What Filtration Processes are Used in Brewing Industry?

In the beer brewing process, the beer filtration system is one of the indispensable processes for the production of high quality beer, which plays an important role in the flavor, color, and sterility of the beer. The beer filtration process mainly includes incoming water filtration process, boiler feed water filtration process, centrifuge seal water filtration process, trap filtration process, sterilization filtration process, compressed air/vent/gas filtration process and steam filtration process.

1. Incoming Water Filtration Process

In the process of brewing beer, the cleaning water for pipes and equipment, the inlet water of the boiler, the inlet water of the SIP system and the process water generally come from municipal water or inlet water. Pollutants such as rust and dirt in the water will affect the system and shorten its service life. Therefore, it is necessary to install a filtration system to filter it. The filtration equipment usually uses Stainless Steel Cartridge Filtration Housings, and the filtration consumables generally use High Flow Filters, Melt Blown Cartridges or String Wound Cartridges with 25 micron.

2. Boiler Feed Water Filtration Process

Boiler feed water includes reflux condensate and new make-up water, because the contaminants in the feed water will reduce the efficiency of the boiler, and may also enter the steam distribution system with steam, thereby contaminating the product. Therefore, a filtration system consisting of a stainless steel filter and a stainless steel filter element with 5 micron should be installed before the boiler enters the water to remove pollutants in the boiler feed water.

3. Centrifuge Seal Water Filtration Process

The function of sealing water is mainly to prevent a large amount of oxygen from oxidizing active substances such as amino acids in beer, and reduce the flavor and taste of beer. A filtration system composed of Stainless Steel Filter Housings and PP Pleated Filter Elements with 5 micron is usually used to filter the sealed water.

4. Trap Filtration Process

In order to remove the diatomaceous earth leaking from the diatomaceous earth plate and frame filter and to ensure the appearance of the beer is clear and bright, a capture filter system will be installed after the diatomaceous earth plate and frame filter. In order to remove impurities more efficiently, two sets of filtration systems are generally used. The filtration equipment generally uses Stainless Steel Filter Housings. The filter consumables usually choose 10 micron Nominal PP Pleated Filters and 1 micron Absolute PP Pleated Filters in sequence.

5. Sterilization Filtration Process

The sterilization filtration system is mainly used in the aseptic cleaning water filtration process before the filling process and the beer cold sterilization process to ensure that the beer and the bottles or barrels used for filling are free of bacteria, viruses and other contaminants, and meet the hygienic standards of food and beverages. The sterilization filtration system is generally composed of Sanitary SUS316L Filter Housings and Hydrophilic PES Membrane Pleated Filters with 0.22 micron.

6. Compressed Air/Vent/Gas Filtration Process

The compressed air filtration process is mainly to provide power for pneumatic equipment and prevent equipment failure. The vent filtration process mainly prevents pollutants such as bacteria and viruses in the air form entering the storage tank. Gas filtration process is mainly used in beer fermentation, online carbonization, filling and other processes. The filtration system is usually composed of Sanitary SUS316L Filter Housings and Hydrophobic PTFE Membrane Pleated Filters of 0.22 micron.

7. Steam Filtration Process

In the beer brewing process, the main function of the steam filtration process is to provide clean steam to the CIP and SIP systems, which is used for the cleaning and sterilization of beer brewing equipment and system pipes. The steam filter system is generally composed of stainless steel filter housings and stainless steel filter cartridges.

The filtration process of beer brewing may vary depending on the type of beer produced and the scale of the brewery. Therefore, when designing a beer filtration system, appropriate filtration should be selected according to the specific production requirements and sanitary standards on site.