GSP-AB-01: Asahi Water and Treatment Recycling

GSP-AB-01: Asahi Water and Treatment Recycling

Background

Asahi Beverages is one of the leading beverage companies in Australia and New Zealand. Asahi produces high quality, great tasting beverages, and strong performing brands. The Asahi Group Holdings made its first acquisition in Australia in 2009, and as various companies have joined the group, they have brought a wealth of history and experience, great ingenuity and entrepreneurship, as well as success and achievements and are now part of Asahi Beverages. Today, Asahi Beverages is the corporate regional hub for business divisions across Australia and New Zealand, with a strong Japanese heritage.

Across Australia and New Zealand Asahi employ about 2,300 people, in functions such as manufacturing, distribution, sales, marketing, science and innovation, finance and HR and export many of its products to 28 countries, including Cambodia, Vietnam, Canada, USA and Fiji Many of our iconic brands are household names, and well loved by consumers in Australia and New Zealand.

Scope of Work

Recycling water in the beverage manufacturing sector is critical in a time of diminishing natural resources and ensuring sustainability of the resource. The sector is both water and chemical intensive in its usage of various clarification process. Undertaking recycling processes more efficiently by reducing the size of the clarifiers and improving the quality of the beverage and removing various organic compounds and increase production is paramount. The extensive use of water in the process of manufacturing beverage, the use of evaporators, and clean water removal is key to efficient processes. The work will examine closely the water treatment processes at the Laverton and Tullamarine plants with a view to improving overall efficiency of water treatment and recycling.

The use of sugars in the beverage industry could also hold the key to alleviating shortages of fresh water, given the enormous amount of waste product. The waste, which would otherwise be flushed, can now be processed into pure, clean drinking water, and/or also be used. The Scope of the Work may include the following;

  1. Review water treatment and recycling processes in the Tullamarine and Laverton plants
  2. Review of effectiveness of membrane, RO or nano-technologies in water reclamation processes
  3. Review effectiveness of FO membrane filtration on Beveridge production, and determine degree of membrane fouling and what measures may be used to reduce this fouling?
  4. How much energy is saved during above process, verification and extent of energy savings? Are these processes energy efficient? Which process (RO or FO or a hybrid process), would be efficient from an energy point of view?

Deliverables

The deliverables of the project are structured under a staged approach. The deliverables of the project include:

Deliverable Description Initial Timing Estimate
Project plan ·       Initial Workshop with Asahi – articulation of the problem(s) (Australia ?)

·       Site visits and detailed student return brief and project plan

 

TBA
Milestone 1 ·       Literature and data review about water purification and energy efficiency amongst beverage manufacturers TBA
Milestone 2 ·       Water purification best practise FO and could RO  in Beverage sector? TBA
Milestone 3

 

 

 

·       How much energy is saved during above process, verification and extent of energy savings? Are these processes energy efficient? TBA
Milestone 4 ·       Review of effectiveness of membranes, RO, FO or nano-technologies in water reclamation?

·       Review other technologies for water reclamation in food sector

·       Review effectiveness of FO membrane filtration on bevrages  and determine the degree of membrane fouling and what measures may be used to reduce this fouling?

 

TBA
Draft project report Draft project report, process diagrams, schematics and presentation, TBA
Stakeholder engagement ·       Feedback from Asahi TBA
Final Report ·       Project report with accompanying presentation materials (eg. Modelling, analysis of data, verification of results in designated sites and feasibility of various new technologies )

The project report shall be written up as a scientific report, but not limited to, the following sections:

  • Background
  • Assumptions
  • modelling
  • Scientific findings
  • Conclusions
  • Recommendations
  • Next steps

The project deliverables shall be written for a wide audience. It should be assumed the majority do not have an in-depth understanding of evaporative processes and micro filtration.

Work Method

It is expected that data shall be collected from multiple sites in Australia and New Zealand. Commencing mid-January 2020, data collection in from Tullamarine and Laverton sites, analysis of processes and facilitating ongoing discussion with the lead contacts, data collection as well as necessary meetings with stakeholders.  To assess and verify the water purification processes, the student(s) will be required to visit the sites and surroundings (accompanied by Asahi Technology Staff).

The key stakeholders are:

  • Asahi Technologies staff
  • Chemical Engineers, Plant Managers, Water Businesses

Governance:

This project will be managed through bi monthly meetings with the students whom will seek draft approval from the Project Managers (& Prof.) and through frequent contact with the Project Sponsor (Asahi ) to ensure work is satisfactory.

Reporting Requirements:

There will be draft approval and/or progress reporting bi monthly to the project managers.

Assumptions and Constraints:

Site specific data will be available and accessible to students on the project

Risks and Minimisation Strategies:

Incomplete data collection resulting in inaccurate recommendations.

  • This will be minimised by collecting as much data as possible from as many sources as possible early on

Low data resolution.

  • The highest resolution data available will be sourced to ensure accuracy.

Key Attributes

Attributes required include:

  • Knowledge of chemical engineering processes and effectiveness of membrane distillation and nano-technologies in water reclamation?
  • Knowledge of membrane filtration in food and beverage sector, nano-filtration of water
  • Energy consumption modelling in the beverage sector
  • Self-motivated
  • Data analysis, modelling and Intermediate spreadsheet skills
  • Good report writing skills

Student Selection

Asahi shall be an active participant in selection of a suitable students for this Industry Engagement project. Participation should include Asahi reviewing the proposed students, based upon RMIT recommendation and maybe involved in interviewing the students.  Asahi reserves the right to refuse any or all students applying to this Industry Engagement project.

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