Dairy Processing - March/April 2023 - 39

meets standards. It also developed an approach
to water storage and reuse.
" The water extracted from milk is a
significant supplemental source of water for
plant processes, " Wylie said. " Maximizing the
amount of water captured from milk and other
production processes enables us to return more
water than we withdraw from municipal and
other sources. "
Leprino Foods installed a CHP system that reduces
reliance on a carbon-intensive grid electricity source.
Rumiano Cheese's wastewater treatment facility treats
20,000 gallons of cheese production wash water daily,
decreasing the company's solid loadings to the city by 99%.
The company also is using energy intelligence solution Zira
to monitor the real-time energy use of 22 different electrical
inputs. The technology also helps it analyze data over the
course of a year to identify spikes and outliers in usage.
In May 2022 the company was certified 100% organic,
a move that resulted in more energy-efficient operations
because it eliminated the need to switch production between
conventional and organic. The company also has scaled back
its production based on the supply of organic milk and to
meet some of its efficiency targets.
The company has a whey protein concentrate-80% plant to
utilize the protein out of its whey stream. It uses a lactose drying
plant to recover most of its water through reverse osmosis,
evaporation and condensation return. This produces a byproduct
of organic delactosed permeate, which is used as cow feed.
Rumiano said robotic milking parlors and software are
becoming more affordable and being implemented at farms of
the company's producer partners.
BUILDING ON SUSTAINABILITY
Leprino Foods, Denver, is investing $50 million by 2025 in
projects that will optimize plant operations and reduce energy
use, including third-party expert energy assessments that help
identify ways to save energy, said Adam Wylie, director of
global responsibility. Heat recovery systems at plants make
most of their available energy, and the company captures and
uses heat from sources including stack gases and wastewater
to heat other equipment.
The company's water-savings initiatives ensure the
effluent, or outflow of treated water used for beneficial reuse,
Such technologies and innovations require
continual attention, maintenance and problemsolving
skills. These challenges include the
fact that reducing water withdraws can cause
a facility to approach effluent concentration limits
when reducing flows. The company also installed a CHP
system that reduces reliance on a carbon-intensive grid
NEXT GENERATION EFFICIENCY
Sargento, Plymouth, Wis., engages in various
audits, checks and preventive maintenance to
address
inefficiencies
in
operations,
such
as
compressed air leaks, building heat loss and steam
systems, as well as signs of motor failure, said Alec
Bartolai, director of corporate social responsibility.
The company also invested in LED lights, motors,
drivers and improved sensors and controls.
" We educate our employees on energy efficiency
and how they can help conserve day to day,
including proper use of equipment, signs of leaks
or inefficiency and turning off equipment when not
in use, " Bartolai said.
The company plans more investments in its
building systems, including lighting, compressed
air and refrigeration. Examining thermal loads and
identifying more efficient ways to deliver heat will
also be prioritized.
" As we look to the future, I believe there will
be a critical push toward electrification and
decarbonization, " Bartolai said.
He thinks the industry's thermal systems, such
as boilers and heaters, will move away from fossil
fuels to all electric systems or toward other fuels,
such as renewable natural gas or hydrogen. This
will require electrical infrastructure to be upgraded
to handle additional loads, and storage systems
will need to be developed in greater capacity.
" Retrofits on existing building systems will be
imperative to help bridge the gap between current
and future technologies, " Bartolai said.
DAIRYPROCESSING.COM | MAR-APR 2023 39
Leprino Foods
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - March/April 2023

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