Probat is providing customers with alternatives to natural gas-powered burner technology. However, the company considers these temporary solutions merely a stopgap on the way to fossil-free operations of roasting plants.
According to Probat, the topic of alternative energies remains prevalent in the production industry worldwide. New regulations and growing consumer pressure for more sustainable practices have caused a sharp rise in the demand for alternatively powered roasters in recent years. This contributes to ongoing thoughts on new environmentally friendly technologies.
However, the availability and current price development for natural gas has now led to a strong request for temporary answers on the way to carbon-neutral roasting processes. Probat has been addressing this challenge by looking into adequate alternatives and now offers its customers Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) compatible adaptations of burner technology.
“We needed to come up with an interim solution to help our customers overcome the natural gas shortage. That is why we are now offering retrofits to make burners LPG-compatible,” says PROBAT CTO Thomas Koziorowski.
LPG is produced during oil refining or is extracted during the natural gas production process. With higher availability on the markets, LPG has much potential as an alternative to natural gas. Roasting machines previously operated with natural gas can also be converted to LPG operation.
Koziorowski says the carbon-intensive nature of traditional roasting is hampering the coffee industry’s ability to reduce its environmental impact. Probat’s engineering team made a concerted effort to develop roasting technology that can be operated with this highly combustible gas.
“They accomplished this task successfully, as we will present the first hydrogen fuelled P05 shop roaster at our Connecting Markets symposium in September. The development of hydrogen-compatible roasters is a paramount step in the long overdue transition to green energy and the decarbonisation of the coffee industry,” says Koziorowski.
For more information, visit www.connectingmarkets.de
