Coca cola puerto rico

Soft drink bottlers rely on a stable supply of high-purity CO₂ to deliver consistent quality and taste. In Puerto Rico, one bottler took a step toward supply chain independence by partnering with Pentair.

Faced with unreliable access to external CO₂ and challenges sourcing potassium permanganate—traditionally used in CO₂ purification—the company embraced Pentair CO₂ generation technology. Together, they designed a solution that not only secured a reliable CO₂ source but also optimized operating costs and minimized environmental impact.

The result: a future-proof carbonation process with significantly reduced fuel and chemical consumption. 

Lowering Environmental Impact

Conventional combustion-based CO₂ plants typically consume around 350 kg of diesel per hour to produce 1,000 kg of food-grade carbon dioxide—a costly and resource-intensive process. In Puerto Rico, Pentair introduced a smarter alternative.  

By utilizing a partial stream of flue gas, the plant achieves a fuel reduction of between 25% and 40%. 
 
The flue gas comes from existing steam boilers, which produce CO₂-rich flue gas during the steam production process. This gas is then fed into the CO₂ plant.  
 
Equipped with advanced sensors, the plant automatically adjusts the burner based on flue gas availability, ensuring optimal performance at all times. 
 
While the plant is fully capable of operating on 100% diesel combustion, it begins importing flue gas as soon as the steam boilers are online. This hybrid setup ensures maximum utilization of available flue gas, reducing fuel consumption and enhancing the overall efficiency of CO₂ production. 

Elimination of Potassium Permanganate

To meet the customer’s demand for a more environmentally friendly solution, Pentair implemented its patented NOxFlash technology—eliminating the need for potassium permanganate (PPM) in the CO₂ purification process. 

In conventional CO₂ production plants, impurities are typically removed by scrubbing the feed gas with an aqueous PPM solution, which oxidizes pollutants into water-soluble compounds. However, this method generates liquid waste that must be incinerated. Additionally, PPM is classified as a dangerous substance under the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, making handling and logistics more complex. 

Pentair’s NOxFlash unit offers a cleaner alternative. It uses steam and heat generated during CO₂ production to remove benzene and other pollutants early in the process. This results in high-quality CO₂ with minimal reliance on expensive and hazardous chemicals—delivering both environmental and operational benefits. 

Quality Carbon Dioxide

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