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Sustainability. Efficacy. Cost. Safety. All are important factors for today’s beverage plant operators when it comes to plant and equipment cleaning.

Sustainability. Efficacy. Cost. Safety. All are important factors for today’s beverage plant operators when it comes to plant and equipment cleaning. As the cost of caustic cleaning material, like bleach, is on the rise in some parts of the country and time becomes more valuable in relation to running CIP (clean in place) cycles, operators look for options to meet sustainability goals and increase the bottom line.

One of those options has become electrolyzed water, also known as electrolyzed oxidizing water, electro-activated water or electro-chemically activated (ECA) water. Electrolyzed water is produced by the electrolysis of water containing dissolved salt.

Tony Peet, senior vice president of sales for Trustwater Group, a leader in ECA water technology explains, “ECA technology is on-site, on-demand generation of a pH neutral sanitizer plus a separate highly effective surfactant detergent that replace traditional CIP chemicals. The generated solutions are environmentally and human safe. Inputs to the generator are water, salt and electricity.”

This technology has been around for many years, and is used in other industries, including food manufacturing, but it has become a new choice in beverage operations over the past three years or so.

The growing interest is a result of the savings in water, time and money these types of systems can provide bottlers—for example output solutions can be used at ambient temperatures reducing CIP cycle steps and solutions can be generated on-site eliminating the need to purchase, ship or store chemical cleaners.

EAU Technologies, Inc., a provider of “Empowered Water”—electrolyzed oxidative (EO) and reductive (ER) water equipment—recently completed a test at a bottling plant of a large global beverage company, which led to the approval of its electrolyzed fluids for sparkling beverages in the company’s North American operations.

According to Doug Kindred, executive vice president and chief technology officer at EAU, initial savings at the plant included water savings of 33 percent and a 40 percent reduction in CIP time.

Kindred adds, depending on the beverage plant, annual savings could range between $200,000 and $800,000.

“Some of the water savings are due to the fact that there is no need for a rinse or flush step between the electrolyzed alkaline water detergent step and the electrolyzed acid water sanitation step as the two fluids can be combined without the violent reaction that can occur with common industrial cleaners and sanitizers,” says Kindred. “Also, since the electrolyzed fluids are highly effective at ambient temperature there is no need to heat the fluids. Heating of commonly used cleaners and sanitizers results in the need to burn fuel and requires time and water to cool the piping and tanks back down at the conclusion of the CIP cycle.”

At drinktec 2009, Trustwater introduced its latest ECA technology designed for beverage manufacturers. A highlight of the device is its efficient salt conversion ratio, which ensures zero corrosion potential, notes Edmond O’Reilly, CEO of Trustwater Group. At a European bottling plant of a major global carbonated soft drink company, initial savings using the device were 700,000 kw/year in energy savings, 845,000 gallons/year in water savings and an anticipated ROI of 11 months.

“The overall benefits are shorter cleaning and sanitizing times, more rapid product changeovers and considerable water and energy savings,” says O’Reilly, adding that the device can be plugged into a traditional household outlet.

Albuquerque, N.M.-based MIOX Corp., a manufacturer of on-site generators of liquid mixed oxidants, introduced the “Vault,” a small series, self-cleaning on-site generator in January with the beverage marketplace in mind. The “Vault” is designed for high efficiency, low lifecycle cost, durability and reliability, says Tom Muilenberg, global business director for MIOX. The system generates a diluted chlorine-based solution, which is used as a sanitizer, as opposed to a split-stream type treatment. The Vault is designed to cut down on maintenance time and offers a 40 percent improvement in salt and energy conversion efficiencies vs. its other systems.

“The beverage industry is one of our newer growing industries,” Muilenberg says. “We’ve had a staggering amount of interest.”

From Beverage World April 15, 2010