Tetra Pak has introduced a filling machine E3 for sterilising carton packaging material using electron beams.
Showcased at the Fispal Technologia International Trade Show in S?o Paulo, Brazil, the new machine enables the manufacturers do away with hydrogen peroxide.
Absence of hydrogen peroxide renders water recycling easier, cutting down energy use and waste, the company said.
E3 works by bombarding a controlled beam of electrons on the packaging material surface, when they move through the filling machine, eliminating pathogens and micro-organisms.
Tetra Pak product management and commercial operations executive vice-president Charles Brand said: "Tetra Pak E3 not only delivers significant cost and environmental benefits to our customers, it also marks the start of a new era in the world of carton packaging."
Offering a potential that could run up to 40,000 portion packages an hour or 11 packs every second, the device is powered by eBeam sterilisation technology designed in collaboration with technology firm Comet.
The eBeam kit helps manufacturers make a choice between pasteurised and extended shelf life (ESL) production orders.
The machine showcased at Fispal produces family packages of Tetra Brik Aseptic 1000 Edge with LightCap 30, running at 15,000 packs per hour.
E3 was piloted at dairy producer Rajo's plant in Slovakia.
Image: E3 has a potential to run up to 40,000 portion packages an hour or 11 packs every second. Photo: courtesy of Tetra Pak International.
