Protecting the environment with oil-free compressed air

This special industry page is showing which technical developments are currently available to food and drinks manufacturers, in terms of compressed air technology, for the direct processing of food. It also explains the benefits of using these modern compressed air systems, with a view to reaching environmental protection and digitalization objectives for the sector as a whole.

There's a lot riding on the quality of air used in the industry - even the slightest traces of oil can result in altered or polluted product batches and the risk of health hazards for consumers.

To ensure best practice, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) established a new class of air quality for food and beverage manufacturers. Known as Class 0, it is the most stringent air quality class, limiting oil contamination in liquids, aerosols and vapors.

No matter what you manufacture, be it pies or pizzas, bottled water or beer, you can rest assured that our oil-free compressor range will ensure a reliable supply of high quality air and your peace of mind.

Typical uses of compressed air in the food and beverage industry include:

• Product handling — to move products at high speeds along the production process
• Food filling machines — pies, cakes, cookies and other baked goods can be filled using compressed air to help the liquid filling be distributed evenly each time
• Fluid pumps — to move liquid products in the production and filling process
• Nitrogen generation — compressed air is filtered to produce nitrogen, used in the packaging process
• Air knives — for the cutting and peeling of products such as fruit and vegetables
• Packaging — to generate the vacuum used in the packaging process

Unlike compressed air usage in other industries, there are no standards or legislation that define an acceptable minimum purity level for compressed air used in food manufacture. While regulations and codes around the world state that compressed air used in this environment must be contaminant-free and pose no risk, no actual limits are stipulated.

The risk to food and drink from compressed air processes can potentially be significant if the right precautions and preventative measures have not been taken. Moisture, oil and other particles all pose a risk in applications where compressed air is commonly used, such as drying and filtering.

As a result, all food and drinks manufacturers want to take the steps required to ensure their goods meet the highest quality standards. All steps throughout the supply chain – from manufacturing and processing, to packaging, transporting and storing – must be closely scrutinised, and ensuring compressed air purity levels are never compromised should be a top priority for decision makers.