International air, water and effluent treatment specialist ACWA has won a highly prestigious contract to supply Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) with a de-alkaliser for its Sidcup site, in preparation for a predicted surge in demand for products in the Coca-Cola portfolio during the Olympics next year.
The site is installing a fourth filling line to increase its capacity during this key event, which will draw millions of sports fans from around the globe to the London area.
Sidcup is one of CCE’s largest sites in GB, and is consistently seeking ways to ensure operations support its sustainability and efficiency requirements. ACWA’s turnkey M&E contract involved providing, installing, commissioning and upgrading the de-alkalisation plant and associated software.
De-alkalisation is an ion exchange process that strips alkalinity from water – it is essential that less than 50ppm is present to guarantee the taste and shelf life of the finished product. The South East has naturally hard water with high alkalinity, so the de-alkalisation plant is a vital element in the production process.
De-alkalisation (a weak acid cation exchange process) reduces the hardness-causing carbonate and bicarbonate anions in the feedwater. No degasification to remove carbon dioxide is required in this application.
To reduce the alkalinity to acceptable levels, the feedwater is brought into contact with the resin in an enclosed vessel, and the carbonate and bicarbonate anions are bound within the resin.
As part of the improvements, the existing plant has also been refurbished and new resin installed in the existing de-alkalisation vessels. One vessel was renewed at a time over a one-month period to ensure that production output was maintained. The fourth stream, which replicates the first three production lines, will future-proof the factory and ensure optimum processing capability for 2012.
Picture: Peter Johnson (left) and Grant Buckland (Right) of Coca-Cola Enterprises with Bob Hastings of ACWA Services
ACWA Sales Manager Bob Hastings said:
“We are extremely proud to be chosen by one of the world’s leading companies, which not only expects the best equipment to produce the highest-quality products, but also rightly demands that its partners meet its exacting sustainability and efficiency requirements. The Olympics are a hugely significant event for this country and we are enormously pleased to be able to rise to the challenge and play our small part in reducing its carbon footprint.”
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