Milk powder maker installs sustainable heat pump solution

Dairy products manufacturer Arla Foods AKAFA wanted to use a more sustainable process to produce its milk power, so it asked GEA to install the GEA AddCool sustainable heat pump solution at its facility in Denmark.

Conventional dairy powder plants have a high carbon footprint, with the spray dryer typically accounting for up to 70% of emissions. The addition of the GEA AddCool system is designed to reduce the carbon footprint of Arla’s spray drying plant by 50% and its fossil fuel consumption by over 50%. Additionally, the system can deliver ice water to the existing system, reducing the need for cooling capacity and increasing total efficiency.

According to Jens Løkke Ganderup, Arla Foods Operational Support Manager, optimising energy usage and reducing fossil fuel consumption was an important goal for the company.

Arla has deployed GEA equipment in its manufacturing operations for over 60 years. This most recent project started five years ago when GEA conducted an energy survey at Arla Foods AKAFA that showed the potential for energy savings from the spray-drying plant. An internal survey by Arla confirmed the results.

Spray drying uses hot air to manufacture dairy powders. The air heaters usually operate on fossil fuels, emitting high levels of CO₂. Heat input into the process is also eventually released at low temperatures as waste heat. The GEA CO₂ heat pump technology recovers waste heat from the exhaust air or other plant waste energy streams. This energy is upgraded and used to warm the air in the spray dryer to as much as 120°C before feeding it into the dryer’s conventional heating system.

The GEA AddCool works as an addition to the native spray dryer air heating system without impairing plant throughput, final powder properties or quality, meaning it can be retrofitted in conventional plants. The option of reverting to the original system during routine maintenance means that the spray dryer can continue powder production uninterrupted.

Ulrik Lund Jakobsen, GEA Business Unit Powder & Thermal Separation Technologies CEO, said: “We are very proud to be able to use our technology to support Arla Foods in achieving their sustainability goals. At the same time, this technology marks a major step forward in our own sustainability strategy in which we commit to offering ever more energy-efficient products.”

GEA MSD spray-drying plant. Source: GEA