The new boiler will be incinerated waste brewing industry

The new boiler will be incinerated waste brewing industry
Juneau Alaska – Alaskan Brewing Brewery moves to a new level of environmental protection . Instead of solar power and wind power guide brewery decided to go to a closer source – beer.

The brewery has established a unique steam boiler that burns spent grains – the waste generated in the brewing process . Steam boiler, which will provide power to much of the production processes brewery brewery cost of 1.8 million dollars.

The company’s employees joke that now produce ” beer in the beer fueled .”

The problem of disposal of spent grains was seemingly solved a few decades ago, brewers Continental states. Most of them are sent to the waste pellets – a good source of protein – on nearby farms and ranches where they were going to feed the animals.

But in southeast Alaska total 37 farms, and in the state there were 680 in 2011 , so the question of what to do with the extra beer pellet composed of residues of malt and barley became more acute after the expansion of the brewery in 1995.

Alaskan Brewing Company had to send their waste production customers of Continental states. Transportation particularly costly because of the lack of roads leading in and out of town , had spent grain transport by air or by sea. However, the spent grains – moist enough substance , so they must be dried before transport – and this is another energy-intensive and costly process.

“We had to be creative , to do what we love, where we live ,” – says co-founder Jeff Larson .

But the sale of waste almost had not been profitable brewery. Alaskan Brewing receives $ 60 per ton , sent to the continental states , and sending each ton costs $ 30.

So four years ago, company executives began looking for a way to use brewer’s spent grain as its own renewable energy source and as a way to reduce costs at the same time .

Although the worldwide beer brewers ‘ grains as a supplemental fuel in energy recovery systems , “no one has used beer waste as the sole source of fuel in the energy recovery system , steam boiler ,” – says Brandon Smith, director of operations and technical support Alaskan Brewing.

Once the project has been awarded a grant of $ 500,000 from the federal program “Agricultural Energy for America” ​​appealed to the leadership of the brewery company in North Dakota for the construction of the boiler plant to order.

About a month later , when the system is fully operational , the brewery expects big savings. According to Smith , the steam boiler for disposal of spent grains provide the company with an annual return of energy costs up to 70 %, which will be about $ 450,000 a year.

Alaskan Brewing Brewery produces several varieties of beer , the most famous of which – Alaskan Amber, a beer with a traditional taste . The company is also known for its distinctive labels , for example, a polar bear on the bottles of ale Alaskan White.

When asked what makes the best beer brewers ‘ grains , Smith joked : “We ‘re just trying to find out. But we already have a number of suspects . ”

According to Smith , the other breweries have not approached them about the project, but he is absolutely sure that this system can be used in other plants , the larger breweries that deal dried brewer’s waste.

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