Article by Victor Dalum
DALUM Equipment completes 3 new CO₂ recovery installations across breweries and research institutes worldwide. See how the technology performs in the field.
Demand for sustainable and cost-cutting innovation continues to grow. To meet that demand, DALUM Beverage Equipment has recently completed three new CO₂ recovery installations across three countries. These projects span a wide range of production scales, from a micro brewery in upstate New York to a leading university research facility in Germany. Each installation shows how CO₂ recovery and liquefaction technology helps breweries and carbon capture innovators cut costs, secure their CO₂ supply, and reduce their climate impact.
In this article, we take a closer look at each project. Specifically, we cover what DALUM installed, how each system performed, and what it means for the customer.
Each DALUM installation reflects the customer’s scale, goals, and existing setup. Together, the three projects below completed across San Diego, Ireland and Germany illustrate just how adaptable CO₂ recovery has become.
Society Brewing is well known throughout the craft beer industry for its award-winning IPAs and sustainability focus. The brewery installed a DALUM 30kg/hr Senior CO₂ Recovery Plant alongside their existing 3-ton bulk storage tank. The system captures fermentation CO₂ and converts it back into beverage-grade CO₂ for reuse throughout the brewery.
DALUM completed the full installation over the course of a workweek. Notably, the system produced beverage-grade CO₂ on day one. For a brewery already committed to sustainability and efficiency, this marks a significant step toward a more circular, self-sufficient CO₂ supply.
Lough Gill Brewing Co. installed a DALUM CO₂ recovery system to harvest, purify, and safely store the CO₂ their fermentation naturally produces. As a result, the brewery no longer needs to buy outsourced CO₂ canisters at increasingly high prices.
As the brewery explained, reusing the CO₂ that yeast naturally produces during brewing was, until a few years ago, out of reach for small producers. Today, it’s reality. Furthermore, the system delivers on three fronts at once: better beer quality through consistent CO₂ supply for carbonation and oxidation control, a smaller environmental footprint, and real cost savings through circular economy principles.
“I’m convinced that CO2 Recovery is one of the most important ways for modern craft breweries to be more sustainable, to keep improving our footprint on the planet and to save money through circular economy.” Francesco Sottomano, Head Brewer and Production Manager at Lough Gill Brewery
Hochschule Geisenheim University is a powerhouse in agricultural and viticultural science in southwest Germany. DALUM commissioned a new DALUM Micro CO₂ Recovery Plant there, with commissioning engineer Steffen Jensen leading the on-site work alongside the Geisenheim team, including Maximilian Freund and Felipe Selinas Bonich.
The week wasn’t without its surprises. When glycol for the chiller wasn’t ready, the team improvised with 100 liters of wine as an effective coolant instead. Beyond the on-site problem-solving, the project underscores a broader point: CO₂ recovery technology developed for breweries applies directly to wineries and academic research. This supports Geisenheim’s work in advancing sustainable winemaking.
Despite their differences in scale and location, all three installations point to the same underlying shift in the beverage industry. Here is what they share.
DALUM’s product range covers everything from a 2.5kg/hr Nano system at a micro brewery to a 50kg/hr Hercules system at an established craft brewery. As a result, CO₂ recovery is now accessible at almost any production scale. Moreover, each system integrates directly with the customer’s existing fermentation tanks and CO₂ storage, which minimizes disruption during installation.
“Using CO2 in a brewery is crucial for a ton of reasons (quality, carbonation, minimising oxidation, ecc) and to be able to reuse the CO2 that yeast naturally already produces in our beers until a few years ago was out of question for small producers, now it’s reality!” Francesco Sottomano, Head Brewer and Production Manager at Lough Gill Brewery
Across all three projects, DALUM’s commissioning engineers went on-site to ensure each system was calibrated and performing correctly from day one. At Society Brewing, for instance, the system produced beverage-grade CO₂ on the first day of a week-long install. This hands-on approach draws on years of field experience across different climates and brewery setups, and it is central to how DALUM operates.
Beyond the individual customer benefits, each installation contributes to a larger trend. Breweries, wineries, and distilleries increasingly treat CO₂ as a resource to capture and reuse rather than vent and repurchase.
Consider what happens when a brewery captures and reuses one kilogram of fermentation CO₂. That kilogram no longer needs manufacturing, compression, transport, and truck delivery. Furthermore, two kilograms avoid entering the atmosphere (University of Winnipeg). For breweries and wineries focused on reducing their carbon footprint, CO₂ recovery offers one of the most measurable sustainability gains available. The before-and-after impact on emissions and CO₂ sourcing is direct and trackable.
CO₂ prices remain volatile and supply has become less predictable. Therefore, on-site CO₂ recovery gives breweries, wineries, and distilleries more control over a critical production input. It also supports the broader carbon capture goals that climate-tech innovators across the industry share.
These three installations show CO₂ recovery working in practice across very different settings: a Senior-scale system in San Diego producing CO₂ on day one, and a wine research facility in Germany exploring sustainable winemaking. Together, they reflect DALUM’s continued role in helping breweries, wineries, and distilleries capture, purify, and reuse their own CO₂. If your brewery, winery, or distillery is exploring ways to capture and reuse CO₂, DALUM’s team can help you find the right system for your scale and setup.
Read this article, if you are further interested in why your brewery should implement CO2 Recovery.
