Greener Future for Volcanic Water with Efficient Bottling

The Garrotxa area of Spain, in the province of Girona, is famous for its distinctive and dramatic volcanic scenery. Thanks to the existence of over 40 volcanoes, dense forests and green pastures, the environment of this part of Catalonia is essential in the creation of the precious Sant Aniol water, which, in 2024, received the SILVER award for taste and the BRONZE for Design in the first edition of the “FineWaters 2024” International Water Tasting Competition organized by the Basque Culinary Center. The prize bears witness to the clarity and quality from the volcanic setting, which fosters balanced mineralization of water and testifies to the firm’s solid commitment to excellence and nature protection. Sant Aniol is also concerned about the optimisation and innovation of materials employed in packaging, reducing the company’s impact on the environment. Rigorous quality checks and a production system with no human contact, are capable of ensuring a contamination-free bottling and extraction process. Energy consumed in the plant has been 100% green since 2018, through the establishment of a 275-hectare security zone, the Spanish firm also safeguards the water resource from any contaminating activity. The Sant Aniol Spring is found inside the Garrotxa Natural Park, at over 120 metres depth, in a site typified by sedimented lava and volcanic rock that provides the water with purity and fine qualities.

BOTTLES WITH A VOLCANIC SPIRIT

The distinctive, incredibly exquisite design of Sant Aniol’s glass and PET bottles comes from the desire to highlight the features of a product that has been featured in the finest hotels and restaurants across more than 20 countries for more than 15 years and that stands out at the points of sale. In 2015, Spanish artist and designer Martín Azúa created a special bottle for Sant Aniol, the surface of which was inspired by the volcanic rocks of Garrotxa, where the water comes from. This inspired the design of PET bottles made by the EBS 8 KL ERGON stretch-blow molder provided by SMI.

SMI SOLUTIONS FOR SANT ANIOL

Companies in the food sector, are now strongly committed to the green and digital transition and put the well-being of consumers and workers at the center of their production processes. For Sant Aniol, the environment is a primary asset to be safeguarded and, to achieve this goal, the company uses the latest generation technologies capable of maximising energy savings. 15 years after the supply of an SMI stretch-blow moulder of the first-generation SR 8 series, Sant Aniol has once again turned to SMI for the installation of the new EBS 8 KL ERGON model, intended for the bottling line of natural water in 0.33 L, 0.5 L and 1.5 L PET containers. The great advantage of the new plant installed at the Sant Aniol de Finestres plant (Girona) is that it has an efficient system to significantly reduce energy costs. The EBS 8 KL ERGON purchased by the Spanish company uses moulds equipped with the “ReduxAir” system, an innovative solution that allows stretchblow moulding operations to be carried out at lower pressures than those traditionally used. Depending on the characteristics of the preform, the bottle and the working conditions, 15-20 bar is sufficient compared to the 30-35 normally used in this process. This makes it possible to reduce the use of the high-pressure air compressor, with a consequent reduction in electricity consumption.

EBS 8 KL ERGON ROTARY STRETCH – BLOW MOULDER

Functions: stretch-blow moulding of PET bottles of natural water at a maximum speed of 16,000 bottles/hour. Bottles worked: 0.33 L, 0.5 L and 1.5 L cylindrical containers.

Main features :

• the SMI stretch-blow moulder adopts solutions that ensure energy saving, such as the “ReduxAir” mould and the “AirMaster” air recovery system
• a plant suitable for the production of lightweight PET containers, which, through an appealing design, reflect the uniqueness of bottled water, promote the brand and minimise environmental impact
• compact, automated plant equipped with digital intelligence that meets the needs of efficient production and constant monitoring of machine consumption.

ENERGY – SAVING BENEFITS

The EBS 8 KL ERGON stretch-blow moulder is characterised by the presence of an innovative preform heating oven that is extremely compact and equipped with an aluminium diffuser that ensures optimal temperature control to prevent overheating. The energy costs for the production of bottles are also reduced thanks to the presence of energy-efficient IR lamps and heat-reflecting panels equipped with ceramic elements. The stretch-blow moulding module is equipped with a high-efficiency two-stage air recovery system, called AirMaster, which recovers the air from the blowing circuit and thus ensures a significant reduction in compressed air consumption and significant energy savings, thanks to the reduced use of the high-pressure compressor.

BENEFITS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The EBS KL ERGON stretch-blow moulder supplied to Sant Aniol, is equipped with an energy meter equipped with a digital LCD display, which, through the monitoring of energy consumption, allows the operational efficiency of the plant to be optimised. The meter installed on the machine is used to record and display electricity consumption, voltage, current, and power alternately over a given period. Thanks to these devices, SMI machines can benefit from the services offered by the SMYIOT platform, an interactive database that remotely collects, verifies, processes and enhances all the operating parameters of the plant, both at the level of the individual machine and of the entire production line, in order to improve operational efficiency and energy performance, schedule maintenance interventions and reduce production costs overall.

BENEFITS TO SAFEGUARD THE ENVIRONMENT

The solution developed by SMI to reduce the pressure of the blowing air used in the production process of PET bottles perfectly responds to Sant Aniol’s goal of having technologies that minimize the impact on the environment, thanks to lower electricity consumption by the compressor, savings on energy costs and consequent less air pollution.

The EBS 8 KL ERGON stretch-blow moulder installed at the Girona plant is fitted with stretch-blow moulds equipped with the special “ReduxAir” bottom, which, through special technical and design measures, allows the air between the outer walls of the bottle and the surface of the mould to be released much faster, making it possible to produce rPET/PET containers with lower air pressures. especially:

• 33 L containers with air pressure at 15 bar
• 5 L containers with air pressure at 17 bar
• 5 L containers with air pressure at 25 bar

Of course, this value depends on the characteristics of the preform and the bottle and the working conditions in which the stretch-blow moulding process is carried out. As it is well known, compressed air is produced by a high-pressure compressor powered by electricity, so the lower the level of air compression to be obtained, the less electricity the machine consumes. The special “ReduxAir” end cap was precisely created to allow stretch-blow moulding operations at lower pressures than those usually used (about 35 bar) and to ensure a green advantage to the companies that adopt it.

ACCURATE QUALITY CONTROLS ON MOULDS AND BOTTLES

The great advantage offered by the “ReduxAir” solution proposed by SMI to reduce the compressor’s consumption of electricity can be obtained by applying some design restrictions regarding the shape and characteristics of the container to be blown. Therefore, close collaboration between the customer and SMI engineers is essential to evaluate all the technical elements that may affect the applicability of the “ReduxAir” end cap to the production process of a specific bottle and offer advice on how to achieve the highest quality of the container.

In fact, the appeal of a container also depends on the accuracy and precision, with which the moulds used to produce it are made. Therefore, countless tests and checks are carried out on both moulds and bottles in SMI laboratories to ensure excellent aesthetic results and ensure an efficient production process. The use of sophisticated equipment allows us to perform dimensional checks and tests on the preforms used by the customer, in order to accurately measure the thickness of the same and the homogeneity of the polymer of which they are made. SMI also performs other tests on blown bottles to ensure that the quality of the final product corresponds to the customer’s expectations.

SAVE ENERGY WITH THE AIRMASTER AIR RECOVERY SYSTEM

The AirMaster air recovery system consists of two systems. The first basic system allows you to recover the air that is then used for the pre-blowing and service phase of the machine. Two valves are mounted on each stretch-blow moulding station: the first feeds the recovery system, introducing air into the line of the same, while the second discharges the air that cannot be recovered. In addition, the recovered air is taken to feed the machine’s pre-blowing and service circuit. The working pressure of the pre-blowing and service circuit is managed by two electronic regulators. The second air recovery system complements the first and guarantees further savings in compressed air, because it takes part of the exhaust air and uses it exclusively for the blowing phase. Under certain working conditions, the AirMaster is able to enable reductions in compressed air consumption of up to 30%.

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