ALCOHOLIC DRINKS
Embracing sustainability in the
beer brewing industry
The installation of Grundfos pumps and related equipment as part of an international beer brewer’s expansion in Gauteng highlights a common commitment to water and energy efficiency. A range of Grundfos submersible pumps, smart digital pumps and vertical multistage centrifugal pumps were installed at this Sedibeng brewery’s wastewater plant and its water treatment plant.
T
he installation, which is in line
transfer water from the brewery to the water recovery plant. After the
with the brewer’s commitment
sedimentation process, water is pumped to the reclamation plant for
to conserve water as a precious
final treatment. In this circuit, around 6 000m3 of water is pumped
resource, included the installation of a water recovery plant, allowing the operation
daily with the pumps being driven by 15kW high-efficiency motors with IE3 rating.
to further optimise water use within
ACCURATE DOSING
its facility. The expansion also saw the
“In the water treatment plant, a number of Grundfos
upgrading of the water treatment
Smart Digital S and Smart Digital XL pumps are
plant, where clean ‘raw’ water
installed, mounted on dosing skids,” says Makgoga.
from the municipality is further
“These must accommodate a range of chemicals
purified for brewing purposes. After
from sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite
the beer is produced, beer residues
in the reverse osmosis circuit to citric acid and
and water used for pipe cleaning is
anti-scalant in the ultra-filtration circuit.” Makgoga
treated to meet regulated environmental
describes this function as a critical part of the
discharge limits. This can also be re-used
brewery’s operation, and comments on the value of
for cleaning, reducing the need to draw on the municipal supply. According to Raymond Makgoga, Grundfos associate sales engineer, three Grundfos submersible wastewater pumps were provided to
A view of the mounted Grundfos Communication Interface Units (CIU) connected to the brewery PLC facilitating control and monitoring of the pump operation.
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October 2021 | FOOD RE VIEW
Grundfos control systems. “These systems give a high Raymond Makgoga, Grundfos associates sales engineer, in front of the water recovery plant at the brewery.
level of control, communicating vital data between the pump and the PLC, so that chemical dosing is accurate and appropriate,” he says. “This eliminates over-dosing and ensures that chemicals are not
A view of the reverse osmosis section where purified water is pumped using Grundfos vertical multi-stage 316 stainless steel pumps.
In the ultra-filtration section treated water with dissolved solids is pumped by Grundfos multi-stage 316 stainless steel pumps.
