Tackling Global Warming One Brew at a Time
As she has always known, global warming is no longer an abstract concept. It's a reality that the brewery industry happens to be a causal culprit. Brewery operations are steeped in high energy consumption and carbon emissions. From boilers that run on diesel, which relies heavily on fossil fuels, to the brewery process, fermentation, which emits carbon dioxide, this combined activity, along with other industrial sectors, is a major contributor to the growing environmental challenges in Lagos.
These thoughts flooded Julia's mind to the point that she decided that this was going to be her next line of action in leading Continent Brewery to become sustainable. The brewery had to tackle its contribution to global warming at its source to reduce it's carbon footprint one brew at a time.
“Oh oh! I know that look!” exclaimed Nicholas, the head engineer, as Julia barged into his office. “What is the plan this time, Julia?” He could tell by her expression that today was another one of those filled with big ideas.
Setting her laptop down, she spurted, “we have to do something urgently to cut down our carbon emissions, Nicholas. We have to reconsider our entire production process and begin plans for transitioning to renewable energy. It's no longer a speculation whether or not we are experiencing global warming. The question is, How are we accelerating it?”
Nicholas leaned forward on his table. “Renewable energy, eh!” He said, “I have heard about stuffs like that, you know, wind, solar, etc. What's your big idea?” Julia flipped open her laptop. “Yes, solar energy is a big part of renewable energy. However, it's not just installing solar panels to power up our brewery. We're looking at the big picture, which includes biogas, energy-efficient equipment, and carbon capture during our fermentation process.”
She could see that Nicholas was getting hooked onto her idea as his eyes showed sparkles of interest. “Lagos has an average of 6 hours of sunlight daily. By installing solar panels on our roofs and open spaces, we can generate clean, renewable energy. Since we operate on a 24-hour production process, this can power our process both day and night, significantly reducing our reliance on diesel generators and cutting carbon emissions by as much as between 20 and 30%.”
Nicholas nodded, impressed. “After seeing your efforts on the water treatment project, I have no reason to doubt buying what you're selling, but what about the cost? You know the financial department will ask.”
Julia paused for a moment. “It’s an investment, no doubt. But over time, we’ll save on energy costs. Plus, there are government incentives for companies transitioning to renewable energy. We’ve applied for grants to offset the initial costs. It’s a win-win situation.” She continued, “solar energy isn't about saving money. It's about reducing the environmental impact of fossil fuels, which are largely responsible for greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to the warming climate.”
Just as Nicholas was nodding in acceptance to her statement, Julia showed him a slide containing the diagram of a biogas system, which was connected to a brewery's waste output. “Spent grain is a huge part of our waste,” Julia said. “Most of our spent grain is sent to landfills, where they decompose and release methane, which is a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO2. We could generate enough biogas from spent grain to power our boilers and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels that we are currently using.”
“So turning waste into energy is a good way to help fight climate change?” Nicholas said after a long pause. “You're catching up fast, Nicholas,” Julia replied excitedly. “Fighting global warming is much more. We are closing the loop, which is what the circular economy is all about. We are not just reducing waste. We are getting something valuable from it. Biogas systems can help reduce carbon emissions from brewery operations by up to 50%.”
Biogas technology wasn’t just innovative; it was practical. By using what the brewery already produced—spent grains—they could mitigate methane emissions and generate energy in one go. And methane, as Julia had often reminded her team, was one of the most dangerous gases contributing to global warming.
"However, solar and biogas energy aren't the only solutions to reducing our carbon footprint,” Julia continued as she moved a new slide. “We need to reduce our energy consumption to the barest minimum. This is where energy-efficient brewing equipment comes into the fray.”
“I am proposing a series of modern brewing systems that can significantly reduce our energy consumption,” Julia stated as she went on, explaining how advanced heat recovery systems can help Continent Brewery capture excess heat from its processes and reuse it to minimize its heat loss for reuse. “These new systems can cut down energy consumption by 20%,” she said.
The slide showed a series of modern brewing systems that used significantly less power. Julia explained how advanced heat recovery systems would allow them to capture excess heat from the brewing process and reuse it, minimizing the need for additional energy input. “Installing and operating this system alone could cut energy use between 10-15%. The aim is to optimize what we do to make it sustainable,” she concluded.
“Can you give an example of what you mean by optimizing what we do?” Nicholas asked. “Sure,” Julia thought for a moment and smiled. “We can install variable-speed pumps that can adjust how liquids flow in our processes based on need instead of allowing them to run at full power all the time. These small changes can make a huge difference.”
“We’re also installing variable-speed pumps,” she added. “These pumps adjust the flow of liquids based on need instead of running at full power all the time. It’s small changes like this that, together, make a big difference.”
“And finally,” Julia said, pulling up the last slide, “we’re going to address the CO2 emissions from fermentation. This part is really exciting.” Nicholas raised an eyebrow. “CO2 from fermentation? Can we actually do something about that?”
Julia nodded emphatically. “Yes, we can. During the brewing process, fermentation produces carbon dioxide—a natural part of beer-making. But instead of releasing that CO2 into the atmosphere, we’re going to capture it and reuse it.” The slide showed a simple yet effective carbon capture system connected to the fermentation tanks. “With this technology,” Julia explained, “we can collect the CO2 produced during fermentation and use it to carbonate the beer, or even sell it to other industries that need CO2 for their own processes.”
Nicholas whistled softly. “So, we’re not just reducing emissions—we’re reusing them?”
“Exactly,” Julia said. “It’s estimated that this system can cut up to 25% of a brewery’s total CO2 emissions. When you combine this with our other efforts—solar, biogas, energy efficiency—we’re talking about a massive reduction in our carbon footprint.”
As the presentation ended, Julia leaned back in her chair, feeling a sense of both accomplishment and urgency. The tools were there—solar panels, biogas systems, energy-efficient equipment, and carbon capture technology. Now, it was about implementation.
Nicholas looked at her with admiration. “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you? But how do we convince the higher-ups to greenlight this?”
Julia smiled, a mix of determination and hope in her eyes. “We show them the facts. Global warming isn’t just a future threat—it’s affecting us right now. Rising temperatures, sea levels, unpredictable weather... they’re all signs that we need to change. And if we start now, we can be part of the solution, not the problem.”
She paused, thinking about the future of Lagos, its people, and the planet. “We may not be able to stop global warming overnight, but we can reduce our carbon footprint—one brew at a time.”
The challenge of global warming wasn’t going to disappear. But with each step—each solar panel installed, each biogas tank filled, each drop of CO2 captured—Julia knew they were moving toward a more sustainable future. The breweries of Lagos had the chance to lead the charge in combating climate change, and she was ready to guide them through it.