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Industry
Soft drink bottling industry
Challenge
Volatile supply of CO2 for drink bottling
Solution
Implementation of Pentair Union Engineering CO2 Combustion Based Unit
Results
Eliminated the need for PPM (Potassium Permanganate) used as the oxidizing agent in the production of CO2.
Generates high-quality carbon dioxide & reduced the use of diesel fuel between 25-40%.
Need for Self-Sufficiency
Soft drink bottlers need high purity and a stable supply of CO2 to succeed.
In Puerto Rico, Pentair Union Engineering partnered with a local bottler to help ensure independence from external CO2 suppliers and secure a consistent supply of high-quality CO2.
The bottler also faced challenges in sourcing potassium permanganate, traditionally used in CO2 purification.
Together, they designed a plant that optimized both operating costs and environmental impact.
The final solution, using Pentair Union Engineering's proprietary technologies, significantly reduced fuel and chemical consumption.
Lowering Environmental Impact
Conventional combustion-based CO2 plants consume approximately 350kg of
diesel per hour to produce 1000kg of food-grade carbon dioxide.
However, in Puerto Rico, Pentair Union Engineering developed an innovative solution that reduces fuel input between 25-40% by utilizing a part stream of an existing flue gas source.
The chosen flue gas comes from existing steam boilers, which produce CO2-rich flue gas during the steam production produces. This gas goes straight into the CO2 plant.
The Pentair Union Engineering plant automatically adjusts the burner based on the quantity of flue gas, thanks to sensors.
The plant is configured to run on 100% diesel combustion, but the import of flue gas starts as soon as the steam boilers are operational. This setup ensures the customer achieves optimal carbon dioxide production and maximizes the utilization of available flue gas.
Elimination of Potassium Permanganate
To meet our customer's demand for an environmentally friendly solution, Pentair Union Engineering implemented their patented NOxFlash technology, eliminating the need for potassium permanganate (PPM) in the CO2 purification process.
In CO2 production plants, impurities are typically removed by scrubbing the feed gas with an aqueous PPM solution, which oxidizes pollutants into water-soluble substances.
However, the resulting liquid waste needs to be incinerated. Additionally, PPM is regulated under the United Nations Convention and is listed as a dangerous substance according to UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods.
The Pentair NOxFlash unit utilizes steam and heat generated during CO2 production to remove benzene and other pollutants early in the process. This results in high-quality CO2 production with minimal use of expensive and hazardous chemicals.
Quality Carbon Dioxide
The bottler plant was equipped with a purification unit, PUR-D, to enhance the
purity of the carbon dioxide.
The results not only met but exceeded expectations, with the combination of NOxFlash and PUR-D reducing O2 levels in the the final product to below 5 ppm.
Pentair Union Engineering completed the commissioning of the new Coca-Cola carbon dioxide plant at the beginning of 2009.
“Coca-Cola Puerto Rico Bottlers is pleased not only with the technology and the operational capability of the CO2 plant but is also impressed by the strong support platform and quality of services from Pentair Union Engineering”. -
Current Director, Carlos Triguero (as of the time of writing this customer story, 2010).
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UNION ENGINEERING CO2 SELF-GENERATING PLANTS - COMBUSTION BASED UNIT - CBU
Based on the latest technologies, CO2 generating plants (CBU) from Union Engineering meet the strictest CO2 quality requirements.
