By-products of citrus oil and juice production are an important raw material in the extraction of stabilizer pectin at the Danisco plant in Tecomán. The natural origin of pectin makes it a preferred stabilizer in various food and beverage products and incorporates sustainability from the very beginning of the production.
Danisco had already carried out several initiatives for saving energy and water before the ‘CuidEn’ project (a Spanish acronym of 'Energetic Care'), "even so, there were areas where we still could improve on variable speed drives and heat recovery. These initiatives were generally known by us, and by bundling them into one package, they were all carried out", says Energy Manager, Angel Barragán.
In the beginning of the ‘CuidEn’ project it was a challenge to get commitment and to make use of information wisely, but “Danfoss Solutions provided good tools and practices on how to make use of information. Initially we did not have a communication team, but it was a good decision to create one”, says Plant Manager, Renato Rodriguez.
The cooperation with Danfoss Solutions matched the overall values very well: Involving people, reducing environmental impact and generating annual utility cost savings of 8% without touching the quality of the product.
Please click here for a full PDF presentation of the project.
The project has put focus on three main areas: People, Systems and Technology.
People
Form a ‘CuidEn’ team of 11 people representing areas like maintenance,
production and energy. Form a communication team of 5 energy ambassadeurs to involve
and encourage all colleagues to save energy and water. Use established events to present information from teams
Systems
Structured work with Opportunities Database by ‘CuidEn’ team. Utility Management Information System, Montage™ (software). Daily monitoring of energy consumption in the production to identify deviations in Montage™. Weekly reporting to management.
Technology
Water recovery optimization reducing use of steam and fuel. Condenser heat recovery projects. Speed control on filtration pumps where pectin is cleaned. Optimisation of cooling towers. Improved boiler feed water control.
