When consumers pop open a can of their product of choice, it’s pretty simple. If they enjoy what’s inside, they’ll most likely stock their shelves with that product again. Their satisfaction with the product will drive that future decision. They’re certainly not saying “wow, that can looks great, so I’m going to buy more!” And, they’re most likely not thinking about what it takes to get that product into the cans so they can buy more from their favorite brick-and-mortar or online store. But behind the scenes lies a very complex process to get high quality product into clean, rust-free cans.
A Major Challenge for Canning Facilities
The canning process is very involved. It requires precise engineering and careful execution to run a safe, efficient process that preserves the quality of the contents. With the rising costs of raw materials, energy and labor, it’s more challenging than ever to maintain an efficient process. There’s no room for waste.
A common issue for canning facilities that severely impacts efficiency is tainted cans from ineffective water treatment during the canning process. There aren’t many options once you have a batch of cans that are rusted and contaminated. Manually cleaning the cans is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and costly. When cans are beyond salvaging, it leads to a great deal of wasted material and product, and replacing the production means more energy use and labor hours. In the end, this inefficiency and loss of production hurts the bottom line.
Good News: There’s a Technology to Eliminate This
In the past, food companies just accepted that a certain percentage of cans will be lost in the process due to can quality. They’d have to account for it in their planning and budget. Clarity has seen companies with up to 22% can rejection rates, which is a significant hit to the bottom line. Luckily, things have changed for the better.
There is now advanced water treatment technology that will properly treat the water used in the canning process and will eliminate the issue of tainted cans altogether. No more loss in production due to this issue. No more wasted time, energy, and money to compensate for the lost cans. In addition, this technology will prevent your retorts from corroding, so no more production issues from corrosion.
Clarity Has the Solution
The solution is a retort treatment program from Clarity Water Technologies featuring our proprietary EcoSHIELD™, a state-of-the-art technology that has proven to be extremely effective in the metallurgical protection of cans and retorts from the heating process. EcoSHIELD™ is a more economical and eco-friendly way to protect your cans and reduce the number that deteriorate. This technology is changing the entire industry.
EcoSHIELD™ forms a molecular protective bond barrier to the can’s surface that protects it from corrosive properties of the heated washwater. Unlike conventional treatment programs, it yields wastewater that is both eco-friendly and free from metals. And, it provides food-grade protection, so it’s safe for your canning process.
This technology also prevents stainless steel and mild steel retorts from corroding thanks to this molecular bond. It extends the life of these assets while reducing the chances of unscheduled shutdowns due to corrosion related issues.
The Proof is in the Pictures
Ugly, rusty cans may be an unwelcome but familiar sight at canning facilities. Unfortunately, cans like the ones below are all too common. These come from one of Clarity’s customers BEFORE their canning system was treated with EcoSHIELD™.
Once Clarity implemented a water treatment plan using EcoSHIELD™, that same facility saw drastic improvements almost immediately. The batch of immaculate cans below was treated with EcoSHIELD™. Any canning facility can achieve these results with a plan from Clarity.
EcoSHIELD™ Can Also Protect the Steam Boilers at Canning Facilities
The same benefits described above for retorts also apply to the steam boilers at canning facilities. A customized water treatment plan from Clarity implementing EcoSHIELD™ technology will improve steam boiler efficiency, extend the life of the system, reduce fuel and water consumption, and lower the cost of operating your steam system.
EcoSHIELD™ is different from traditional chemical treatments because it protects the metal surfaces of the entire steam system. It creates a tenacious barrier between water and metal that inhibits scale formation and corrosion, ultimately improving heat transfer and boiler efficiency.
It facilitates the reduction of feedwater conductivity, which enables your boiler to run at higher cycles of concentration. This yields an increase in efficiency by reducing boiler blowdowns, thus decreasing both the amount of makeup water taken on, salt used to soften the makeup water, and the fuel used to heat the makeup water. Not only are blowdowns decreased, but EcoSHIELD™ is also a much more environmentally friendly product to send down the drain than the traditional boiler treatments that contain heavy metals, phosphates, and sulfites.
EcoSHIELD™ works with a feedwater tank and does not require a functioning deaerator. Broken or poor-performing deaerators don’t need to be fixed to use this chemistry.
How Clarity Can Help
Tainted cans can be a huge problem at canning facilities. However, a water treatment plan from Clarity that incorporates EcoSHIELD™ can eliminate rusty, contaminated cans while simultaneously protecting your retorts. Our expertise with the technology will help you protect your steam boilers so they are running at peak performance and saving you money.
Clarity’s technical consultants have extensive expertise in a variety of water treatment applications, including the canning process. We will do a FREE evaluation of your entire system to assess your process and help customize a water treatment plan for your facility. To schedule an evaluation, or if you are experiencing any problems or have questions, please contact Clarity Water Technologies today!
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Check out our steam boiler resource page to find links to helpful articles and case studies that address commonly asked questions.
