The importance of generating energy from beer waste, as well as water management, were central topics in Christian Ferrari’s presentation. He works for AB InBev South America and during his presentation, he detailed the progress made by this multinational company in Brazil and CBN in Bolivia regarding the reduction of their carbon footprint and support for renewables.
ISSUE 118 | 2023
Raúl Serrano
“How can we reuse some of the by-products of beer production to produce renewable energy, either for electrical or thermal purposes, and thus contribute to the path of energy transition and decarbonization?” This was the basic question posed by Christian Ferrari, Strategic Sourcing Manager at AB InBev South America, during his participation in the panel called “Integration for Energy Security in South America” at the 2023 Annual Energy Dinner held at the Marriott hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra last April.
“We won’t give a lesson on beer production, but basically, in the production process, we will always generate a small percentage of organic matter that ends up decomposing and generates biogas,” he added, referring to beer waste. He answered his initial question by explaining that the objective is to find ways to reuse it in the process and give it better uses to reduce external emissions, strengthen energy independence within the brewery, and enable cost reductions.
COGENERATION
“The solution was to decide, in the case of electrical energy, if we can also use cogeneration, for example, to use that biogas and produce electricity through Capstone microturbines. And we also have technology developed for converting biogas into biomethane and burning it in boilers for thermal energy,” he said, addressing the importance of both experiences in his presentation.
Regarding the use of beer waste converted into biogas to produce electricity, he added that Cervecería Boliviana Nacional (CBN) produces 3 million hectoliters of beer per year, which enables a significant amount of biogas injected into its own grid as a model of energy generation.
“This is done with the aim of utilizing 100% of the biogas,” Ferrari clarified, explaining that this is the result of an evolution in their business model based on projects focused on carbon reduction and renewable energies.
He explained that in this way, they are reducing up to 8% of the natural gas purchases from the grid simply by using their own generation source derived from beer production. This becomes a continuous cycle that contributes to decarbonization and energy security processes.
“Obviously, we can’t power an entire plant with this,” he emphasized, pointing out that while this 8% of energy provided by this process is significant and helpful, it doesn’t completely meet the energy demand.
THE TRANSITION IS A SHARED EFFORT
“These projects have been implemented in all our sister companies here in South America. What we’re doing for Bolivia this year and next reflects an exponential growth of these projects because we all believe in their potential and the results they are bringing,” Ferrari stressed. He added, “We are at 91% this year and we expect to reach 100% by 2024 and 2025. In Bolivia, we have eight plants, and each one has its own equipment.”
He stated that the goal is to achieve 100% renewable energy in the country, clarifying, however, that “the energy transition in Bolivia is a shared effort, and we cannot do it alone, so we count on all of you here to bring those Four R’s mentioned by the Spanish ambassador, referring to the importance of having: resources (recursos), networks (redes), regulations (regulación), and trusted relationships (relaciones de confianza), so that we can complete this transition.”
In this way, he highlighted the “decarbonization” process in which ambitious goals have been set, such as a 25% reduction in the carbon footprint throughout the chain of AB InBev, the main shareholder of CBN in Bolivia.
The presentation also emphasized the importance of water in beer production processes, aligned with sustainability plans in all areas of the industry chain, stating that “without water, there is no beer.”
“…highlighted the ‘decarbonization’ process, which has set ambitious goals such as a 25% reduction in the carbon footprint throughout the AB InBev company’s entire chain.”
Ferrari’s presentation, titled “2030 Goal for Gas Reduction under the Flare to Wire philosophy at a global level and its impact on the industrial sector from the perspective of distributed power generation. CASE STUDY: AB InBev South America,” focused on the carbon reduction and renewable energy projects carried out by this multinational brewery in all the companies where it is the majority shareholder, such as Cervecería Boliviana Nacional (CBN). It highlighted significant achievements in water management and energy generation.
He discussed successful cases of these initiatives, such as the implementation of wind farms in Argentina through public-private partnerships, and the project they are developing in Bolivia at CBN, involving biogas management in their internal processes, which allows for a reduction of up to 8% in natural gas consumption. In summary, Ferrari’s presentation assessed the productive potential of beer waste (bagazo cervecero) for the generation of biogas under controlled conditions.
