FBC UK Collaborates with 42T to Explore Electrification of Baking Ovens for Carbon Emission Reduction in Food Manufacturing
Burton’s Foods, now operating as Fox’s Burton’s Companies (FBC) UK under a Ferrero-related company, has partnered with 42 Technology (42T) to assess the feasibility of electrifying its gas-fired industrial baking ovens. This initiative aims to minimize carbon emissions in their biscuit and product manufacturing process.
The recently concluded feasibility study indicates that despite the availability of suitable electric ovens, incorporating all of 42T’s recommended energy-saving measures and operational cost reductions would still result in a significant increase in baking expenses. This is due to the disparity in pricing between electricity and gas, making the transition financially challenging.
The UK government’s Phase 1 Industrial Fuel Switching Competition, designed to hasten the shift to cleaner fuels, funded this study. The Departments for Energy Security and Net Zero, and for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have published a comprehensive report detailing the study’s outcomes to promote knowledge sharing and support other industries relying on oven-based operations, such as ceramics, composites, and paper processing, in their decarbonization endeavors.
Industrial baking in the UK primarily relies on natural gas-fired ovens to create biscuits and other delectable products that satisfy consumer preferences in terms of flavor, texture, and appearance. Therefore, the feasibility study had to carefully consider both technical and commercial aspects of fuel switching, ensuring that product quality, costs, and production capacity were not compromised.
42 Technology undertook several key activities as part of their work for this project. This included characterizing the thermal and humidity profile of the existing gas-fired industrial baking line, identifying potential energy savings by mapping process-related energy losses, and evaluating commercially-available electric ovens to replicate the current baking process. Additionally, the team developed a process to assess and reconfigure other production lines that rely on electrical heating technologies.
According to the Food and Drink Federation, the direct-fired ovens used in the UK’s food and drink sector contribute approximately 700,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions per year. Electrification is considered the most effective approach to decarbonizing the industrial baking process, aligning with the UK’s commitment to eliminate carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2035. However, challenges remain in maintaining product properties and managing costs.
FBC UK estimates that by decarbonizing their production lines, they could potentially reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions by up to 17,000 tonnes of CO2e. Building on the findings of the feasibility study, the next step towards achieving this potential is a successful application to the second phase of the Industrial Fuel Switching Competition. If approved, FBC UK aims to demonstrate the commercial viability of a high-efficiency electric oven at an industrial site by early 2025.
