Switching from water-and-soap conveyor lubrication to dry systems is slashing water, chemical use, and slip-and-fall risks, with paybacks many plant managers can model in a few lines. Case studies from Redhook and New Belgium put real numbers to the shift.
For decades, beer bottling lines relied on water-based lubrication — a constant stream of soapy water to keep containers moving — and lived with the puddles that came with it (foodprocessing.com). That overspray pools on floors, a major factor in slip hazards; an estimated 90% of slips in beverage plants stem from wet or contaminated floors (diversey.co.il) (foodprocessing.com), and the soapy film can foster mold and biofilm growth (foodprocessing.com).
Dry lubrication aims to keep the slip without the spill. These systems apply food-grade oils or polymer coatings via arc-shaped brushes, rollers, wicks, or low-flow nozzles, typically in zoned, closed-loop, computer-controlled setups, so they deposit just enough lubricant without wet runoff (diversey.co.il). Modern products — think Diversey DryFormance and Ecolab DryExx — report near-100% elimination of conveyor lube water line-by-line, with reductions of up to 97% cited in field use (diversey.co.il) (machinerylubrication.com).
Breweries have been early adopters. Redhook Brewery (Craft Brew Alliance) swapped a steel chain for a dry-run plastic chain and eliminated 420,000 L/year of water and 2,550 L/year of detergent previously used for lubricating stainless steel chain; even as a partial retrofit, water use fell about 60% and crews stopped cleaning the conveyor after every shift (packagingdigest.com) (packagingdigest.com). New Belgium Brewing cut lube water from more than 1,000,000 gal/year to just 80,000 gal (~92% reduction) (foodprocessing.com).
Conveyor lubrication: wet vs dry
Traditional wet lubrication uses water plus detergent to create a low-friction interface between container and belt. It reduces friction but creates continuous runoff and overspray that collects on floors (foodprocessing.com). Dry lubrication delivers the same slip via minimal oil or polymer films applied directly to belts or chains — without the water — using applicators designed to avoid overspray, often with zonal application to tune friction by conveyor section (diversey.co.il).
Because these systems meter micro-quantities, the control philosophy mirrors precise chemical dosing; in packaging plants the “just enough” principle reduces waste much like an accurate metering pump does in utilities, a concept familiar to users of dosing pumps.
Water and chemical reductions
On high-volume beverage lines, the water footprint of wet lube is huge. Diversey’s field data cites about 2.5 million L/year (~660,000 gal) for a high-speed can line and roughly three times more for glass lines; dry systems cut this almost entirely to zero (diversey.co.il). Ecolab’s DryExx has achieved 97% reductions on a line basis (machinerylubrication.com); Redhook eliminated 420,000 L/year (packagingdigest.com); New Belgium dropped from more than 3.8 million L to 302,000 L (foodprocessing.com). Eliminating lube water also reduces wastewater treatment loads; Diversey notes its DryFormance fluids add no load to effluent and any trace oil in washwater requires no special treatment (diversey.co.il) (diversey.co.il).
Chemical use drops in parallel. Without continuous soap spray, surfactant demand collapses. Redhook’s switch removed 675 gal/year of chain‑wash soap — equivalent to about 2,550 L/year of detergent — and with it the foam and residue that can trap sugars and debris (packagingdigest.com). Dry lubricants themselves are food‑safe oils or polymers (often NSF H1 or H2 rated for incidental food contact) that do not require additional cleaning additives on belt surfaces (jax.com) (diversey.co.il).
Less lube water also means fewer liters hitting whatever primary wastewater operations a brewery runs, easing upstream unit operations such as screening and oil removal — the domain of wastewater physical separation — before the balance of treatment.
Energy and packaging impacts
Lower friction translates to lower drive loads. Diversey reports around 10% motor‑energy savings on plastic‑belt conveyors and 7% on stainless steel after dry lube installation (diversey.co.il). Emerson/System Plast measured up to a 30% reduction in drive torque with a low‑friction plastic chain and dry guides (designworldonline.com), and Redhook’s plastic chain (no lubrication) cut typical motor current by about 6% even before counting lube savings (designworldonline.com) (packagingdigest.com).
With zonal control of friction, slip and bottle collisions drop, cutting primary container waste. Diversey reports reduced bottle breakage and fewer lost fills in dry‑system trials, translating to better yield and fewer glass injuries (diversey.co.il) (foodprocessing.com).
Dry lubricant chemistries and compatibility
“Dry” in this context refers to very low‑flow, non‑aqueous films rather than powder. Common families include silicone oils, PTFE dispersions, and food‑grade hydrocarbons with additives.
Silicone‑based lubricants are typically polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) that apply in micro‑droplets and dry to a slick, water‑resistant film. They are low‑toxicity and often NSF H1 (incidental food contact) rated, resisting wash‑off during line washdowns (jax.com) (jax.com). However, breweries have flagged a product‑quality caveat: even a thin silicone film on a bottle can upset beer foam, so several brewers have opted for silicone‑free formulas (e.g., a “modified diamine”) in critical zones (foodprocessing.com). Note that volatile silicone aerosols can be flammable and require proper handling.
PTFE‑based (polytetrafluoroethylene) lubricants are dispersions that leave a fluoropolymer dry film on belts and chains. These are also NSF‑rated and inert, with excellent slip and wear properties; suppliers describe “Teflon‑based” conveyor lubes that replace soap plus water (traktechsl.com). Unlike silicone, PTFE does not affect beverage taste or foam. Caution: inhaled PTFE dust can be harmful, so application systems must contain overspray.
Food‑grade hydrocarbons (e.g., mineral or synthetic oils such as PAO or esters) with anti‑wear additives are applied in low viscosity and meter to a thin film; some dry to leave a micro‑porous protective layer that resists washout (interflon.com). Other emerging options blend PTFE composites, fluorinated polymers, or nano‑particles. Across types, incidental‑contact safety credentials (NSF H1/H2; ISO 21469 hygiene; FDA CFR21 or EU Reg. 1935/2004 compliance) are the norm (interflon.com) (frtlube.com).
Hygiene and worker safety outcomes
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Removing water and soap from lubrication dramatically reduces the conditions that support microbial growth. Plants report belts and chains staying cleaner longer; operators note that emulsions from soap no longer reach bottles or labels, eliminating sticky residue that can wreak havoc with labeling machines (foodprocessing.com). With no standing lube water, conveyors become more hygienic; surveillance has shown reduced microbial counts on dry‑lubed lines (diversey.co.il) (foodprocessing.com).
Dry lines are also safer to work around. With water and foam gone, slip risk plummets — a critical improvement given that 90% of packaging spills occur due to wet floors (diversey.co.il). Maintenance leaders highlight a secondary benefit: fewer corrosive chemicals on the floor improves electrical safety around drives and sensors, and workers are no longer handling wet, soapy glass (packagingdigest.com). Cleaning labor also drops: one engineering review notes overall cleaning time was cut by about 50% when conveyors stopped needing a rinse after each shift (foodprocessing.com).
Longer term, dry runs reduce rust and can extend chain life; Diversey cites installations where belts “have not been changed for over ten years” under dry lubrication (diversey.co.il). Application controls still matter: overspray oil films can be slippery if not contained, making spray shields and drip pans critical in system design (diversey.co.il) (foodprocessing.com).
How the ROI pencils out
The upfront costs — applicators, controls, sometimes a new low‑friction plastic chain — are real. But the operating savings stack. A simplified example: if a line uses 1,000 m³/year (~1,000,000 L) for lubrication, at a conservative $0.30 USD/m³ (Indonesia industrial water plus sewer benchmarks), that is $300/year in water; eliminating wastewater treatment of that volume could add $500–$1,000 in savings. Detergent savings of 500–1,000 L/year at $2–$3/L are $1,000–$3,000; in Redhook’s case, 2,550 L/year of soap cut at ~$2/L equaled about $5,000 (packagingdigest.com).
Energy and labor add more. If dry lube drops conveyor motor load 7–10%, on a 50 kW motor running 3 shifts (≈40,000 kWh/yr), that’s roughly 3,000–4,000 kWh saved, or about $300–$400 (PELn usage) (diversey.co.il). Eliminating six hourly cleanings could save 4–5 labor‑hours per day* operating wage; even at $5/hr, that’s $40/day or about $10,000/year (plants report cutting belt‑cleaning labor by ≈50%) (foodprocessing.com). Maintenance accrues too: if a $20k steel chain’s life doubles from 5 to 10 years, that’s effectively $2k/year saved.
On the capital side, suppose the dry‑lube retrofit (dispensers, sensors) plus a plastic chain costs $50,000. With annual savings of roughly $6,000 (water/chemicals) + $10,000 (labor/energy) + $2,000 (maintenance) ≈ $18,000, payback is around 2.8 years. Craft Brew Alliance noted that a plastic dry‑chain overhaul cost was roughly equal to a like‑for‑like stainless overhaul, effectively delivering the operating savings without a capex premium (designworldonline.com). Industry guidance underscores why the math matters: even though lubricants are typically only ~1% of operating costs, the right choices have outsized impacts on energy, labor, and downtime (bevindustry.com).
Put formally: ROI period = (Cost of dry‑lube capital) / (Annual savings in water + chemicals + energy + labor + maintenance). Using the cited data and local costs, brewers often see 2–5 years. If Indonesian water costs are $0.30/m³ and sewerage $0.50/m³, saving 1,000 m³ yields about $800/year; layer on ~$3,000/year in chemicals and several thousand more in labor/energy and the investment typically returns quickly. Reducing plant water throughput also lessens demand on any installed membrane or filtration assets — the types of systems supplied under RO, NF, and UF membrane systems in industrial and municipal water treatment — and on supporting water‑treatment equipment, reinforcing the cash case without changing the core calculation.
Implementation details and product notes
Modern dry systems use patented applicators — brushes, wicks, low‑flow nozzles — in closed‑loop zones to avoid overspray and keep floors dry (diversey.co.il). Ecolab’s DryExx is one example of the newest product generation targeting near‑zero water use (machinerylubrication.com). Some systems deliberately treat the belt bottom side to minimize any coating on container exteriors, and many breweries validate by swabbing bottle contact points; residues from dry lubes are typically below detection and do not affect fill quality (foodprocessing.com).
For sites evaluating water and discharge charges alongside the packaging upgrade, the avoided lube‑water volume reduces the burden on in‑house wastewater operations and any downstream disposal — a consideration that can be factored alongside consumables, energy, and labor in the payback. In Indonesia, industrial water treatment and disposal fees can be significant in that calculus.
