Greenyard has taken the next step towards a more sustainable food supply chain at its production plant in Bree. The upgrade of the Greenyard Prepared cooling tower in Bree represents a reduction in water use of over 50 million litres, or another 5% per year. This equates to the average, annual water consumption of 1630 people.
“Greenyard has explicit sustainability objectives and is committed to consistently taking responsibility, on its own initiative, to increase the sustainability of the entire food chain, and its own production processes. Reducing water use is a key component of this aim. Thanks to the upgrade of the cooling tower, we are taking another step forward," said Dominiek Stinckens, Managing Director of Greenyard Prepared.
In Bree, at the Greenyard Prepared plant, water is used to wash, process and pack vegetables in jars or tins. In modernising and streamlining the cooling tower, Greenyard has significantly reduced its water consumption by optimising its processes and cleverly repurposing its clean water flows.
How does that work?
A cooling tower is a heat exchanger: water comes into contact with air, causing it to cool. This takes place in stages, with Greenyard making clever use of the temperature the cooling water is exposed to.
During the process of appertisation (heat treatment) and pasteurisation, the vegetables in jars and tins are first heated to a temperature of 120°C, then cooled to 40°C. Modifications made to the cooling tower mean that 50 million litres of water can be reused for this cooling. The hot water, at 70°C, is then returned to the production process. Since it has drinking water quality it can be used in the pouring department and for vegetable blanching. Water cooled to 40°C is also recirculated in the production process, or used for other purposes, such as cleaning.
Respect for nature and the surroundings
The environment, nature, and local residents in the vicinity of the plant in Bree were also taken into account when the cooling tower was modernised. The upgraded cooling tower has low-noise motors and air inlet fans equipped with an anti-pollen filters, so that any influence from external factors is kept away from the production process.
“Sustainability efforts are never made in isolation,” concludes Dominiek Stinckens. “There must be constant communication with suppliers, the people at the company, our customers and of course the people around us. Taking all these factors into consideration is a big gain for us: we reduce our water consumption, boost sustainability and
create an operating process that emits less noise to the surrounding area."
For more information:
Cedric Pauwels
Greenyard
Tel: +32 15 32 42 00
Email: cedric.pauwels@greenyard.group
www.greenyard.group