Reducing water usage can result in cost savings while also helping organisations meet their environmental and sustainability standards.

According to global management consultant, McKinsey, by 2030 demand for water is expected to outstrip supply by 40%. Climate change is also putting pressure on water availability.

One way that food and beverage companies can address water consumption is to consider if existing pumps, or those about to be purchased, have the following capabilities:  

• Accuracy – which avoids chemical overdosing and achieves cost savings
• Clean-in-place (CIP)
• Gentle pumping – which reduces food waste and product damage 
• Runs dry without damaging the pump 

When agricultural produce enters a manufacturing plant for processing, it uses vast volumes of water which must meet specific requirements for different uses such as washing and preparation; pasteurisation; cleaning of equipment; steaming and sterilisation, and also as an additive or stabiliser. 

To produce the high water quality that is often required in food production it is necessary to collect, transport and treat it, which can require a significant amount of energy, along with building the necessary infrastructure, chemical usage and labour. At the end of the process a waste stream is also produced, in the form of sludge, which can pollute the environment if poorly managed. For this reason, wastewater needs to undergo high levels of treatment. Companies that opt to treat wastewater onsite, rather than through a trade effluent service, are expected to meet strict environmental standards before emission to watercourses.

Water reuse is becoming increasingly popular in the food and beverage sector, with companies adding new treatment trains to minimise use of municipal water and reduce abstractions from, and discharges to, the environment.

While standards for health and safety and environmental compliance are of critical importance, choosing the right chemical dosing pump can mitigate risks from breaches in health and safety and compliance.

Case study
Eurial, the France-based milk division of the AGRIAL cooperative group, supplies dairy products to shops, catering and commercial companies. At one of its dairies, a single peristaltic dosing pump now treats the 300m3 of water needed to feed the entire plant daily after it replaced the previously used diaphragm pump.

The site has its own well for its supply of running water, which is used in the production process and for cleaning of equipment. This water requires chlorination for disinfection and daily quality control. Eurial relies on the peristaltic pump, supplied by Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (WMFTS), for accurate and reliable chlorine dosing. The dosage is from 0 to 800mL/hr depending on the pump settings and the drawing flow rate of the installations with a back pressure varying from 3 to 4 bar.  The pump adapts its flow rate automatically according to the water consumption.

Previously, the dairy had experienced problems with a diaphragm pump, which was sensitive to the aggressiveness of chlorine and led to de-priming, clogged valves and clogged suction pipes. As a result, the dosage was not constant and regularly generated non-conformities regarding the chlorine level. In the first half of 2022, Eurial observed 40 non-conformities and 32 interventions, an average of 5.3 interventions and 6.7 non-conformities per month.

The WMFTS peristaltic chemical metering pumps provide accurate dosing by enabling precise, incremental adjustments. They can handle applications requiring dosing at 0.1mL/min, right up to 2,000mL/min. By only using what is needed, chemical quantities and costs are reduced. The pumps require virtually no ancillary equipment and a patented pumphead can be replaced quickly without 

Apart from agriculture, the biggest water use in the food industry is the cleaning of processing equipment/plants and food products, which can account for up to 70% of a factory’s water usage. However, Clean-In-Place (CIP) is just one way of reducing water usage for food and beverage companies. 

Using a sinusoidal process pump and hose from WMFTS has not only increased yield for Padstow Cheese Company in England, but it has also reduced the amount of time and water used in cleaning.

Lawrence Reynolds, of Padstow Cheese Company, takes up the story: “The pump is so easy to clean, unlike our previous centrifugal pump. In addition, the smooth construction of the hoses means we can flush the cleaning products through and rinse out very easily.”

Peristaltic pumps from WMFTS have also been integrated into sustainable solutions for steam potato peeling provided by TOMRA Food which reduces water usage, water treatment and food waste.

The TOMRA Dry Peel Separator (DPS) uses a peristaltic hose pump as a dry-waste pump which enables food processors to reduce water usage and recover the potato skin and starch for use in animal feed or anaerobic digestion (biogas).  Commenting on the solution, Eamonn Cullen, Market Manager Peeling at TOMRA Food, said: “There are a number of advantages with using this pump. The ability to pump peel without the addition of water is one. The majority of potato processing facilities will collect all steam peeled skin in dry form. Some processors still need to use water in the peel separation brush machines, but this is reducing every year. It has become an important key performance indicator for the food industry to reduce water usage, to reduce food waste and to improve sustainability. 

“Collecting the steam peeled skin and starch dry enables this material to be used in other parts of the value chain. It can be farmers feeding animals or anaerobic digesters changing biomass into biogas. These opportunities help maximise the utilisation of every part of the potato and make every potato count.”

Conclusion
Food and beverage companies are achieving better water management with water reuse, by adding new treatment trains to minimise use of municipal water and reduce abstractions from, and discharges to, the environment.

During water treatment the right chemical dosing pump can mitigate risks from breaches in health and safety and compliance. Using a peristaltic metering and dosing pump can achieve chemical cost savings through its accuracy and also contributes to better water conservation. CIP can also help reduce a food and beverage company’s water use during cleaning. 


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