Project 2: CO 2 Reinjection for Abita Brewing Company Team 6: Dan Venooker, Glenn Beatty, Marcus Cole, Chris Descalzi

Overview Abita Brewing Company Brewing Process Flow Chart Carbonation in the brewing process Methods of CO 2 reinjection Objectives of reinjection Constraints Rough Process Flow Diagram Market Competition

Founded in 1986 Located just north of New Orleans Locally owned and operated Brew >151,000 barrels small-batch craft beer and >9,100 barrels root beer annually Abita Brewing Company

Abita Brewing Company (con’t) Beer ingredients o Water- no purification required, taken directly from the naturally pure abita springs aquifer o Malted barley- provides a source of food (sugar) for the yeast o Yeast- digest sugar to form alcohol and CO 2 (different types of yeast used for ales vs. lagers) o Hops- add bitter flavor and aroma to the beer

Brewing Process Flow Chart

Carbonation in the Brewing Process CO 2 is formed through the fermentation process (along with alcohol) CO 2 dissolved in water is referred to as carbonation Excess CO 2 is generally produced, and is allowed to escape Vented CO 2 may contain H 2 S and DMS (Dimethyl sulfide)

Outlets for CO 2 Reinjection Bottle-purging: Removes air to prevent oxidation, which affects flavor Carbonation of root beer: Most non-alcoholic root beer (like Abita’s) is entirely carbonated via forced carbonation Carbonation of beer: Many beers do not contain the desired level of carbonation after fermentation (equilibrium controlled)

Constraints Low sulfide content - no regulations by FDA other than labeling for sulfites ( > 10 ppm) o < 0.3 ppm for release into atmosphere (waste) o Ask Jamie Jurado for specifications May be different for reinjection/bottle-purging High pressure required for forced carbonation and low temperature required to purify CO 2 Sulfides present safety hazard (both in the plant as a breathing hazard, and sulfites in the beer ruin flavor)

Objectives Capture gas released during fermentation process Scrub CO 2 stream to maintain unwanted sulfides below required limits Reinject purified CO 2 into root beer, or into bottle-purging process

Required Unit Ops Abita has recently acquired used equipment from a nearby plant o We don’t know exactly what yet o Closed plant operated on larger scale than Abita o May or may not be applicable Our preliminary design (all batch operated) o Carbon Capture Hood o Flame? (Perhaps) o Packed-Bed Absorber (Potassium Permanganate) o Condensers o Compressors

Rough Process Flow Diagram

Potential Market Abita is the 14 th largest craft brewery in America as of 2012 o One spot behind local brewery Dogfish head Craft brewing is a growing sector o Currently 14.2% by dollars o 20% growth last year

Market Competition Some beers are carbonated naturally o Yeast is re-fed and some CO 2 is released Large plants usually collect fermented CO 2 and reinject it Small plants generally purchase liquefied CO 2 and inject it towards the end of the brewing process Hand pumped CO 2 filters are sometimes used to inject CO 2 into kegs

Market Competition Companies like GEA Brewery Systems offer turn-key installations for all parts of the brewing process, including CO 2 capture These systems are typically not used for batch breweries The market is pretty wide open, but the path has yet to be blazed Excited to work with Jamie Jurado on a solution to Abita’s carbonation needs

Questions? We would like to answer any questions that you may have at this time

References "ABITA BEER." ABITA BEER. Innovative Advertising, Llc, n.d. Web. 01 Apr "Abita Root Beer." BeveragesDirect.com. Beverages Direct, Web. 02 Apr "Beer Brewing and Carbon Dioxide Recycling." Automation World. Summit Media Group, Web. 02 Apr "Malting and Brewing." » The Best Beer Process Flow Chart. Malting and Brewing, Web. 01 Apr "Natural Carbonation vs. Forced Carbonation." »Thank Heaven for Beer Web. 01 Apr "Purafil - SP Media." Purafil - SP Media. Purafil, Inc., Web. 02 Apr "Top 50 Breweries of 2012." » Craft Brewers Association Malting and Brewing, Web. 01 Apr