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Save Caustic Cleaner, Save Money – Greening Your Cleaning Process
by Josh Amaris
Breweries seeking simple ways to “go green” may not have to look further than their everyday cleaning processes. By simply extending the life of caustic cleaner – a basic solution used in many breweries’ cleaning processes in breweries – breweries can reduce operating costs, decrease the amount of chemicals they use, and reduce their carbon footprint.
Caustic Cleaning
The EPA recommends that breweries install a caustic settling tank system: a caustic settling tank in connection with a bottle washer. The bottle washer pumps caustic to the tank, simultaneously flushing waste into the tank, when the brewery is not operating. The tank then removes impurities and sediment and returns the left over caustic to the bottle washer (instead of discarding it, as is common with some breweries’ processes).
Benefits of Caustic Savings
One study found that a caustic settling tank system can extend the useful life of caustic from 1-3 weeks to 3-6 months. If caustic solution is used in a closed system (where the solution can be collected and pumped to a settling tank during non-use), a brewery can save money and use fewer chemicals in the brewing process. However, before employing this technology, breweries should consider the implication of doing so on the brewing process at each site. It is the judgment of this author beer quality should not be jeopardized!
Saving money and reducing chemical usage is a triumph for a brewery’s environmental bottom line as well as its monetary bottom line. If a brewery can enjoy this triumph by simply installing a caustic settling tank system, the benefits may be well worth the initial investment.
1. "Energy Efficiency Improvements and Cost Saving Opportunities for Breweries: An Energy Star Guide for Energy and Plant Managers," (2003).
BlueMap Inc. is a business sustainability consulting firm based in San Francisco, California. To learn more about BlueMap Inc., visit www.bluemapinc.com or contact Oren Jaffe, Director of Sustainability Consulting, at oren@bluemapinc.com.
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