Breakthrough alternative to kieselguhr launches in China

BEIJING – BASF, a leading chemical company, recently launched the filter aid Crosspure?  to the Chinese brewing industry, offering brewers a new and sustainable method of filtration and stabilisation. The product is also a breakthrough replacement for the filter aid kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth).

Crosspure is a 2-in-1 solution that enables filtration and stabilisation of beer in one step. It is a synthetic regenerative polymer derived from compounding polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) and polystyrene using patented technology.

“This technology delivers a revolutionary change for the beer industry, and in turn, for what consumers will expect from this popular beverage,” says Dr Zhang Jianjun, senior manager of BPP Business & Regional Application Technology Human Nutrition, BASF Greater China. “It is the most significant innovation in the Chinese beer industry during the past 10 years, if not longer.”

Manufacturers have been seeking an alternative to kieselguhr beer filtration for years due to its inadequacies. This filter aid poses health risks to brewers during production, adversely impacts the environment and contributes to high disposal costs. Moreover, it causes variations in product quality and introduces metals into the brew, which results in off-flavours.

First industrial trial in China a success
The benefits brought by Crosspure, including solid waste elimination, filtration and stability, did not escape the attention of engineers at Guanxi Zhujiang Brewery, which is part of the Zhujiang Brewery Group. BASF partnered with this brewery to run the first commercial trial of Crosspure in China.

Professor Li Huiping, chief engineer at the Zhujiang Group says, “We believe in the product and technology from BASF. This new stabilising filter aid allows us to deliver beer with even better clarity and taste whilst underpinning our ‘green beer’ production efforts.”

The Guangxi Zhujiang Brewery Co. Ltd is located in the Nanning-ASEAN Economic Development Zone in Nanning/Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where environmental protection requirements are stringent. Improvement in sustainability for the brewery is of paramount significance to the 200,000 tonne per year capacity brewery.

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