International food producer Marquis Macadamias, formerly known as Global Macadamia before a rebrand exercise, has built a new curing and processing facility in the Alkmaar region of Mpumalanga.

It is considered one of the largest macadamia processing facilities globally and, at a local level, it has the potential to provide a much-needed economic boost to the area by catalysing new opportunities for local businesses, the company states.

The facility is built in line with global industry standards, while its combined heating and cooling capabilities sets a new benchmark for facilities of this kind in South Africa.

Energy Partners refrigeration business development head Dawie Kriel, as part of the plant’s development team, says the most unique feature of the macadamia plant is the measures implemented to cut energy consumption for both refrigeration and heating operations, which is not only an industry first but will also be used to inform future projects.

Macadamia processing involves both heating and cooling, which is traditionally very energy intensive. Kriel says most processing plants have separate heating and cooling plants, which end up being costly to run.

These systems normally do not accommodate much heat storage required for the drying process of macadamias and, therefore, do not maintain a constant temperature, particularly during the transition from day to night.

However, the design of this facility lends itself to a low energy consumption profile and consistent temperatures.

The bins for processing the macadamias have been built from concrete, and not conventional steel, offering the inertial properties of the bin the opportunity to provide passive heating and cooling control.

While one of the air handling units provides clean conditioned air for the processing and warehouse areas, the second unit provides a controlled atmosphere to the bulk storage room.

The system simultaneously supplies 768 kW of heat to generate hot water at 57 ºC to the curing/drying area coolers and air-handling units, as well as hot water for domestic use.

“We are already involved in other projects that will benefit greatly from our learnings at this site.

“Ultimately, we hope to see many more operations in the food processing industry follow suit and reduce unnecessary energy expenditure through implementing more sustainable solutions,” Kriel concludes.