AAK Responsible Growth | 23 22 percent steam reduction One of the main objectives for AAK South America is to lower plant steam consumption, which has two benefits: energy savings and a reduction in water consumption. The steam consumption reduction from the 2011 value of 1,764 mt steam/delivered mt to the 2012 value of 1,374 mt steam/delivered mt was achieved after carefully optimising some processing units. The pressure in the deodoriser vacuum ejectors was reduced to less than 8 bar in winter and less than 10 bar in summer. The direct steam injection was reduced to less than the Air level recommended by the manufacturer, and, as a consequence, we observed a decrease in the undesirable stripping of fats material into the cooling water. In the tank yard, an improved maintenance program was developed to optimise the temperature control for fat storage. All these changes led to the desired steam savings, yet at the same time did not affect the quality of the final products. Martin Gil Production and Operations Director, Uruguay Rising average temperatures, more extreme weather and changes in rainfall patterns are all symptoms of the climate change we are experiencing. Today, legislation and markets aim to mitigate these changes by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions believed to be the driver of global climate change. At AAK we are ready to play our part. In 2012, we generated 218,000 MT of carbon dioxide at our production plants, 6.4 percent less than in 2011. 37 percent of direct carbon dioxide emissions stemmed from renewable resources. Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel per tonne processed decreased 8.3 percent compared to 2011. The ozone layer protects life on earth by filtering out some of the sun’s harmful UV radiation. For that reason, any thinning of the ozone layer is hazardous. At AAK, we are working actively towards eliminating all equipment that uses ozone-depleting substances (ODS), which are generally used for cooling. In 2012 we used 27 kg ODS. Policies are in place to phase out all remaining equipment that uses ODS. Due to our use of fuels, our production plants emit 251 MT NOX (nitrogen oxide) and 339 MT SOX (sulphur oxide). 227 MT VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) are also emitted from plants that run extraction and solvent fractionation processes. We constantly monitor progress across our production plants. At our Karlshamn site in Sweden, the main fuels used are wood pellets, biofuels and green electricity. At some times of the year, there is an excess of green electricity available, and because we can easily switch between the different fuels, we obtain the full benefit in all aspects. Our various energy optimisation projects, carried out every year, improve the overall heat exchange in the plant. Exchange of the energy is not consistent, which means we have more surplus low-temperature energy than we can utilise. This excess heat is therefore sold to the local community, and they function as our buffer. In this way, we have created symbiosis. At our site in Morelia, Mexico, we have installed the infrastructure for receiving and using natural gas. This will replace the use of fuels used such us Fuel Oil No. 6 (Heavy Oil), Fuel Oil No. 2 (Diesel), propane gas and LP gas. By converting to natural gas, we have reduced our costs by fuel consumption by 50 percent. In addition, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 25 percent, which means that 3,900 metric tonnes of carbon will not be emitted into the atmosphere. Direct emissions Direct CO2 emission 2012 MT % 100 80 60 40 20 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 Non renewable Renewable 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 No 2009 x Sox VOC 2010 2011 2012
AAK Responsible Growth 2012-2013 - UK
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