Manufacturers are under increasing pressure to decarbonise their operations while maintaining reliability, output and cost control. Reducing carbon emissions is no longer just a sustainability objective, it is a commercial decision that can lower long‑term energy costs, enhance energy resilience and safeguard future operations.
John O’Callaghan, Development Engineering Manager at Vital Energi, brings over 30 years of industrial experience, including 25 years in food and drink manufacturing, to explain how low carbon technologies can be applied in real‑world production environments.
What are the biggest decarbonisation challenges facing food and drink manufacturers?
Industrial process heat accounts for more than 60% of total industrial energy use, as processes such as cooking, pasteurisation, drying and cleaning all rely heavily on heat and steam.
Many manufacturers have already implemented energy efficiency improvements and recovered the “low‑hanging fruit”. The remaining challenge is decarbonising higher‑value, heat‑intensive processes. In the UK, an unfavourable electricity‑to‑gas price ratio can slow adoption, while practical constraints such as electrical grid capacity and site space must also be considered.
From a technical perspective, around one‑third of industrial heat demand operates below 200°C, a temperature range where industrial heat pumps can already deliver strong performance, particularly when integrated with waste heat recovery. However, wider adoption depends on access to experienced partners capable of designing, installing and guaranteeing complex systems.
High‑temperature steam is essential – how can it be produced without fossil fuels?
High‑temperature steam remains critical for many food and drink processes, and there are now credible pathways to deliver it without burning gas.
While hydrogen is often discussed, truly green hydrogen remains limited in availability and is unlikely to be commercially competitive for most manufacturers in the near term. As a result, renewable electricity is currently the most viable alternative energy source for high‑temperature applications.
A range of technologies can now deliver temperatures between 120°C and 180°C, including advanced heat pump systems and electrically driven processes. Many of these technologies use natural refrigerants, which are environmentally benign and not subject to current or future F‑Gas or PFAS restrictions.
Are there sustainable ways to reach very high temperatures?
Yes. Electric steam boilers, including resistive and electrode boilers, can deliver hundreds of kilograms to multiple tonnes of steam per hour and can often be installed as a direct replacement for gas boilers. They also offer fast start‑up times and can support grid flexibility in certain applications.
However, electric boilers typically require a similar amount of electrical energy as a gas boiler would require gas, resulting in significantly higher operating costs. This is where heat pump‑led systems become transformational.
High‑temperature heat pumps can recover waste heat from processes such as dryer exhausts, condensate or hot effluent streams and upgrade it to useful temperatures. In many food and drink applications – including drying, evaporation and concentration – this waste heat is readily available.
For example, in the production of instant coffee or sugar, Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) is already widely used to evaporate and concentrate liquids efficiently. By combining a heat pump with MVR, manufacturers can generate high‑temperature steam using a fraction of the energy required by conventional boilers. Depending on the process, multiple compression stages can be used to achieve the required pressure and temperature.
Can renewable heat solutions be integrated with minimal disruption?
In many cases, yes. For critical production environments, the preferred approach is often a like‑for‑like solution, such as maintaining existing steam pressure to avoid changes to plant equipment like steam‑jacketed cookers or processing vessels.
In other instances, hybrid approaches can deliver benefits quickly, for example supplying hot water directly via a heat pump while retaining steam for specific processes. The most effective solutions take a site‑wide, holistic view, defining a long‑term target state and, where appropriate, delivering decarbonisation in phases.
Is funding available to support industrial decarbonisation?
Whilst the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund is no longer available, there are alternative routes to funding. At Vital Energi, we can provide flexible funding agreements based on customer needs. We have a long history of energy performance contracts that deliver real savings against strict metrics. Quite often, improvements made to site operations can provide savings that, in turn, fund new on-site generation. This can be a way of improving site efficiencies, reducing carbon and improving your bottom line.
What is the first step towards decarbonisation?
There is no one size fits all solution, but the first step for every organisation is to enlist an expert to look at your data, and come up with a bespoke energy solution.
Vital Energi has been able to shape decarbonisation strategies for organisations across the UK including major malt manufacturers, Simpsons Malt, where we’re reducing their carbon footprint by 25,000 tonnes a year, and Muntons, where we have installed a 14MW biomass boiler.
To find out how we can help you take the first step on your net zero journey, please email [email protected].
