John Lindam (1); (1) Ozone Tech Systems OTS AB, Hägersten, Sweden

Cleaning/Sanitation
Supplier Poster

Cleaning and sanitizing process equipment such as fermentation tanks, pipes and mechanical equipment, including filling machines, remain a vital part of brewing unit operations for craft brewers and large-scale facilities alike. This study aims to compare ozone with traditional chemical agents and heat used for cleaning and disinfection and the opportunities and challenges it presents. In addition, the results from actual brewery ozone applications will be discussed. Clean-in-place (CIP) operations in breweries, where cleaning and disinfection of closed process equipment takes place, are typically separated into five phases: pre-rinsing, cleaning, rinsing, disinfection and final rinsing. Ozone is a potent and strongly oxidizing substance whose disinfection capacity can be used to deactivate all types of microorganisms. Its oxidizing characteristics also make it a potential cleaning agent, as covalent bonds in proteins and fats can be broken up upon ozone exposure. Compared to traditionally used chemicals agents such as hypochlorite (HClO), peracetic acid (PAA) and hot water or steam, which are common in breweries, ozone presents an opportunity to significantly reduce total CIP cycle time due to 1) low CT (concentration × time for microbial deactivation) values; 2) cold application that eliminates the time required to heat and cool water and steam; and 3) avoidance of the final rinse phase since ozone breaks down to natural oxygen , leaving no harmful by-products. On average, brewery CIP cycles can be reduced by at least 30 min combined with added opportunities for water recycling. Ozone, at the concentrations required to achieve a streamlined CIP cycle, is gentle toward materials used in brewery process equipment, which affects long-term wear and maintenance. This review also covers safety aspects that need to be addressed when installing and operating integrated ozone systems. In summary, ozone applications are a viable alternative to traditional CIP operations in breweries and present major opportunities in the industry in terms of maximizing production, reducing operational costs and chemical handling, in addition to serving as an environmentally friendly alternative in terms of mitigating energy and water consumption.

John Lindam graduated with a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from Uppsala University, Sweden, in 2006 and subsequently earned an M.S. degree in environmental engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2007. He has since held various positions in wastewater treatment, covering process engineering, marketing and sales in Europe, Asia and North America at Xylem Inc. and Ozonetech. John has always had a keen interest and been involved in technical projects for minimized energy and water consumption through technologies within pumps, aeration, ozone, UV and control systems.