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Schroeder Milk Saves $400,000 through
Product Savings and Water Conservation
Schroeder Milk Saves $400,000 through
Product Savings and Water Conservation
| Company |
Schroeder Milk
Co.
St. Paul, MN |
| Industry |
Dairy processing |
| Goal |
Waste reduction
and product conservation |
| Change |
Reduced water
use and product loss by improving maintenance
and reevaluating existing process techniques. |
| Benefits |
Schroeder
saved $400,000 and 13 million gallons of water
every year. |
|
Schroeder Milk
Co., St. Paul, produced a variety of dairy and other
beverage products. The family-run operation employed
80 people and had been in business since 1884. Schroeder
processed 90,000 gallons of milk daily and 8,000 gallons
of orange juice weekly.
In 1996, the public wastewater treatment
facility was going to assess Schroeder with a $200,000
service availability charge (SAC). Driven to look for
opportunities to reduce its wastewater, Schroeder formed
a pollution prevention team comprised of production
personnel, warehouse workers, engineers, consultants
and vendors to reduce waste and improve process efficiency.
Since then, Schroeder saved over $400,000
through water and product savings, and in reduced industrial
fees.
Product Savings
Schroeder found ways to ensure that more of its product
ends up on the retail shelves, instead of down the drain.
- Due to increased production, Schroeder
needed to install a second pasteurizer. Dedicating
this pasteurizer exclusively to white milk reduced
the number of changeovers between chocolate milk,
white milk, orange juice and other beverages. This
saved $180,000 in product annually and 8,600 gallons
of water a day.
- An antifoam ingredient was added
to the chocolate milk to prevent foam overflow as
the milk moved through the storage silo. Reduced product
loss resulted in annual savings of $187,000.
Small Leaks
Add Up
Improved maintenance and tightening up existing
systems significantly reduced product loss and water
use.
- A quarter-inch hose leaking orange
juice was fixed, saving 1,440 gallons of product daily.
- Repairing leaky connections and
valves saved 4,860 gallons of water a day.
- Repairing leaky hoses saved 226
gallons of water every day.
Turn It Off
For certain processes the team determined that a continuous
water flow was unnecessary.
- The washer for cleaning the cases
which held Schroeder’s returnable cartons ran
continuously. A valve was added so the spray bar would
run only when cases were present. This saved 2,400
gallons of water a day.
- Occasionally a carton got stuck,
tore open and clogged the conveyor of the carton filling
machine. To wash the spilled milk off the machine
a spray nozzle was left open all day. Schroeder changed
this to only trigger when a carton got stuck. This
saved 7,000 gallons of water a day.
Use Less
The team identified processes where water use could
be cut without affecting product quality.
- The sanitizing stage in the clean-in-place
tank (a system for cleaning plumbing without requiring
its disassembly) was reduced from four minutes to
three, saving 1,250 gallons of water a day.
- The manufacturer recommended reducing
the water flow in the separator bowl (a centrifuge
that separates cream from milk) from 180 gallons per
hour to 30. This saved 3,000 gallons of water a day.
- The carton washer was changed from
using shower heads and spray bars to smaller nozzles
and mist sprays. Instead of running continuously,
the washer only ran when needed. These changes saved
5,340 gallons of water a day.
Reuse It
Schroeder had many opportunities
for recirculating water and chemicals, instead of immediately
discharging them down the drain.
- Excess water from cleaning returnable
plastic cartons was sent to the washer that cleans
the cases that hold them. This reduced the total amount
of fresh water, chemicals and heat needed, saving
4,200 gallons of water a day.
- Expired milk returned to Schroeder
was sent out for reuse as animal feed, instead of
pouring it down the drain. This reduced the biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD)
loading to its wastewater by 300 pounds a day.
- The filling machines had been cooled
with water used only once. Schroeder switched to a
recirculating water system. This saved a total of
10,000 gallons of water a day.
- In the sanitizing stage of the
clean-in-place tank’s operation, the chlorine
rinse was replaced with an acidic one. The acidic
rinse was recollected and used as prewash for the
next cleaning cycle. This saved 100 gallons of chemicals
and 500 gallons of water every day.
Conclusion
Using a pollution prevention team, Schroeder Milk Co.
identified opportunities for process improvement. According
to Carl Schroeder Jr., over $400,000 and 13 million
gallons of water were saved every year. In the process,
Schroeder become a cleaner, more competitive facility.
For More Information
MnTAP has a variety of technical assistance services available to help Minnesota businesses implement industry-tailored solutions that maximize resource efficiency, prevent pollution, increase energy efficiency, and reduce costs.Our information resources
are available online. Or, call MnTAP at 612.624.1300
or 800.247.0015 from greater Minnesota
for personal assistance.
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