Carbon capture technology set to revolutionise food-grade CO2 for soft drinks

SOFT DRINK manufacturers can now use carbon captured from industrial processes to carbonate their beverages, as recent innovations aim to transform the food-grade CO2 supply chain.

Carbonating drinks involves injecting CO2 into the can at a pressure higher than atmospheric, then sealing it to prevent the gas from escaping. Trapped inside, the CO2 dissolves into the liquid, creating the characteristic fizz.

Food-grade CO2 differs from standard industrial CO2 due to strict purity and safety standards, overseen by organisations such as the British Gases Association in the UK and the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT).

Capturing CO2 from industrial emissions or the atmosphere can result in a product containing various impurities. However, several companies are developing purification technologies to make the gas safe for use in food and beverages.

How to get food-grade CO2

Food-grade CO2 is usually sourced from natural wells and recovered as a byproduct of ethanol and ammonia production.

Once collected, CO2 undergoes several processing steps before reaching its final form. These include purification and filtration to remove contaminants such as water and oxygen, compression and liquefaction to produce liquid CO2 and deodorisation to eliminate unwanted odours

The global purity standard set by the ISBT for food-grade CO2 is a minimum of 99.9%.

Carbon capture drinks

Dutch-based startup Skytree says it has “surpassed” this purity standard with CO2 captured using its direct air capture (DAC) technology.

Using its Skytree Stratus Alpha testing unit at its Almere facility, the company showed that CO2 captured from its DAC system at a 98% purity could be converted into liquid form with a final purity of 99.98%.

Wojciech Glazek, the CTO of Skytree, said: “Our system’s high initial CO2 purity makes liquefaction simpler and more efficient, avoiding the 15%+ CO2 losses other systems can face.”

The company expects its technology to be ready from commercial installation next year.

Elsewhere in Europe, carbon capture plant developer Carbon Centric recently opened a facility in Rakkestad, Norway, where its first batch of food-grade CO2 was approved for commercial sale by the certification body Foundation FSSC.

The facility captures CO2 from waste-to-energy incineration and has the capacity to produce around 10,000 t/y of CO2 for the food and beverage industry.

Fredrik Häger, the CEO of Carbon Centric, said: “Delivering our first tonnes of captured CO2 proves that the technology works in practice and that we can help build a new green industry.”