The fermentation footprint: How to manage CO₂ more efficiently

By Keith Lemcke, Marketing Director, Siebel Institute of Technology

Brewing is a beautiful balance of biology and engineering — but it’s also a resource-intensive practice. From grain to glass, brewing requires significant energy and water inputs to meet the production demands of nearly two billion hectoliters of beer produced globally each year.

Fermentation performance is more than just speed, it is also the management of fermentation byproducts. One byproduct that is often overlooked is CO₂ from fermentation. This inevitable byproduct of alcohol production also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Is there a way to effectively use this waste CO₂ in a brewery?

CO₂: A brewing byproduct with potential

Every year, new sustainability initiatives by breweries and industry suppliers push the industry towards a more responsible use of energy, resources, and better waste management. One area of focus is the CO₂ released during yeast fermentation. This byproduct of fermentation has the potential to be effectively reused in the brewing process.

Large breweries have developed systems to capture this CO₂, reusing it to carbonate their beer and displace oxygen in pipes and vessels. Now, even small operations can explore CO₂ capture systems. Several different companies offer solutions to make CO₂ capture more accessible, helping to reduce external CO₂ purchases and emissions.

Tips for brewers: Managing CO₂ more efficiently

Here are a few practical ways brewers can improve CO₂ handling:

Innovation beyond brewing

While not directly applicable yet, technologies like Air Co’s vodka-from-CO₂ or Skydiamond’s carbon-capture diamonds show what is possible. They remind us that CO₂ can be transformed, not just released — and that brewing can be part of a broader sustainability movement.

Let’s keep exploring

Brewers are already doing a lot to improve performance and reduce impact. Sharing ideas, trying new tools, and learning from each other is how we move forward — one brew at a time.

Learn more about beer carbonation through Siebel’s online lecture, “Carbonation: The Final Touch.”

What you’ll get from it:

The Siebel Institute of Technology offers specialized lectures to brewers worldwide. Industry experts develop those lectures and help brewers gain knowledge in specific areas of brewing.