Foodservice equipment manufacturer Manitowoc has developed a new carbon dioxide-based beverage system. After initial tests in two McDonald’s restaurants at this year’s Beijing Olympics, the company now sees a bright future for a broader use of CO2 Technology around the world.
The new CO
2 (R744) beverage dispensing system combines zero direct global warming potential and ozone depletion with significant energy savings, first tests in close cooperation with fast food giant McDonald’s found earlier this year. Used in two of McDonald’s Olympic venue facilities in Beijing, the units performed without any downtime or special maintenance requirements. To be in time for the real-life tests in China, Manitowoc had accelerated the development and manufacturing of the CO
2 beverage dispensers to support McDonald’s green initiatives in the field of sustainable food retail and the use of alternative refrigerants. Following the systems’ successful operation, additional units will now be provided for further tests to fast food restaurants in Europe.
The new systems have been verified to meet and exceed EU standards for refrigeration and environmental performance, among the most advanced and detailed standards in existence globally. The company now anticipates a broader release of CO
2 dispensing equipment to other global customers in the future:
“Globally, we see a bright future for CO
2-based beverage equipment and for accelerating a broader introduction of other ‘green’ technologies across the full spectrum of our foodservice equipment lines,” confirms Mike Kachmer, president of Manitowoc Foodservice, the future focus on R744 and other alternative refrigerant solutions.
McDonald’s CO2 commitment
After having equipped a complete fast food restaurant without any HFCs already in 2004, McDonald’s efforts to use alternative refrigerants had slowed down shortly after. A newly aroused interest was to be noticed this summer, when the brand was attacked by Greenpeace for being still only in the testing phase for natural refrigerants solutions, including CO2 and hydrocarbons. As a result, Vice President Langert acknowledged that environmental activities had not been strong enough in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games, and that accelerated efforts where now needed to eliminate HFCs.
At a “Refrigerants, Naturally!” workshop, part of the international Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Working Fluids in September, the chain confirmed that it is now “looking mainly at CO
2” for equipping future restaurants. As a member of the “Refrigerants, Naturally!” initiative, McDonald’s has joined forces with the world-leading consumer brands The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCO, Carlsberg and IKEA to promote natural refrigerants at all point of sales. It has identified R744 as the best solution for HVAC and beverage systems, as well as its milk shake machines.
