Expandable ultrafiltration unit

An ultrafiltration unit sized to be scalable

For our client, a renowned bottler in Africa, the requirement is absolute: no compromise is tolerated when it comes to quality. From bottling to delivery to distributors and partners, every step of the industrial process is designed to guarantee safe, compliant, and perfect beverages. This daily rigor reflects a strong commitment to food safety and consumer satisfaction.

Context:

The plant produces soft drinks. In the bottling industry, controlling water quality is a major strategic issue. Our client, who is planning to increase production capacity in the future, is seeing a decline in raw water quality, particularly with increased turbidity, but also the presence of suspended solids and seasonal variations. The current process is becoming vulnerable and insufficient to guarantee the strict standards required for the production of beverages and bottled water.

These variations can disrupt the performance of the facilities, weaken production continuity, and ultimately compromise the safety of the beverages produced. It is therefore essential to implement a reliable, robust, and scalable solution.

Enhancing food safety with an ultrafiltration unit:

To solve this problem, ICE Water Management designed and installed an ultrafiltration unit with a capacity of 150 m³/h, sized to meet the site’s needs. The installation can already be expanded to 300 m³/h, offering our customer real industrial flexibility and the ability to confidently support increases in production volumes.

This ultrafiltration technology produces clear, stable water by effectively removing suspended solids and ensuring consistent quality despite variations in the resource.

The result: enhanced food safety, better control of production parameters, and a significant improvement in the bottling ratio. By securing the process water, our customer optimizes its performance while reducing the risk of unplanned downtime.

The installed system incorporates fully automated backwashing and chemical backwashing, ensuring that membrane performance is maintained over time and limiting manual intervention. This automation contributes to the overall reliability of the installation, while simplifying operation for on-site teams.

Equipment supplied:

• An ultrafiltration unit
• A CIP (Clean in Place) unit
• An electrical control cabinet
• A pump dedicated to backwashing

Commissioning of the ultrafiltration unit at the start of the year:

The project was managed on site for more than four weeks by Mathilde Kisliakoff, Project Manager. She supervised the team on site and carried out the commissioning. Despite sometimes challenging working conditions, her commitment and that of the team enabled the project to be completed successfully.

Mathilde Kisliakoff, Project Manager:

«Despite sometimes demanding conditions on site, we always maintained a consistent level of technical rigor, from installation to commissioning. The reliability of the equipment and the stability of the performance achieved are a source of real pride for the whole team. »

Today, our customer’s satisfaction, the operational performance of the installation, and the quality of the equipment used are proof of the success of this collaboration and our commitment to providing long-term support to food manufacturers in their quality and performance challenges.

©ICE Water Management-N.ICE