Vitelco - Pali Group

Vitelco and PALI Group realize chemical free and circular cooling

Within the food industry, reliability, food safety, and operational continuity are essential. At the same time, the pressure to use water and energy more efficiently continues to grow. For Vitelco, part of the PALI Group and specialized in veal processing, this was the reason to critically reassess the cooling water treatment of its evaporative condensers.

The key question was how to make the cooling process more stable, safer, and more sustainable, without compromising capacity or product quality.

The challenge: costs, safety, and water consumption

For many years, Vitelco operated with chemical cooling water treatment. This created several challenges. Scale formation, corrosion, and microbiological growth were recurring issues. In addition, the use of chemicals required manual handling, introducing safety risks for employees.

Water consumption was also relatively high. Large volumes of drinking water were used for both the evaporative condensers and the truck wash installation. Vitelco was looking for a structural solution to address these bottlenecks.

The first step: chemical free cooling with IVG technology

In early 2012, Pathema installed an IVG10 C CoolWater skid for the chemical free treatment of the evaporative condenser. From that moment onward, the system operated entirely without chemicals.

The impact was immediate. The use of chemicals for scale control, corrosion inhibition, and microbiological treatment was completely eliminated. Blowdown water became recyclable and was reused, including for the truck wash. The payback period of this first installation was approximately 2.2 years.

The next step: water reuse with nanofiltration

In 2014, the installation was expanded with nanofiltration. This made it possible to use groundwater and rainwater as a replacement for drinking water for both the evaporative condenser and the wash installation.

Thanks to the improved water quality, the cooling water could be concentrated further. The cycles of concentration increased from around a factor of 2 to a factor of 8. As a result, annual cooling water costs decreased by approximately 87 percent compared to 2011 levels. The payback period of this expansion was less than two years.

Scaling up: one water treatment system for multiple condensers

In 2015, the next step followed. At the adjacent facility Vriskade, also part of the PALI Group, a second IVG C CoolWater skid was installed. Three evaporative condensers are now treated chemical free with one integrated water treatment system.

This setup reduced technical maintenance, enabled direct monitoring and alarm management of water quality, and created a more stable system. Issues related to scale, corrosion, and microbiological growth were fully eliminated, again without the use of chemicals. The realized payback period was under 2.7 years.

The result: less water, no chemicals, greater stability

The transition to circular and chemical free cooling water treatment has delivered concrete and measurable benefits for Vitelco. Drinking water consumption for the evaporative condenser has decreased by more than 90 percent. The annual use of approximately 950 kilograms of chemicals has been reduced to zero. CO₂ emissions have been lowered by around 70 percent.

In addition, the system is demonstrably more stable and cleaner. Filters now require replacement only once per month, and deviations in water quality are immediately visible, allowing faster intervention when needed.

Conclusion: safe, circular, and future ready

This case shows how technical innovation and circular thinking come together in a practical solution for the food industry. By choosing step by step for chemical free technology and water reuse, Vitelco has made its cooling process safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.

With Pathema’s technology, cooling water treatment becomes not only more reliable, but also rigorously simple. Exactly what is needed to be ready for the future.

‍