Producing compressed air sustainably? Here's how to do it

Limiting CO2 emissions plays a more or less prominent role in virtually every company. To limit emissions of this greenhouse gas, a diversity of solutions and measures are now available. BEKO Technologies listed the possibilities for making compressed air production more sustainable in various ways.

Measurement Techniques

With the right measuring instruments, among other things, losses can be detected early. Compressed air leaks, for example, lead to relatively large amounts of unnecessarily generated compressed air every year. As a result, compressors have to work longer and more intensively, consuming energy unnecessarily.

In addition, measuring to monitor is always advisable, to detect abnormalities in the process at an early stage. Humidity, temperature, flow and pressure, among others, are quantities that can relatively easily surface problems in compressed air systems.

Condensate treatment

Condensate can be drained based on level or time. The former is more sustainable because draining occurs only when needed. Systems draining at set times basically means always draining too early and is rarely well matched to the amount of condensate. 

Filtration

Compressed air in the food industry must be clean, which can be achieved through filtration, among other things. Monitoring filter saturation is important for compressed air quality and to reduce pressure drop. A "full" filter increases the pressure drop and requires more power from the compressor and thus (unnecessarily) more energy. 

Drying

There are many different ways to dry compressed air. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages with regard to efficiency, energy consumption, service life and costs, among other things. Getting good advice in order to choose the right dryer for a specific application can contribute to a bit of sustainability.

Oil-free 

When compressed air is free of dirt, moisture and oil, maximum performance can be achieved in food production. Clean compressed air will contribute to lower product rejection, less waste, and thus make operations more sustainable.