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Water-saving membrane filtration technology for the production of alcohol-free beer

GEA AromaPlus PRO Membrane Dealcoholization Unit

gea-aroma-plus-pro-removing-alcohol-keeping-flavour-membrane-dealcoholization

The GEA AromaPlus PRO is a two-stage reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filtration system that makes it possible to cut by potentially 80% or more fresh water draw for diafiltration during beverage dealcoholization. Ideally suited to large-scale production plants, AromaPlus PRO is configured with an internal filtration system that lets you recycle most of the diafiltration water. The resulting reduction in fresh water consumption for diafiltration also means there’s less wastewater disposal burden and associated cost, while the concentrated alcohol retentate presents opportunities to generate valuable side streams.

GEA AromaPlusPRO Membrane Dealcoholization

gea-aroma-plus-pro-dealcoholization-unit-membrane

GEA AromaPlusPRO Membrane Dealcoholization

Membrane filtration for great-tasting alcohol-free beers

For nearly a decade GEA customers worldwide have relied on our AromaPlus membrane filtration system for producing great tasting, market-winning dealcoholized beers and other beverages. The AromaPlus uses special polymer membranes and the principle of reverse osmosis to cleanly separate alcohol and water from the mother beer, without thermal treatment. This approach means that there’s no heat stress-related loss of native aroma compounds. All that’s stripped out is the alcohol. The dealcoholized product – whether 0.5% or 0.05% ABV - retains just about all of the flavors, colour and turbidity that you’ve worked hard to create, giving consumers a great alcohol-free taste experience.

GEA AromaPlus PRO membrane dealcoholization unit process flow

GEA AromaPlus PRO - How does it work?

Membrane filtration by reverse osmosis does use a lot of deoxygenated water during the diafiltration stage, as water is continually added to the system to replace the water component of the filtrate leaving the plant when washing out the alcohol through the membranes.

Recycle water and generate new revenue streams

We’ve developed the AromaPlus PRO (permeate reverse osmosis) with a second RO membrane filtration stage that effectively cleans the AromaPlus permeate from the alcohol and recycles the majority of this diafiltration water. The water and alcohol flushed out of the mother beer through the first membrane set – this is the initial permeate - is taken through a second round of RO filtration to further concentrate the alcohol into a smaller volume of water. The dealcoholized permeate from this second stage can then be recycled back to the diafiltration stage. The retentate from the PRO filtration stage, which is concentrated in alcohol, can be used to create profitable side streams, such as alcoholic mixed beverages, or hard seltzer, or as a source of biogas for use within the brewery.

Reducing wastewater burden

The ability of the AromaPlus PRO to promote water reuse can reduce by 80% or more the requirement for fresh water in the dealcoholization process, which is especially valuable for setups where deoxygenated water is not readily available. The combination of efficient, effective water recycling and potential repurposing of the waste alcohol also means that the dealcoholization plant may generate far less wastewater. This can dramatically reduce the financial and environmental burdens associated with wastewater treatment on site, or with transporting wastewater to external sites for treatment and disposal.

AromaPlus PRO

Can reduce fresh water consumption for diafiltration by more than two-thirds. Reduces wastewater by potentially two-thirds or more, while providing the opportunity to create valuable byproducts*

*Compared to the AromaPlus permeate, the AromaPlus PRO retentate is:

Reduced in volume with high alcohol concentration, and can be used as the basis for creating profitable side streams. Process and product opportunities may include:

alcohol recovery in the brewery
creating flavoured alcoholic beverages
creating a base for hard seltzer
generating biogas for use in the brewery

Focus on resource-efficiency

Unlike evaporation-based dealcoholization methods that are typically powered using fossil fuel-derived steam, our AromaPlus and AromaPlus PRO membrane systems run on electrical energy, which can further reduce environmental impact. The GEA systems can be paired with our Smart Filtration CIP software-based system for membrane filtration plants, which may almost halve energy consumption for CIP.

Resource-efficient solution

Membrane filtration cleaning and flushing

At GEA we are continually innovating to improve our customers’ efficiency, reduce their consumption of valuable resources and improve sustainability. Our Smart Filtration CIP and Flush are examples of our engineering know-how in practice and carry GEA's Add Better ecolabel, independently validated by TÜV Rheinland. Backed by hard data and industry expertise, we can say that our resource-efficient solution for Smart Filtration CIP and Flush can reduce energy consumption by up to 50%.

* The Add Better label relates to the product released in March 2023. The comparison refers to its predecessor model.

Cost effective for larger producers

We’ve demonstrated that alongside the potential to significantly improve resource use and so sustainability during membrane dealcoholization, the AromaPlus PRO can be really cost effective, especially for larger producers with a throughput of 25,000 hl to 400,000 hl or more per annum.

Not just for alcohol-free beer

The majority of customers carrying out beverage dealcoholization using our reverse osmosis membrane filtration systems produce alcohol-free beers, but the technology is also suitable for other products, such as cider. In some instances it may even be feasible to upgrade an existing AromaPlus plant to the AromaPlus PRO.

Test centers

We don’t just sell AromaPlus PRO technology, we welcome the opportunity to sit down with you, learn about your processes, products and challenges, and work with you to configure and test GEA technologies. Whether you are looking to explore the potential benefits of the AromaPlus PRO for processing a new alcohol-free product, or to support your growth and expansion, experts at our specialist test centers can offer a wealth of expertise and support. Just contact your local GEA representative and let's get talking.

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