Energy and water efficiency in food processing

Grana Padano processing (source: Life TTGG www.lifettgg.eu)

Title

Energy and water efficiency in food processing

Duration

28^th of February 2020 / 28^th of February 2021

VIDA Challenges

Resource-efficient food processing

Summary

The problem addressed is the energy consumption and water consumptions in food processing and the related CO2 emissions (energy consumption of the food and beverage sector is 10% of the overall energy consumption in Italy in 2016). The project will demonstrate in an Italian dairy, named Santangiolina, the software solution proposed by two Italian SMEs: ENERSEM and OPTIMO IOT. ENERSEM developed a software prototype (SW), named Mammoth, with the objective of establishing resource efficiency practices in the EU food and beverage sector (F&B). Mammoth is a SW for energy and water saving, through process and energy data analysis and energy assets and process optimization. We are already active in the dairy sector, as energy experts within the consortium of the project Life TTGG (www.lifettgg.eu/en/), with the aim of improving the cheese production processes efficiency in Europe, reducing environmental impact and thus achieving more sustainable production and consumption.

OPTIMO IOT has developed a full stack internet of things solution for monitoring, data gathering, data analysis, already used in several industrial application. OPTIMO IOT will integrate its solution with Mammoth. In partnership we’ll deliver energy saving (and water saving) services to dairies and other food processing factories.

The scope of this demo voucher is to further develop the software and to integrate it with the sensors and regulation devices provided for by Optimo IoT, to have a full stack software as a service (SAAS) solution, enabling energy and water savings in F&B industries. The project has the objective to demonstrate the relevance of the use of the software to obtain savings in food processing facility. The demo test site is an Italian dairy, but the applicability is much broader: dairies, breweries, meat processing, etc. The project will go through 3 milestones: 1. Software user interface (UI) design accomplished; 2. software tested (communication from and to the sensors installed); 3. demo test successfully accomplished.

The proposal is relevant for the food processing, as there is a huge potential for energy (and costs) saving and no software with a specific insight in F&B process optimization exists in the market. Reduction in energy consumptions, beside environmental issue, is crucial for the food value chain as it lower the operational costs of food processing, unlocking resources for new jobs and production increase.

The proposal tackles the following VIDA challenges: greenhouse gases, energy and water efficiency which are relevant issues in all food production (resource-efficient food processing; sustainable milk processing).

 

Detail of a Grana Padano cheese processing boiler