Swedish dairy equipment manufacturer Wedholms offers a CO2 (R744) milk-cooling tank that it says saves up to 50% of the energy used for milk cooling on dairy farms, compared to traditional cooling systems, and uses CO2 recycled from industrial processes, Wedholms announced in a post on LinkedIn.

The CO2 milk cooling tank has been on the market in Finland, Norway and Sweden since September 2020, and the company is now entering the German market. The first German contractor to offer the milk cooler to its customers is Eder in Bavaria. Eder has sold two systems to robotic dairy farms in southern Germany.

The patented CO2 by Wedholms system is equipped with heat recovery providing above 70°C (158°F) hot water. “Heat recovery with CO2 by Wedholms is three times more efficient than our traditional heat recovery in cooling systems with R134a,” the company said, adding that the system is capable of producing twice the amount of hot water needed to keep the tank clean.

The CO2 refrigerant is also among the most environmentally friendly options. “Recycled CO2 is a by-product from industry and by taking care of it, emissions are reduced,” Wedholms explained.

The CO2 milk cooling tank is therefore a “solution that improves the dairy farmer’s economic position, and at the same time enables sustainable and environmentally friendly milk cooling,” Wedholms said.

“Heat recovery with CO2 by Wedholms is three times more efficient than our traditional heat recovery in cooling systems with R134a”

The milk cooler is equipped with frequency-controlled compressors. This provides “gentle cooling of the milk, which helps to preserve milk quality and eliminates the risk of freezing,” according to a product sheet from Wedholms.

In addition, the system has electronic expansion valves and a user friendly control unit called Argos. The cooling system is delivered as a closed unit “that can withstand harsh conditions both in the milk room and outdoors,” according to Wedholms. The units are plug and play, meaning they can be installed up to 50% faster than traditional cooling systems, the company said.

The tanks have volumes from 5,000 to 12,000L (1,100 to 2,640gal), and have up to six individual cooling zones. Each zone is controlled separately to better adjust the cooling needed. “This guarantees optimum cooling of the milk for preserved milk quality,” Wedholms said.

Wedholms is not the only manufacturer introducing CO2 cooling to dairy farms. New Zealand-based Cold Energy Technology (CET) has also introduced an on-site CO2 milk cooling system this year.

CET’s Eco2Dairy patented technology can cool milk down to 2°C (35.6°F) almost “instantly,” and is also equipped with heat recovery to produce hot water on the farm.

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