The Pentair Beer Membrane Filtration System (BMF) enables a sustainable brewing process and a working environment free of health and safety risks. Pentair delivers beer membrane filtrations, their components, and related services from small to large scale breweries. Pentair’s BMF is a well-established solution for today’s brewer.

With beer membrane filter lines installed in every region of the world, Pentair is the market leader & technology expert in beer membrane filtration technology. With our BMF systems breweries save on their waste disposal and reduce product loss.

SUSTAINABILITY
Traditionally beer filtration was conducted by using filter media such as Diatomaceous Earth (DE) or Perlite. Pentair's Beer Membrane Filtration brings more sustainable solution where the disposal of filter media waste is no longer needed. Neither health of brewery employees is in risk since powder dosing is not required.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Iron is a well-known catalyst for the oxidative biochemical reactions in beer leading to off-flavors associated with aged beer. Due to the membrane’s narrow pore size distribution and the fact that no iron gets into the beer via the filter-aid, the use of membranes provides major advantages compared to diatomaceous earth (DE) filtration. Benefit from better yeast cell and beer spoiling bacteria retention resulting in longer shelf life and better taste stability.

• Low energy consumption because of no centrifuge
• Solid waste stream is reduced by up to 50 %
• Safe and hygienic work environment

• Consistent beer quality
• Better taste stability due to no iron pick-up
• Permanent barrier to beer-spoiling bacteria

• Predictable output
• Simple process provides easy operation
• Easy to fully automate
• Less labor, no DE-handling

• Beer loss down to 0.1 %, with no pre- and after- run tank
• Fixed cost for membranes per hectoliter - predictable and simple
• Low OPEX through maximized run volume
• No downtime

IN-HOUSE MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY
A BMF makes use of proprietary membrane technology. A membrane is a thin polymer layer with pores working like a sieve in the shape of a fiber. Turbidities like yeast and proteins are retained while beer flows through the pores. The membrane is used for many filter run-cycles, which is possible because of an optimized cleaning protocol. The membrane is made from polyethersulfone (PES) which is known for its great compatibility with food and beverages, and can withstand cleaning agents and high temperatures. Thousands of membrane fibers form a module, and 4-18 modules are packed into a membrane unit.

THE BEST COMPONENTS
While the membranes are the heart of a Pentair BMF system, the components and design are equally important. Pentair uses high-quality standard components, many from our own portfolio, including process valves and inline measurement equipment for turbidity, gravity, carbon dioxide, and oxygen.

OPTIMIZED CLEANING
"By using a backflush with caustic, typically 5-10 times before the membranes are regenerated, the lowest possible water and chemical consumption is reached. A maintenance-free jet stream pump used is a smart solution to control the chemical dosing."

EFFICIENT SYSTEM DESIGN
The robust BMF system is automated in several platforms and PLC configurations. Pentair delivers the BMF system on a turnkey basis. Typically, Pentair’s BMF system consists of an unfiltered beer tank, the membrane filter system, and a filtered beer tank, along with a designated cleaning agent cabinet. In existing breweries, reuse of the existing tanks in the filter line is possible, which helps minimize capital expenditures.

BMF systems offer unique features with the PES membranes, the optimized filtration process, and the ideal cleaning procedure. The optimized filtration process withstands large amounts of yeast, and yeast even has a positive effect on the run volumes. Because of this, pre-clarification of beer with a centrifuge is not necessary. These features help breweries save on Capex and energy use, plus help avoid expensive maintenance costs. As a result, the brewery benefits in the areas of sustainability, quality, operation, and expenditures.