In recent years, the coffee industry in China has witnessed explosive growth. Just look at the dense presence of Luckin Coffee stores on the streets, along with well - known foreign brands. As early as 2023, China's coffee consumption reached 280,000 tons, with a total of nearly 400 million consumers. The average annual coffee consumption per person was 16.74 cups. Meanwhile, the scale of the coffee industry reached 265.4 billion yuan and is expected to increase to 313.3 billion yuan in 2024, with an annual compound growth rate as high as 17.14%. Behind the rapid development of the industry, the issue of exhaust gas generated during the coffee roasting process has gradually become the focus of attention.
A large amount of exhaust gas is generated during the coffee roasting process, mainly including carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
These VOCs - containing exhaust gases not only pollute the environment but may also have a negative impact on human health. Due to the presence of CO, there are also significant safety hazards! Therefore, how to efficiently treat the coffee roasting exhaust gas has become an urgent problem for coffee production enterprises to solve!
Key points of this article:
What to do when the exhaust gas concentration fluctuates greatly during the coffee roasting process?
How to solve the problem of strong odors generated in and around the coffee roasting workshop?
Project background: A case of a coffee production enterprise A coffee production enterprise located in the western region mainly produces coffee products such as lattes and Americanos. The enterprise has two coffee bean roasting production lines, equipped with 110 - kg and 60 - kg fully automatic coffee bean roasters respectively.
Pollutants + Scope Based on the on - site working conditions and data analysis, during the production process, the main exhaust gas pollutants include: (1) Carbon monoxide (CO): The concentration ranges from 3000 mg/m³ to 3200 mg/m³. (2) VOCs: The concentration ranges from 300 to 500 mg/m³. (3) Nitrogen oxides (NOx). Since the original exhaust gas treatment process (electrostatic precipitator + UV photolysis + activated carbon adsorption) cannot meet the emission requirements, the enterprise faces the problem of exceeding the emission standards, which has a negative impact on its production and operation!
Project difficulties and solutions: An in - depth analysis! Difficulty 1: Large fluctuations in inlet concentration During the coffee roasting process, the exhaust gas concentration fluctuates greatly. In particular, the concentration changes of CO and VOCs will affect the stability of the treatment equipment. Solution: Through front - end balanced regulation, accurate concentration monitoring, and intelligent combustion optimization, ensure the efficient and stable operation of the RTO (Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer) and reduce operating costs.
Difficulty 2: Odor problem in coffee roasting The coffee roasting process produces odors. If not properly treated, the odors may spread in the workshop, affecting the production environment and surrounding residents. Solution: Optimize the exhaust gas collection system, combine high - efficiency oxidation treatment and intelligent monitoring technology to ensure that the odors do not leak out and achieve environmentally friendly and compliant emissions.
Project design plan: Exhaust gas treatment process flow for the coffee production line To solve the above problems, the project adopts a treatment process of three - stage dry filter + single - switching valve RTO. Exhaust gas collection: Use CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) technology to accurately capture the exhaust gas and optimize the collection efficiency. Three - stage dry filter: Remove particulate matter from the exhaust gas to provide a guarantee for subsequent treatment. RTO incineration treatment: Send the filtered exhaust gas to the RTO for high - temperature incineration to ensure the complete decomposition of pollutants and compliant emissions!
Single - switching valve technology for roasting exhaust gas treatment: RTO helps enterprises expand production and increase output (1) Adopt an advanced single - switching valve design, which operates stably and is easy to maintain. (2) High - efficiency heat energy recovery: The heat recovery efficiency of the RTO equipment is as high as 95%, significantly reducing energy consumption and achieving a win - win situation between economic and environmental values. (3) Long - life design: The equipment has a long service life and low maintenance costs, providing enterprises with a long - term and stable exhaust gas treatment solution. By adopting the treatment process of three - stage dry filter + single - switching valve RTO, this project has successfully solved the problems of CO, VOCs, and odors in the coffee roasting exhaust gas, achieving compliant exhaust gas emissions. At the same time, the high - efficiency heat energy recovery function of the equipment has significantly reduced the enterprise's operating costs, helping the enterprise achieve green development.
