CHIVAS Brothers has revealed it is to make the expertise and findings from its recent integration of pioneering heat recovery technology “open source” for the benefit of the wider Scotch whisky industry.
The Chivas Regal, Glenlivet and Ballantine’s maker is taking the step after the application of the technology at its Glentauchers Distillery in Speyside resulted in a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
Chivas, part of the Paris-based Pernod Ricard drinks empire, declared that by sharing its design process and implementation insights it is putting collaboration ahead of competition, as the whisky industry aspires to slash carbon emissions to net zero.
Its heat recovery technologies, which include mechanical vapour recompression and thermos vapour recompression, are designed to capture and recycle heat generated by the distilling process that would otherwise go to waste.
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To date, the techniques are said to have reduced total energy consumption by nearly half (48%) at Glentauchers near Keith, reducing the site’s total carbon emissions by 53%. The distiller said the energy saved would be enough to power nearly 5,000 (4,979) average UK homes, more than all the houses in Keith, for one year.
Chivas plans to roll out the technologies to every viable site within its Scotch whisky footprint, as part of a drive to achieve carbon neutral distillation by 2026, and expects them to reduce its overall energy consumption in distilling by one-third, or more than 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.
While it notes the techniques will not be suitable for every distillery, it estimates that if applied to the wider industry’s malt distilleries alone, it could result in energy savings of around 1,765 Gwh (gigawatt hours) per year. This would be enough to power 605,000 average homes, more than the total for Aberdeen and Edinburgh combined, per year.
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Jean-Etienne Gourgues, chairman and chief executive of Chivas Brothers, said: “Heat recovery forms a critical part of our commitment to achieve carbon neutral distillation by 2026. Findings with such significant impact must be shared; this technology has the potential to transform our industry and accelerate its progress to net zero.
“That’s why today we’re making our design process and implementation learnings available to all.
“As a business with a long history of innovation, we believe this is the right thing to do. Collaboration across our industry will be fundamental if we are to meet collective ambitions around sustainability, safeguarding the long-term future of our product and our planet.
“Understandably, this technology won’t be right for every distillery, but we encourage our peers to explore whether it has the potential to reduce their own carbon output.”
Chivas has published a case study outlining the benefits and savings achieved, alongside details of the design used. It plans to host a series of open house events at Glentauchers to allow distillers to view the technology and how it has been integrated, as it aims to “demystify some of the recurring hurdles” around its implementation.
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Gillian Martin, Scottish Government Minister for Energy and the Environment, said: “Chivas Brothers has led the way with an innovative approach which has halved energy consumption at their Glentauchers distillery. Sharing this breakthrough with the wider whisky industry has the potential to advance efforts to reach net zero across the sector.
“Recycling heat from malt that would be the equivalent of powering all the homes in Edinburgh and Aberdeen could be a game changer for the industry, and a boost to Scotland’s economic growth while helping reach our climate change goals.”
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