The integration of Swedish technology into local dairy company Coega Dairy’s processing plant at the Coega industrial development zone outside Port Elizabeth, has elevated the plant’s status to the “most environment-friendly and energy- efficient operation in the southern hemisphere”, says processing and packaging solutions company Tetra Pak.

The plant was opened in 2011 and its butter factory was completed in April 2012.

An initial R50-million was invested in the plant, with a total investment of R175-million expected by the end of 2014.

The Coega Dairy brand, Coastal View, was launched in the Eastern Cape last year, with plans to launch nationally in 2013.

Coega Dairy marketing specialist Marlize Terblanche-Smit tells Engineering News that the plant uses Tetra Pak’s OneStep technology to preheat, clarify, separate, standardise and homogenise raw milk.

The OneStep technology eliminates the need for pasteurisation pretreatment and intermediate storage of raw milk.

Milk is heated to 140 °C and cooled using ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) treatment and regenerative cooling respectively before the milk is sent to aseptic buffer tanks.

The plant can produce about 150 000 ℓ of milk a day.

Terblanche-Smit explains that the OneStep process is highly efficient, as it reduces the processing time and enables automated and continuous operations.

“The technology uses only 300 mℓ of water for every litre of milk, compared with conventional UHT cleaning, which uses up to 3 ℓ of water for every litre of milk. “Milk processing plants usually require daily cleaning, using large quantities of water and chemicals. “Some of these chemicals are expensive and are released with the plant’s effluents, which is harmful to the environment,” she explains.

The OneStep technology allows a 60-hour cleaning interval at a processing plant and required less water and chemicals for cleaning.

As a result, the plant produces 50% less effluent, 65% of which can be recycled. The plant also uses 50% less energy and reduces carbon emissions by 40%.

Therefore, production downtime is reduced and the plant’s efficiency is increased.

The OneStep technology comprises raw milk silo tanks and the Tetra Therm Aseptic Flex, a unit that integrates UHT treatment with separation and standardisation.

The technology also includes the Tetra Spiraflo, a tubular heat exchanger that enables high-energy recovery and, as a result, contributes to reduced energy consumption. The Spiraflo incorporates a thermal-stress-absorbing design, the Floating Protection System, which improves food safety and increases efficiency.

Other components of the OneStep technology are the Tetra Centri AirTight Eco, the Tetra Alfast, the Tetra Alex and the Tetra FlexDos.