From Fermentation CO₂ to High-Purity Liquid CO₂
The CO₂ recovery process starts with fermentation tanks, where CO₂ generated during beer production is collected and transferred to the recovery system.
1. CO₂ Collection
CO₂ produced during beer fermentation is collected from the fermentation tanks through a dedicated gas collection system and continuously supplied to the recovery plant.
2. Washing and Defoaming
Raw fermentation gas may contain moisture, beer foam, ethanol, and other entrained impurities. The washing and defoaming system removes these contaminants before the gas enters the compression and purification stages.
3. Compression
The pre-treated CO₂ is compressed to the required operating pressure, preparing it for efficient purification, drying, and liquefaction.
4. Purification and Drying
Advanced purification and adsorption technologies remove moisture and trace impurities from the compressed gas. This ensures stable downstream operation and high-quality liquid CO₂ production.
5. Liquefaction
The purified CO₂ is cooled and liquefied through the refrigeration system. During liquefaction, non-condensable gases such as O₂ and N₂ are separated from the condensed CO₂.
6. Final Purification
The liquid CO₂ undergoes further purification to reduce residual impurities and achieve the required product specification. Depending on the feed gas composition and process configuration, YTC systems can produce CO₂ purity up to 99.998%.
7. Liquid CO₂ Storage
The purified liquid CO₂ is transferred to insulated storage tanks. It can then be used within the brewery or supplied to external customers according to production requirements and applicable specifications.
Why Recover CO₂ from Beer Fermentation?
Reduce External CO₂ Costs
Recovering fermentation CO₂ provides breweries with an on-site source of CO₂, reducing dependence on externally purchased gas and helping control long-term operating costs.
Improve CO₂ Supply Security
On-site recovery reduces exposure to external CO₂ shortages, transportation disruptions, and market price fluctuations, providing a more reliable source for brewery operations.
Reduce CO₂ Emissions
Capturing fermentation CO₂ instead of venting it helps breweries improve resource utilization and reduce their overall carbon footprint.
Improve Water Efficiency
YTC’s high-efficiency gas washing system is designed to minimize water consumption, with water reuse solutions available according to process requirements.
Improve Energy Efficiency
The recovery plant is engineered for efficient operation, while available process energy and compressor waste heat can be evaluated for potential recovery and reuse.
Lower Total Cost of Ownership
High system availability, optimized energy consumption, automated operation, and reduced external CO₂ purchasing can contribute to a lower overall lifecycle cost.
Typical payback period: approximately 1.5–4 years, depending on CO₂ production, utilization, operating conditions, and local CO₂ prices.
YTC Brewery CO₂ Recovery Solution
YTC provides complete CO₂ recovery, purification, liquefaction, and storage solutions for breweries, covering process engineering, equipment manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and technical support.
With 16+ years of experience in CO₂ treatment and recovery and 200+ projects completed worldwide, YTC designs each system around the brewery’s actual fermentation process, CO₂ generation rate, site conditions, required product quality, and downstream application.
From fermentation gas collection to liquid CO₂ storage, YTC provides an integrated solution that helps breweries recover valuable CO₂, reduce external CO₂ dependence, improve resource efficiency, and create additional value from the brewing process.
Key Benefits
• 80–20,000 kg/h CO₂ recovery capacity
• Up to 99.998% CO₂ purity
• Fully automatic operation
• Low water consumption
• Energy-efficient system design
• Potential energy recovery
• Integrated CO₂ purification and liquefaction
• Liquid CO₂ storage solution
• 16+ years of CO₂ recovery experience
• 200+ projects completed worldwide
