JBT has always placed a strong emphasis on sustainability, making it a key focus since the company’s establishment. The organization has been continuously innovating to offer new and existing technologies that significantly boost customers’ sustainability credentials. JBT’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond its internal practices and includes external efforts to promote and improve sustainable practices across the food and beverage industry.
JBT’s sustainability drive is focused on four central pillars: providing solutions that reduce the total cost of ownership by enabling companies to become more sustainable in the use of energy, water and steam; solutions to reduce food waste in the production and supply chain; adapting highly-efficient solutions for the food and beverage segment; and improving sustainable practices within JBT facilities worldwide.
Substantial savings
One of the ways JBT is helping customers improve sustainability at the production level is through the Heat Recovery System (HRS) for the Continuous Rotary Pressure Sterilizer. Offered as an upgrade package for customers with existing and new (yet-to-be installed) Continuous Rotary Pressure Sterilizers. The HRS is focused on achieving optimum savings during the sterilization process for products requiring a pre-heater.
Among its key benefits, the HRS can deliver a reduction in steam usage of up to 40% and decrease the overall thermal load of the cooling tower, resulting in substantial energy savings. In fact, the system offers a high return on investment, with a payback within two-three years based only on steam reduction costs.
Energy reduction
A further valuable sustainable solution from JBT is the Energy Recovery System for Retort Sterilizers (ERS), which makes use of a Hot and Cold water tank that acts as a battery to transfer energy between the Come-up and Cooling portions of a retort’s thermal process. The system collects energy from hot process water and transfers this energy to the cold-process water during the come-up phase. The system also improves energy recovery by using minimum steam during this phase.
The ERS can additionally be combined with JBT’s Low Energy Suction System (LESS) for Static Retorts. This passive suction system draws in water evenly along the length of a retort. This allows less water to be used in the retort during the thermal process resulting in less steam being required to heat and less water to cool.
Ensuring savings
Other energy-saving options available from JBT include indirect heating utilizing a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, which provides energy, water and chemical savings by recovering steam condensate.
Additionally, JBT’s Rotary Pressure Sterilizer includes an Eco-Mode that enables customers to reduce steam energy consumption when the machine is operating without cans by reducing the temperature until cans are reintroduced into the sterilizer.
By continuing to assist customers in reducing their energy, JBT has helped bring sustainability to the forefront of the food and beverage industry agenda and will strive to ensure the topic gains greater prominence over the months ahead.