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Castlemaine Perkins - Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction in the Brewing Industry

This case study earned an award for Castlemaine Perkins Brewery in the 2005 Greenhouse Challenge Awards. The award was for leadership in promoting greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the brewing industry.

Castlemaine Perkins is one of Lion Nathan’s four major breweries operating in Australia, all of which participate in the Greenhouse Challenge Plus Program.

Under the program, Castlemaine Perkins has been a strong performer and has contributed significantly to Lion Nathan’s achievements in greenhouse gas abatement. Castlemaine has implemented over 50 projects in areas such as waste reduction, compressed air optimisation, refrigeration and steam efficiency improvements and improved management systems. These initiatives have resulted in:

  • A reduction in Castlemaine’s greenhouse emissions of 21,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents or 27% of total site inventory compared to the baseline year 1990
  • A reduction in Castlemaine’s greenhouse gas key performance indicator (kg CO2 equivalent per kilolitre of beer produced) of 35% compared to the baseline year 1990

Since joining the Greenhouse Challenge Program, Lion Nathan has partnered the Australian Greenhouse Office in promoting, facilitating and raising the awareness of the Greenhouse Challenge Program and its benefits within the brewing industry, the community and to key stakeholders. This has been achieved through:

  • Promotion of the Greenhouse Challenge Plus Program, particularly during its recent launch
  • Becoming a corporate member of the Greenhouse Challenge Plus Partnership Committee
  • Contributing success stories to the Greenhouse Challenge Plus Website
  • Promoting the Greenhouse Challenge to industry and across the Lion Nathan breweries
  • Public & stakeholder promotion – Lion Nathan’s achievements under Greenhouse Challenge Partnership
  • Publishing case studies and magazine articles
  • Promoting Greenhouse Challenge to Local and State Governments
  • Media and magazine editorial features
  • Promoting Greenhouse Challenge in Castlemaine’s “ALEHOUSE” visitors facility which hosts around 20,000 visitors per year
  • Promoting the Greenhouse Challenge through Lion Nathan websites

Castlemaine Perkins - New Brewhouse Installation

The Brewhouse project at Castlemaine Perkins in Brisbane claimed the Gold Trophy in the 2001 Australian Greenhouse Challenge Awards sponsored by the Australian Greenhouse Office.

The high technology brewing plant incorporates an energy recovery system, high efficiency wort boiling process and extract and solids recovery systems. The changes have resulted in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 3,947 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, or around 6% of the brewery’s total emissions. In addition, the brewery has saved 150,000 KL of water and effluent discharge per year and markedly reduced its effluent load, landfill waste and odour emissions.

Boiler Upgrade Project – Tooheys Brewery

This case study earned an award for Tooheys Brewery in the 2005 Greenhouse Challenge Awards.

Tooheys is the largest brewery in New South Wales and is one of Lion Nathan’s four major breweries operating in Australia, all of which participate in the Greenhouse Challenge Plus Program.

The boiler upgrade project at Tooheys is one of many projects which have significantly contributed to greenhouse emission abatement at Lion Nathan. With steam consuming around 70% of the brewery’s total energy usage, improvement in steam efficiency has always received a high level of focus. By upgrading our two gas boilers with a modern PLC control combustion system , automatic “blowdown” systems and combustion system oxygen probes and flame trim controls, significant greenhouse savings and other benefits have been achieved including:

  • Natural Gas Energy Savings of 21,600 GJ per year
  • Total Greenhouse Gas Emission Abatement of 1,529 tonnes per annum
  • 2.7 percent reduction in Emissions Inventory
  • Natural gas fuel usage savings of $105,000 per annum
  • Boiler chemical savings of $9,000 per annum
  • Reduced NOx, SO2 and carbon monoxide emissions
  • Enhancements within the brewing industry with boiler upgrades at Swan Brewery in Perth resulting in similar greenhouse reductions and other benefits

Through Greenhouse Challenge, the ongoing focus on energy reduction at Tooheys has resulted in continual improvement and a total energy efficiency which benchmarks among the best performing breweries in the world.


Swan Brewery - Waste Water Treatment Plant Project

This project earned an award for The Swan Brewery in the 2003 Greenhouse Challenge Awards.

Since taking up the Challenge in 1998, Swan Brewery has vigorously targeted areas for efficiency improvements including electricity, steam, refrigeration and compressed air usage as well as waste minimisation. In 1998, greenhouse emissions were 41,900 tonnes per annum. Since then emissions have steadily decreased, reaching 33,000 tonnes per annum in 2003.

The waste water treatment project is one of many projects which have contributed to greenhouse gas emission abatement at Swan Brewery. By reducing water usage through recycling initiatives and installing variable speed drives on the aerators in the treatment ponds, significant greenhouse gas savings and other environmental benefits have been achieved including:

  • a greenhouse gas emission reduction of 625 tonnes per annum
  • a 1.9% reduction of the brewery’s total emissions inventory
  • a saving of 605,000 KwH electricity per annum
  • a saving of 50,000 kL of water per annum
  • an 8% reduction in the amount of waste water treated
  • a financial saving of approximately $70,000 per annum