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​An Engineering Approach to Estimating Carbon Dioxide Consumption and Recovery Potential in the Brewery​

Calculations from the application of the first principles of engineering are presented, as well as from physical measurements, to estimate carbon dioxide consumption in the brewery. This article provides a review of realistic harvestable CO₂ that precedes a discussion of approaches to enhance and increase CO₂ recovery for reuse. Understanding real consumption of CO₂ in our production processes (using a 100,000 hL/year brewery model) can guide us in determining what can be harvested/recovered. (For simplification, consumption of CO₂ at centrifuge and water de-aeration is not considered). An alternative means to compute CO₂ generated in a fermenter in a volumetric flow rate is presented. A discussion of gas-blanketing contrasted with nearly complete gas displacement in the tank presents the calculation for how many tank volumes are required of the inert gas. A review of standard operating procedures that minimize dissolved oxygen pickup in bright beer tanks is shared, followed by an engineering economics-based calculation for a decision-maker to compute whether selecting a CO₂ collection and storage solution is worthwhile to their brewery. The various commercial systems offered by solution providers are not discussed within the scope of this article.

Keywords: capture, reuse, carbon dioxide, optimization, production, reclamation