EU confirms the environmental benefits of purified smoke

CleanSmoke awarded as best available technology for smoking

Industrial installations of particular environmental relevance must be licensed in the European Union on the basis of best available techniques (BAT) and for smoking, the CleanSmoke process is the best available technique. This was recently confirmed by the EU with the lable of a BAT. CleanSmoke is the only primary technology awarded. Other measures, such as thermal post-combustion, which can also reduce environmental impact, have only been classified as secondary technologies.

Best available technique is to achieve the lowest possible consumption and emission levels at reasonable cost. This is regulated by the 2010 Industrial Emissions Directive on the prevention and reduction of pollution, which requires, for example, food manufacturers with a daily production of more than 70 tonnes to apply BAT.  Among these, the better ecological balance of CleanSmoke has been convincing: Among other things, the innovative technology produces up to 80 percent fewer CO₂ emissions than conventional smoking.

“Smoking is increasingly being viewed critically from an environmental perspective,” says Uwe Vogel, Chairman of the CleanSmoke Coalition, a joint initiative of primary smoke producers, food producers and retailers. “With CleanSmoke, manufacturers and retailers have a great opportunity to show greater environmental responsibility.”

When smoking with CleanSmoke, a stable smoke for the smoking chamber is freshly produced from primary smoke condensate using compressed air. “The advantage of pre-cleaned smoke is that I minimize CO2 emissions, I use fewer resources such as water or wood and I have a less amount of waste water,” says Vogel. “In addition, the quality of the waste water is much better and fewer chemicals are released into the environment.”

CleanSmoke secures the future of conventional smokehouses

Smokehouses that work with CleanSmoke easily comply with all limits for air pollutants according to TA Luft. Companies located in residential areas that still smoke conventionally would no longer be threatened with closure after converting to CleanSmoke. Alternatively, however, the BAT regulation also permits secondary measures, such as subsequent cleaning of the flue gases. However, this generates considerable additional costs due to energy consumption for afterburning and filters that have to be retrofitted. This also applies to waste water treatment. CleanSmoke significantly reduces the amount of water pollution.

According to a study conducted by the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL), CleanSmoke could save about 50 percent of energy and, with the current energy mix, about 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in relation to the German market for smoked products. However, the technology is currently only used for about one tenth of smoked foods.