Dairy cooperative Arla Meals has launched high-temperature electrical warmth pump know-how at its milk powder web site in Svenstrup, Denmark, as a part of its efforts to cut back provide chain emissions.
Whereas Arla makes use of warmth pumps throughout a number of dairies, that is the primary time the know-how has been scaled to fulfill the extra excessive necessities of spray drying.
The know-how will scale back annual CO2 emissions by greater than 1,500 tonnes, it famous.
“This can be a milestone in decreasing emissions from our provide chain. Spray drying has lengthy been one of many hardest processes to affect, and by cracking that problem, we’re taking a pioneering step in direction of extra sustainable dairy,” Line Brandt Pedersen, director of provide chain sustainability at Arla, said.
Warmth Pump Expertise
The method of changing liquid milk into powder requires temperatures past the steady working vary of most electrical warmth pumps.
The brand new warmth pump on the Akafa web site utilises CO2 for each heating and cooling, in contrast to typical electrical warmth pumps that use steam or water.
This allows environment friendly operation even at excessive temperatures of as much as 120 levels Celsius.
Pedersen added, “This achievement is the results of years of shut collaboration with our know-how associate earlier than it was able to be put in at full scale at Akafa.
“And with the sturdy efficiency we’re seeing, we are going to now be exploring the potential roll-out of the know-how extra broadly throughout our manufacturing.”
Power Effectivity
Arla Meals seeks to cut back its scope 1 and a couple of emissions by 63% by 2030 in comparison with 2015, in keeping with the Science Based mostly Targets Initiative.
To this point, it has achieved a 37 proportion level discount, and investments in power effectivity and electrification are anticipated to ship a further 18 proportion factors in direction of the goal.
“Electrification of our provide chain is undoubtedly a key a part of reaching our goal. It requires progressive know-how, upskilling our staff and naturally investments however as the warmth pump at Aka exhibits, sustainability and efficiency can go hand in hand”, added Pedersen.
Lately, Arla Meals has invested greater than DKK 600 million to affect its dairies in Denmark, with additional initiatives underway within the UK and Germany.
