ZECC Food Processing Roadmap

Abstract

In this roadmap we question how the food processing sector can decarbonise and rapidly reach net zero. As part of the work, we provide independent reviews of 54 different technologies/strategies that processing companies could apply to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption. Scope 1 and 2 emissions are covered which encompass emissions from leakage of refrigerants and emissions from direct fuel use (e.g. gas) and indirect emissions from the electrical grid.

The potential to reduce emissions in the meat, fish, dairy and further processing food sectors are assessed through identifying the best technologies/strategies and modelling the impact on typical processing operations for the meat sector. The most appropriate technologies/strategies with the most potential to reduce GHG emissions were selected from the reviews. Only technologies with a high technology readiness level (TRL) were considered as we wanted to assess what was feasible today. GHG emissions from many lower TRL technologies were often difficult to quantify and many had very varied application times and the claimed savings often varied widely.

Results from the reviews identified routes for the food processing sector to reduce emissions and enabled the creation of a roadmap through to 2050. In all sectors there was considerable potential to reduce GHG emission by 2050. Technologies that were identified as being of most relevance were:

In all sectors:

1. Efficient cooling processes and in some cases novel technologies such as hot boning in the meat sector or brine or plate freezing in the fish sector.
2. Heat pumps to replace fossil fuels used for space heating and domestic water heating. In the near future applying high temperature heat pumps that will be capable of achieving temperatures of up to 160°C for high- and low-pressure steam.
3. Heat reclaim technologies.
4. Efficient air compressors or improving the efficiency of currently installed air compressors.
5. Use of biogas or potentially hydrogen if sourced from low-carbon production.
6. Use of solar photovoltaic (PV) to provide low carbon electricity (potentially integrated with energy storage)

In all cases it is recommended to compare process performance to key KPIs and metrics. Auditing, good maintenance and ongoing monitoring are essential tools to ensure energy and carbon savings. A summary of the main recommendation is shown in the diagram below: