Monin syrups lead the way in saving water

This new extension will notably house a new unit that will allow Monin syrups to reduce water consumption by 50 to 75%. The Berry company is the winner of the European call for projects Life Zeus for the reuse of water in the food and beverage industry. This will be a first, on this scale in France. If all goes well, this water reuse process will be operational next year. The Monin factory in Bourges consumes approximately 60,000 m3 of water per year: it hopes to recycle 40,000 m3 thanks to this new process. Monin will serve as a showcase in France.

Monin has already been thinking about this recycling project in the industrial process for its liquid waste for four years: ” There’s a lot of water obviously to melt the sugar.” explains Olivier Monin, president of the group. ” And so if we are not careful to reduce our consumption, no one will do it for us. Since the new factory started up almost five years ago, we have already reduced our water consumption by three, but we want to go all the way, as always at Monin. Every year, we reduce our water consumption by around 20%.

Water is part of the syrups but it is also used to clean the installations for example : ” Water is used for rinsing valves, fittings “ explains Ludovic Lanouguère, project manager at Monin. ” Water is also used for the lubrication of pumps. Thanks to this new process, it is hoped to obtain yields of 80% on these recycling loops. We are the first on the rope so obviously we don’t have a lot of references. French regulations are very imprecise, if not non-existent in this area; so we have to reinvent everything every time, clear the way. “ The water to be recycled will be cleaned using membrane processes, and we will go even further. François Chaine, project manager at Chemdoc Water, the Montpellier company that will implement the technique: ” The innovation is in the fact that we are going to recover the nutrients that were in the rinsing water of the installations. They will be sent to methanizers. We separate the water from the nutrients so that it can be reused with full guarantee of hygiene and quality.”

The complexity of the project is also administrative since it will be necessary to clear the standards to be respected. Technically, it is also necessary to modify all the water networks in the factory: ” In France, we will be the first factory to do so ” insists Olivier Monin. ” But our other factories, in the USA, in Asia and soon in Brazil, and in India will also have to set an example. Bourges will be pilot for the group. It will be easier for the new factories since we will integrate this process during the construction of the installations. “ The International Office for Water and INSA Toulouse are also involved in this four million euro project, 55% of which is financed by Europe.