Production processes are often very complex, which is why making these processes more sustainable gradually takes place in steps. Bas explains: “We opted for electrification for these dehumidification installations as FrieslandCampina makes use of green electricity, which also contributes to a reduction in CO2 emissions. Saving energy is, of course, also important for further steps in increasing sustainability.” Ben adds: “Besides electrification, we also examined using a heat pump for recovering heat, which is currently still very challenging on this kind of scale. However, it’s a step that must be taken eventually, as the energy consumption for the production processes is considerably high. The infrastructure was one of the reasons why a heat pump is not currently used. The space required in the building was not available, and the roof, on which the pump would need to be placed, was not suitable.”

Bas: “There are still plenty of challenges ahead. Milk consists of approximately 87% water, and for the production of the dry ingredients, we have to remove this water. This separation is performed as efficiently as possible: with centrifugation and membrane processes, but the final steps are always evaporation and drying, and these processes require a lot of energy. Technically, this is feasible to do electrically on a small scale, but not yet on an industrial scale.” Ben explains: “A drying tower works like this; the milk is sprayed very finely under pressure in a large drying chamber, into which hot air is also blown. As the drops descend, the water evaporates, and the dried product remains at the bottom of the drying chamber. Evaporating water consumes a lot of energy. In the future, this will be a mixture of energy recovery, heat pumps, electricity and probably still gas. A combination of smarter energy and technology is needed. The last step in the decision process is the type of energy that will eventually be applied.”