(Nomination for 2012 AUREA Award): Eko-mlek - Modern energy-efficient dairy

Krusevac-based Eko-mlek dairy started the construction of a new EUR 4 million worth of production plant in 2011, which will be saving 80% more energy than the old one. Such high level of energy efficiency will be achieved through savings in the production process and recuperation of energy created in previous processes. The facility will be supplied with energy from its own plant producing biogas from biological waste created in the processing of milk (the whey). The whey will also be used to feed pigs at a farm that will also be built in the vicinity of the dairy facility.

This idea, which came from the dairy management, aims to upgrade production processes through introduction of improvements that were impossible to implement in the old production plant due to its physical limitations. Plans for the building of the new plant have been drawn up by the Krusevac Institute of Urbanism and City Development.

These new facilities will double Eko-mlek’s production capacity and contribute to a greater commercial success of the company. People at the dairy also expect the investment to pay off in 10 years thanks to bigger energy savings, which will be boosted by about 80 percent once the new plant is put in operation.

The biogas production process will enable the dairy to solve the problem of production waste, thus completely eliminating a harmful influence on the environment and carrying out the production process safely and in full compliance with all environmental standards.

Aside from creating new jobs, the project implementation and the production capacity boost will also lead to the development and strengthening of farms that deliver milk to the dairy.

Production in the new plant should kick off in mid-2012.

INNOVATION

The dairy industry has always had a big problem with the production waste. In cheese production, it takes 10 liters of milk to make 1 kilogram of cheese and 9 liters of whey, which is a potential source of environmental problems. People at Eko-mlek have been trying to find a solution to that problem for five years now.

The first step was to build two farms for 800 pigs about 200 meters away from the new dairy to feed whey to them, and these farms will also feature a fodder mixer soon.

Once the new production facility is built, the whey will also be used to generate energy because this facility will be supplied with energy from its own plant producing biogas from biological waste created in the processing of milk (the whey). In that way, the new production plant will be saving 80% more energy than the old one. The whey is used to make cottage cheese, which is a by-product of the manufacture, and is heated to 80 degrees Centigrade in that process. Energy efficiency is achieved by using whey for recuperation of energy. Cold milk needs to be heated because the production process requires its temperature to be 35.36 degrees. Such chilled whey is sent to a condenser, which separates a part of all milk sugars, proteins that are then fed to pigs, while the remaining whey and waste from pig farms are processed again, and the resulting mix is used in the production of biogas.

The new facility will span 4,500 square meters. Garages and a power plant will be built underneath it, while a biogas digester and a wastewater treatment plant will be located one level beneath them. The production equipment will be delivered from Italy, Switzerland and Germany, and Eko-mlek plans to move the entire production to its new facility.

SOCIAL UTILITY

Eko-mlek’s new production facility will be saving 80% more energy than the old one. The previous facility is built of bricks, whereas the new one will be built of panels and consume less energy. A biogas plant will produce certain energy that will be used as thermal energy to heat the entire process of production. Whether the plant will produce electric energy depends on whether there will be enough biogas. In any case, it will be possible to reuse the energy in the production process, and the biogas production process will enable the dairy to solve the problem of production waste, thus completely eliminating a harmful influence on the environment and carrying out the production process safely and in full compliance with all environmental standards.

Eko-mlek will move the entire production and staff to the new facility. New jobs will be created as well. The project implementation and the production capacity boost will lead to the development and strengthening of farms that deliver milk to the dairy. For the time being, Eko-mlek collaborates with 900-1000 farms that supply the dairy with milk, receive payments on a regular basis and can plan their production and stay in the area. The new production plant is located in the vicinity of Krusevac, in the valley of the Ribarska river, which is the most densely populated cattlebreeding area in Europe (10,000 inhabitants). Eko-mlek wants to become a reliable partner of its suppliers and to transfer its stability and solvency to them.

FINANCIAL POTENTIAL

Once the new production plant is put into operation, which should happen in mid-2012, the dairy’s capacity will grow from 50,000 to 100,000 liters of milk a day. Depending on the market conditions, it is possible to introduce another working shift at the dairy.

Eko-mlek supplies its cheeses to a large number of regular and pizza restaurants, and it can also be found in some retail stores. The dairy already possesses a license to export products to the CEFTA countries, but not to the EU and Russia. The new facility is being built in line with all European and global standards, so that the dairy will be able to obtain all export permits at any moment.

All cheeses produced by Eko-mlek are exclusively made from milk, rennet and salt, and they contain no additives, preservatives, powder milk, vegetable fats or any other artificial additives.

If Eko-mlek dairy is your favorite for the innovative investment of the year, you can cast your vote on the official website of the 2012 Aurea Award.