Heat for thermal processing and dehydration accounts for 59% of the total energy used in the food industry. Re-utilising waste heat for other applications in the food industry is one potential solution to reduce said waste heat.
An interdisciplinary research team at the University of California, Davis, spearheaded by the Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC), recently received a $1.98 million funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of technological solutions in re-utilising food industry waste heat.
The WCEC’s microchannel polymer heat exchanger (MPHX) technology seeks to extract ultra-low-grade waste head, and re-utilise it for food industry processes such as low-temperature pasteurisation, cleaning, sanitation, etc. Reducing waste head through re-utilisation comes with the additional benefit of a reduction of energy and capital costs.
For more informations about the UC Davis’ interdisciplinary team’s solutions to decarbonize the food industry, follow the link below :