With NrG expanding into the field of water sustainability consulting, Prof. Bettie Lodolo recently published the review paper “Sustainability through management of water, process and product hygiene on food and beverage sites” in the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists (J. Am. Soc. Brew. Chem. 78:1 to 15, 2020).
The abstract of the paper is available below:
| Abstract Water is of major importance to all living organisms as a fundamental resource for life. Yet, competing demands for water resources may lead to an average gap of 40% between global demand and supply by 2030 based on the reality that in the 20th century the world population tripled, while water use multiplied six-fold. Additionally, freshwater constitutes only 2.5% of the total global water reserves. These freshwater reserves are not only threatened by the changes in weather patterns, but also by human activities, which tend to pollute water as it moves through the water cycle. The global water market caters to agriculture, households, municipal and industrial sectors. Although this review touches on some of these aspects, the focus will be on the contribution of the food and beverage (F&B) sectors to water sustainability whilst managing the risks. There is increased pressure on the Fast-Moving Consumable Goods (FMCG) companies, often high consumers of water, to optimise site water usage to counter the combined impacts of the growing world population and widening water scarcity. Firstly, through the prevention and reduction of waste such as improving efficiencies and focussing on asset care. Secondly, an opportunity presents itself for plants to optimise water consumption by implementing sound hygiene standards. Evidence is presented where projects were implemented to drive improved site hygiene as well as water savings. This review considers the main contributory risks and the practical approaches required to deliver sustainable water savings targets by optimising water, process and product hygiene at FMCG sites. |
Follow the free link to read the full paper here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/NMU2ZTYHVVA9UWQKJBHM/full?target=10.1080/03610470.2019.1683707.