Article, experiments and studies by Kim Dalum, CEO of DALUM Beverage Equipment
CO₂ recovery for breweries is becoming increasingly important as costs rise, supply becomes unstable, and sustainability gains focus. Unlike large breweries, craft breweries have traditionally purchased all their CO₂ as alternative to collecting it from own fermentation. But that is changing. Rising CO₂ costs, increasing supply insecurities, and a growing focus on sustainability have created demand for smarter CO₂ recovery solutions. In response, DALUM Beverage Equipment has scaled down proven industrial CO₂ recovery technology suit the size and budget of craft breweries. Breweries recover CO₂ for 3 main reasons: stable CO₂ supply, environmental benefits, and reduce operational costs.
Since 2018, DALUM Beverage Equipment has helped craft breweries and mid-sized breweries become self-sufficient by providing compact CO₂ recovery plants. This article data based on real cases and feasibility studies with an analysis indicating a 1.3 year break even point for the DALUM “The Hercules” CO₂ Recovery Plant.
To recover CO₂ effectively, breweries need to estimate how much CO₂ the individual brewery can collect from fermentation and from purge gas. This depends on factors such as original gravity, batch size, brewing frequency, and fermentation time. For a quick estimate, breweries can use the stoichiometrically formula from the fermentation process saying that the alcohol content of beer in w/w percentage roughly equates to kilograms of CO₂ released per hectolitre. For example, a 5% (v/v) ABV or 4% w/w beer produces about 4 kg of CO₂ per hectolitre. Therefore, a brewery producing 10,000 hectolitres annually would generate approximately 40,000 kg of CO₂. With a modest recovery rate of 80%, this means roughly 32,000 kg of CO₂ could be captured.
DALUM has conducted an experiment at Ørbæk Brewery to determine our CO₂ recovery rate. A 15,600-liter fermenter is filled with 128 hl of wort, which is expected to ferment into beer with an alcohol content of 4.8% by volume. 120 hl of finished beer was expected after CO₂ and yeast loses. During fermentation, a beer with 4.8% alcohol by volume will typically generate about 3.8 kg of CO₂ per hl of beer, meaning a total of approximately 460 kg of CO₂ is expected.
Not all this CO₂ can be recovered:
As a result, 93% of the CO₂ that leaves the fermenter is captured and 97% of the CO₂ sent to the plant ends up in the tank. This experiment conducted by Kim Dalum then gives us a recovery rate of 93% from fermenters and a total yield of 89% of the stoichiometrically potential. This trial was conducted under ideal conditions and a more realistic estimate in real life would be 80% which still requires carefulness in timing.
DALUM can help model your brewing schedule to estimate CO₂ generation accurately. One key factor is identifying fermentation peaks, which is essential for correctly sizing the recovery plant, as well as the collection and storage systems. Oversizing results in unnecessary capital expenditure, while under sizing limits recovery potential and reduces overall system efficiency.
Understanding your current CO₂ consumption is equally as important. Start by reviewing how much CO₂ your brewery purchases per month and per year.
Ask:
These inefficiencies are often overlooked – but CO₂ recovery can effectively eliminate them. Additionally, it is important to monitor your usage on a per hl basis, organizations such as the Brewers Association have published benchmarks for usage. Packaging mix has a lot to do with usage, canning lines use a lot more CO₂ than bottling lines or obviously kegging. When purging tanks, make sure CO₂ is not wasted and check for leaks in piping as well
At DALUM, we’ve conducted feasibility studies for breweries with annual production volumes ranging from 1,000 – 200,000 hl per year. To estimate CO₂ recovery, we consider average alcohol content, annual production volume, brewing schedule, fermenter sizes and apply a typical recovery rate to calculate the total potential amount of CO₂ that can be recovered.
At DALUM Beverage Equipment, we provide CO₂ recovery systems with compressor displacements ranging from 5 kg/hr to 50 kg/hr.
One brewery with a production of 60,000 hl/year (expected to grow to 100,000 hl/year by 2029) has an average alcohol content of 5.5% from fermentation. With modest recovery rates of 73% (fermentation),we estimate that they can recover approximately 195.500 kg of CO₂ annually from the fermentation plus 4-5% hereof from purge gas or in total about 204.000 kg annually.
A smaller brewery producing 2,500 hl/year has an average alcohol content of 4.8% (fermentation) and 4% (purge gas). With recovery rates of 70% this brewery can recover a substantial portion of its CO₂, which is 6.600 kg/CO₂ per year plus estimated 350 kg CO₂ from purge gas.
Once captured, the CO₂ is purified, liquefied, and stored in a high-pressure tank, ready for reuse throughout the brewery (in all stages of the brewing process):
Some DALUM clients sell excess CO₂. Stewart Brewing (UK) installed DALUM CO₂ Recovery Plants in 2022 and 2023. With their DALUM CO₂ Recovery System, Stewart Brewing recovers 52 tonnes of CO₂ annually. They now exceed their own demand (~35 tonnes) and achieve 100% CO₂ self-sufficiency – with 17 tonnes of excess CO₂ available they installed the DALUM Cylinder Filling Station to create a new stream of revenue by selling sustainably produced biogenic CO2 to local pubs, bars, and restaurants. All while saving the environment for 104 tonnes of CO₂ emitted annually.
Financial results vary based on CO₂ market prices and brewery size. But let’s revisit the two feasibility studies:
This brewery required a DALUM Hercules (50 kg/h) plant with additional components such as foam trap, commissioning, collection manifolds, sanitary pressure valve, storage tank, and piping:
Break even in 1.3 years at 2.5% interest. Cost includes equipment and variable cost and maintenance. Forecasting growth to 100,000 hl/year by 2029. Their projected annual savings would rise to €285,715, giving them a simple 10-year total return of investment of over €2,5 million and a net present value of € 2.178.979 plus rest value of the equipment.
This brewery required a DALUM Micro (5 kg/h) plant with additional components such as foam trap, commissioning, collection manifolds, sanitary pressure valve, storage tank, and piping:
With a break even of 5 years and a simple 10-year return of € 97.250 or netpressent value of €75,233 plus rest value of the equipment, the investment still proves attractive at lower volumes.
Recovering CO₂ is not just a decision about securing an independent CO₂ source, enhancing operational efficiency, and financial benefits, it is also an environmental commitment. CO₂ recovery allows breweries to lower their CO₂ footprint by operating a closed-loop system, capturing their own fermentation gas rather than releasing it into the atmosphere and then buying fossil-derived CO₂.
“As it stands, we’re buying CO₂ from the production of ammonia, which none of us knows anything about. We don’t know how they do it, we don’t know what’s in the gas, but we do know a lot about fermentation. We know what’s in there and we know it’s good because we put it inside ourselves, so if you look at the quality of CO₂, not only are we letting this free source of it go into the atmosphere, it’s measurably better quality and it’s from a known source.”
– Eddie Gadd, President of Ramsgate Brewery in the Brewers Journal
Read the article featuring Eddie Gadd in the Brewers Journal
As University of Winnipeg study estimates that recovering 1 ton of CO₂ prevents the emission of 2 tons. With our earlier example recovering 415 tons per year (from 2029), that equates to an environmental benefit of 830 tons annually – or driving nearly 6 million kilometres in a car.
In a case study with Thisted Bryghus, CEO Aage Svenningsen said:
“I am pleased to share that our customers have responded enthusiastically to our sustainability initiatives. Their positive feedback reinforces our commitment, and we are excited to announce that we will be introducing even more environmentally friendly measures in the future.”
Read article “Brewing Sustainable – Thisted Bryghus, A Modern Brewery”
Sustainability also provides a powerful competitive edge. As Chris Lewington, founder of Brew Resourceful and sustainable brewing expert says:
“You can’t afford not to be sustainable.”
Getting started with CO₂ recovery may seem complex. Luckily, DALUM Beverage Equipment, industry leader in Craft-scale CO₂ Recovery has defined seven steps to follow, no matter which supplier you wish to work with. John Kiedrowski, who has worked in process engineering and plant management for Miller Brewing for 24 years, and who is the chairman of the board of DALUM Equipment describes them in an article published in Poured.
As a trusted partner for craft breweries worldwide, we’d be happy to help your brewery become CO₂ self-sufficient. Contact us to learn more: https://dalumequipment.com/contact/
CO₂ recovery for breweries is the process of capturing the CO₂ released during fermentation. Instead of letting it escape, breweries clean, liquefy, and use the gas in beer carbonation, packaging, and purging.
A typical craft brewery can recover 70–90% of the CO₂ produced during fermentation. For example, a brewery making 10,000 hl per year can capture around 32,000 kg of CO₂ annually. The example from the article by Kim DALUM captures 93% under ideal conditions.
Return on investment depends on production size and CO₂ prices:
Large brewery with DALUM Hercules CO2 Recovery Plant: ROI in about 1.3 years.
Small brewery with DALUM Micro CO2 Recovery Plant: ROI in around 5 years.
With CO₂ prices rising, many breweries see payback even faster.
Breweries invest in CO₂ recovery to:
Cut costs on purchased CO₂.
Secure supply despite shortages.
Reduce emissions and operate more sustainably.
Create new revenue by selling surplus CO₂.
Yes. Breweries like Stewart Brewing (UK) produce more CO₂ than they use. By adding a cylinder filling station, they sell the extra CO₂ to local pubs, bars, and restaurants.
By reusing fermentation gas, breweries reduce their reliance on fossil CO₂. According to the University of Winnipeg, recovering 1 ton of CO₂ avoids 2 tons of emissions. This supports climate goals and strengthens your brand’s sustainable image.
