Kurita America’s development and application of antioxidant chemistries improve the quality of ethanol plant coproducts. The years of international experience coupled with local legacy to create OxiOUT, which is a stable solution of sodium metabisulfite and other proprietary antioxidants. After thorough review of the coproducts and what the quality issues are, our innovative chemistry leads into the [...]
In 2020, a food and beverage customer in the Upper Midwest, United States, approached Kurita America to take a proactive method to address water consumption, production, and wastewater discharge at a world-class campus. Kurita set forth with its Comprehensive Site Assessment (CSA), which looks holistically at plant operations, production, and the use of resources. This is one of several approaches of our [...]
Kurita America’s experience with cold lime softening (CLS) has culminated in the creation of SaltOUT, an innovative enhancement chemistry that precipitates hard-to-remove ions and trace metals into a stable solid waste. SaltOUT is a next-generation solution that will expand reuse and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) opportunities while meeting stringent discharge requirements and mitigating waste disposal [...]
In 2006, a groundbreaking ethanol plant began operation in the San Joaquin Valley of California. As one of the world’s most productive agricultural areas, this was a prime location; however, to address environmental challenges, the region had strict regulations on industrial discharge streams. To make this plant a reality, Kurita America designed a unique water system that required no environmental discharge, a [...]
As featured in Process Cooling.
Dirty and fouled cooling tower water often plagues maintenance teams that manage industrial cooling towers. A dirty cooling tower can have a detrimental effect on the overall health of the plant’s water infrastructure, leading to lower efficiencies and increased costs. Cooling water full of fine sand, grit and biological matter can contribute to damage to analytical instrumentation, creating inaccuracies and [...]
Water is vital to the operations of our customers who entrust Kurita America to provide the best solutions for managing their water resources. Understanding how water integrates into the bigger picture allows us to approach your water challenges from multiple angles and develop programs that deliver the most effective results; increasingly these involve some level of water reuse. Whether enabling the use of graywater [...]
As featured in Ethanol Producer Magazine.
Bacterial infections during fuel ethanol fermentations can negatively impact the fermentation process and lower ethanol yields. Lactic Acid-Producing Bacteria (LAB), such as Lactobacillus , Lactococcus , Weissella and Pediococcus , are a common source of contamination due to their ability to grow in the harsh conditions, low pH, high temperatures, and high concentrations of ethanol, present during fermentation. [...]
In the recent edition of Opflow magazine, a publication by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), co-authors T.J. Stroebl (Kurita America, AWWA MAC Vice Chair) and Randy Moore (Tnemec Company, AWWA Innovation Initiative Co-Chair) discuss the nexus between asset management and sustainability practices, and how goals related to both can be achieved through a properly structured procurement program. Having a [...]
Galvanized coatings for cooling tower systems (cooling towers, evaporator tube bundles, etc.) have been used in the industry since the 1950s due to their relatively low cost and long service life. The galvanizing process bonds a layer of zinc metal to steel. When properly applied and passivated, the zinc coating works as a non-permeable sacrificial anode to prevent corrosion of the underlying steel structure. White [...]
Time spent getting a cooling tower cleaned and prepared in the spring will result in more reliable and efficient operation throughout the summer cooling season. Towers that have been off-line during the winter months can collect dirt, debris, bacteria and other contaminants from the environment, if not laid up correctly. This buildup can produce corrosion, equipment failure, biological fouling and microbiological [...]
As featured in Food Engineering.
Water. We can’t live without it, and you can’t run a food or beverage plant without it. However, having it available for all earth’s inhabitants worldwide in the next 20 to 30 years will be a challenge—as already two-billion of the planet’s population live in areas where water is scarce. Unsurprisingly, the food and beverage industry is one of the largest water users, so it’s well [...]
Many biofuel plants are working toward efficiency and plant optimization to increase ethanol production. Often when plants move forward with expansion efforts, the adverse impact on system efficiencies, such as cooling, is overlooked. Without proper evaluation of the existing cooling system operation, plants could spend additional capital on an unnecessary cooling tower expansion or experience an increase in [...]