How Low-Temperature Absorption Chillers Can Optimize Food and Beverage Processing
As food and beverage manufacturers seek solutions to reduce operational costs and decarbonize, they may be surprised to find the answer in a solution that’s nearly a century old: absorption cooling.
Have you ever considered the carbon footprint of a cookie or maybe your mid-afternoon latte? This is the question now being asked of many food and beverage processing companies. Accounting for 6% of total industrial emissions, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has identified food and beverage manufacturing as one of the most energy- and emissions-intensive industries in the country.[1] As part of the DOE Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, the Biden-Harris Administration has implored the industry to increase energy efficiency, switch to low- and no-carbon fuel sources, and electrify their systems to help lower global carbon emissions.[2]
Food and beverage manufacturing typically involves a combination of process heating, cooling and temperature-controlled, energy-intensive protocols that often rely on combustion fuel-powered boilers, high-demand electrical chillers and large water reserves. As food and beverage manufacturers seek solutions to reduce operational costs and decarbonize the brewing, baking, canning and cooking methods necessary to ensure quality and safety, they may be surprised to find the answer in a solution that’s nearly a century old: absorption cooling.