International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology

Vol. 29, No. 7, (2020), pp. 8149-8159

Optimizing Bottle Washer Performance in Cleaning Returnable

Glass Bottles for Reuse in Beverage Packaging
Jacob Ben1, Aezeden Mohamed2, Kamalakanta Muduli3
1,2,3
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Papua New Guinea University of Technology, LaeMorobe
Province, Papua New Guinea
1
19800476jabe@pgs.pnguot.ac.pg, 2aezeden.mohamed@pnguot.ac.pg, 3kamalakantam@gmail.com

Abstract
A research carried out to investigate the relationship between temperature, soaking time, and NaOH
concentration of a bottle washer that processes more than 80% of returnable glass bottles annually for
beer packaging. The machine subjected to two different speeds, 40,000 bottles per hour (BPH) and
46,000 BPH. Temperature, NaOH, and additives concentration of the three soaking baths 1, 2, and 3
were within required control ranges. Under both speeds, caustic solution baths 1, 2, and 3 had average
temperatures of 60 °C, 80 °C and 60 °C, respectively, while average NaOH concentration at 1.99%,
1.81%, and 1.66 % respectively for the three baths. At the average operating speed of 46,000 BPH for
returnable glass bottles, 450,095 bottles were processed when operating the bottle washer for 24 hours.
The empty bottle inspector rejected 8.44 % of the total processed bottles. At the reduced speed of 40,000
BPH, a total of 430,812 bottles processed within 24 hours operation with the EBI rejecting 4.18 % of the
total processed bottles. The findings show that at the same temperature, NaOH and additive
concentrations, cleaning is more effective when bottles subjected to longer soaking times.

Key Words:bottle washer, caustic concentration, returnable glass bottles, soaking time, washing cycle

1. INTRODUCTİON
Advancement in technology has played a significant role in the introduction of high speed, fully
automated packaging lines with various machines to carry out beverage processing. In many medium and
large-scale beverage industries, cleaning and reusing returnable glass bottles (RGBs) has proven to be a
cost-effective method for beverage packaging. Getting the refillable RGBs hygienically cleaned is usually
part of the initial stage of the process and is accomplished through a bottle washer machine. The bottle
washer has specific essential requirements that must meet in order to successfully deliver a large quantity
of effectively cleaned bottles, even if bottles are heavily soiled. These requirements are the rate of
temperature rise and fall, the concentration of chemical detergents (caustic soda and other surfactants), the
correct number of detergent tanks to effect sufficient soaking time, and the mechanical action of the high-
pressure jets on internal and external surfaces of the bottles. During the bottle cleaning process, large
quantities of water and caustic soda solution used for the washing and rinsing operation [1].
The bottle washing cycle usually consists of three distinct phases pre-wash, washing, and rinsing.
Effective cleaning occurs in the washing phase when the dirty and heavily soiled bottles continuously
passed through hot caustic soaking chambers of the bottle washer where chemical and thermal destruction
of micro-organisms takes place. Any operator with an eye to the economy will not want to use in his
bottle washer caustic solutions, which are more durable than necessary, nor will he burden his washer
with temperatures higher than necessary to do an adequate job [2]. For these reasons, a thorough
investigation should be made of the relationship between temperature, soaking time, and caustic
concentration in the washer to produce physically clean and spotless bottles that are biologically fit to
hold the highest consumer confidence and satisfy the public health standards.
This study aims to investigate and analyze the relationship between temperature, soaking time, and

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 International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology
Vol. 29, No. 7, (2020), pp. 8149-8159

caustic concentration to optimize bottle washer performance of a beverage processing plant that uses
more than 80 % of RGBs annually for beer packaging.

2. BOTTLE WASHİNG İN THE BEVERAGE İNDUSTRY

In the beverage industry, washing of RGBs for reuse is a necessary process to produce physically clean
and spotless bottles that are also biologically clean to hold the highest consumer confidence and satisfy
public health standards. The bottles undergo distinct stages of cleaning and sterilization in the bottle
washer: pre-cleaning (pre-rinse, pre-wash) caustic wash, and final rinse. Caustic soda (NaOH) is used as a
cleansing agent because it is cheaper, less prone to thermal shock, and is more durable as a germicide than
any other alkalis used for washing [3]. Temperature is the most critical parameter to ensure effective
cleaning of returnable glass bottles in the washer [7]. According to [4], at a solution temperature of 80 °C,
NaOH attacks glass and softens its surface, enables organic matter to dissolve, grease and oil to emulsify,
and dirt removed in suspension. The bottle washing process consumes vast quantities of water. Modern
bottle washers use 150 – 200 ml per bottle and makeup approximately 50 – 60 % of a plant‟s daily water
usage [9].
The pre-cleaning phase is the initial stage of the washing process, where the RGBs turned upside-down so
that remnant impurities and residual liquid clinging to the bottom of the bottles fall out. Rough impurities
such as dust, sand, cigarette butts, crown corks, rainwater, mineral stains, microbes are deposited in a
collection pan and removed via a sieve-belt conveyor located at the spot the bottles are being turned
upside-down [3]. Preheating of bottles also takes place in this zone, where a set of private jetting pipe jets
both inside and outside of the bottles by recycled water (containing residual heat) from the final rinse
zone [6]. Preheating ensures a gradual rise in temperature of the bottles, preventing thermal shock as the
bottles enter the hot caustic soaking baths for chemical and thermal cleaning of microbiological
contaminants [13].
After pre-cleaning (pre-rinse and pre-wash), the bottles enter the actual washing zone. The washing phase
consists of a certain number of caustic solution (soaking) baths depending on the required treatment time.
As the bottles get submerged and pass through the soaking baths, chemical destruction of dirt occurs
under caustic action at high temperatures (70 to 80 °C).
The bottles then emptied to remove dissolved dirt is used solution before blasted with hot caustic on the
inside and outside, providing a scrubbing action for complete dirt removal [6]. Each time a bottle
submerged in a soak tank, the liquid detergent sweeps over the dirty interior surface of the bottle. The
chemical reaction of NaOH eats away at the dirt, and when the bottle drained, some of the dirt removed.
The remaining dirt on the bottles is treated in the detergent soak of the next bath until the bottles reach the
last soak before entering the final rinse zone. Over time, NaOH strength decreases to a point where its
concentration is no longer effective in reacting to remove dirt [11]. Caustic then drained out, and the
soaking baths made up with fresh caustic. In a modern beverage plant, the bottle washing process is a
significant consumer of cleaning chemicals NaOH and additives [10].
Rinsing of the caustic-washed bottles is the final phase of the bottle washing cycle. Here, the bottles pass
through an immersion bath and a set of spraying zones [3]. The immersion bath dimensioned in such a
way as to ensure complete filling of both the bottles and their carriers and guarantees efficient rinsing of
all supporting units. Bottle carriers contain pockets arranged insufficient number across slats, which make
up a continuous chain-driven through all zones of the washer [8]. The bottles then enter the spraying
zones where high-pressure internal sprays and external shower flushes clean every single residue of
detergent as the temperature gradually reduced. To minimize soft water consumption and the volume of
wastewater, all the rinse water (containing residual heat) is collected from the final rinse and recirculated
to the pre-cleaning bath for preheating of the bottles [12]. In contrast, the physically clean and spotless
glass bottles discharged onto conveyors and fed to the empty bottle inspector (EBI) for inspection [5].
Only bottles that are clean and pass all inspection requirements of the EBI fed to the downstream

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machines for filling, crowning, labeling, and packaging [14].

3. BACKGROUND OF RESEARCH COMPANY

Heineken South Pacific Brewery founded in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, a beer manufacturing
company founded in 1952. The company has two manufacturing sites, one in the capital city, Port
Moresby, and the other in Lae, PNG‟s second-largest city, and the country‟s top industrial hub. The
brewery has been in operation for over 60 years. It has a reputation of being the best producer of PNG‟s
finest beer products SP Lager, Export Lager, Nuigini Ice, Kundu Lager, Paradise Lager, Pawa Punch, and
the more recently introduced top-selling brand, Chillers. This research conducted at the Lae
manufacturing plant.
3.1. Condition of returnable glass bottles
A returnable glass bottle can be reused up to 15 times because of its stable property to survive over warm
or cold temperatures [15]. The condition of the bottles received at the manufacturing plant varies.
Depending on where the local bottle suppliers have reclaimed them, more than 60% of the RGBs have
residues of paint, mud, tar, concrete, and other foreign objects like dead insects, straws, gums, and
cigarette butts in them. Also, scratched and scuffed bottles come in from the suppliers, which makes
cleaning more difficult. The bottle washer and filler operators stand along the conveyor lines to visually
inspect the condition of the RGBs before and after washing and destroy those that are badly scuffed,
scratched, or heavily contaminated with paint and cement.
Figure 1 shows the physical appearance of bottles delivered by the local suppliers, while Figure 2 is a
picture of these bottles after they have been cleaned and sterilized.

Figure 1. Condition of RGBs Before Washing

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Figure 2. Condition of RGBs After Washing

3.2. Bottle washing
Cleaning of all returnable glass bottles received at the plant achieved through an automatic, double-ended
bottle washer. The central panel with all essential operating elements and temperature display located at
the bottle infeed section. In the vicinity of the operator. The dirty bottles undergo three distinct stages of
cleaning and sterilization: pre-cleaning, caustic wash, and final rinsing. Effective cleaning occurs in the
caustic washing phase when the dirty and heavily soiled bottles continuously pass through three hot
caustic soaking chambers (baths 1, 2, and 3) of the washer with chemical and thermal destruction of
micro-organisms take place. Caustic soda (NaOH) is used as a cleansing agent because it is cheaper, less
prone to thermal shock, and is more durable as a germicide than any other alkalis used for washing. At a
solution temperature of 80 °C, NaOH attacks glass and softens its surface, enables organic matter to
dissolve, grease and oil to emulsify, and dirt removed in suspension. The machine processes bottles on an
average speed of 46,000 to 56,000 BPH. Figure 3 is a photograph of the double-ended bottle washer used
at the brewery. A schematic of its significant sections shown in Figure

4.
Figure 3. Double-Ended Bottle Washer Used at the Brewery

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Figure 4. Schematic of the Double-Ended Bottle Washer

Where the numbers on the diagram represent (1) bottle infeed, (2) draining of residuals, (3) preheating 1
submersion bath, (4) preheating 2 spraying, (5) high pressure pre-cleaning, (6) caustic solution bath 1, (7)
caustic solution bath 2, (8) rigid spraying caustic solution bath 3, (9) caustic solution bath 3, (10) rigid
spraying caustic solution bath 3, (11) humidifying spray, (12) zone 2 external sprinkling, (13) water
spraying zone 2, (14) water spraying zone 3, (15) fresh water spraying, (16) bottle discharge, (17) zone 3,
(18) zone 2, (19) zone 1 bath, (20) label flushing caustic solution bath 3, (21) label flushing caustic
solution bath 2, (22) label flushing caustic solution bath 1.
3.3. Empty bottle inspector
After the returnable glass bottles have undergone pre-cleaning, caustic wash, and final rinse in the bottle
washer, they discharge onto conveyors and feed to an empty bottle inspector (EBI). This machine checks
the RGBs for damage, visible contamination, and residual liquid, employing a non-contact inspection. It
also controls the automatic rejection of faulty glass bottles. Only bottles that are clean and pass all
inspection requirements of the EBI proceed to the downstream machines for filling, crowning, labeling,
and packaging. Figure 5 is a photograph of the empty bottle inspector used at the brewery.

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Figure 5. Empty Bottle Inspector

4. METHODOLOGY
For this research, three sets of data required: temperature in (°C), soaking time in bottles per hour (BPH),
and caustic soda (NaOH) concentration in percent (%). Temperature readings for the three caustic
solution baths 1, 2, and 3 obtained from washer process checklist recorded by machine operators while
NaOH readings for each of the baths obtained from hourly lab analysis carried out by lab analysts per
shift (12 hours). Soaking time data were taken directly from the speed of the bottle washer on an hourly
basis. The approved speed of washer is 46,000 BPH when running on second-hand glass (RGBs) and
50,000 BPH on new glass. During the time of this study, approvals were sought from the company
management to operate at 40,000 BPH to investigate the relationship between temperature, soaking time,
and NaOH concentration at different speeds in producing hygienically and physically clean bottles.

4.1. Bottle Washer Data

The plant is operated on 12 hours per shift, 24 hours per day, and is a continuous operation for six days a
week. Table 1 shows the hourly readings of NaOH concentration and temperature for caustic solution
baths 1, 2, and 3. The machine operated at 40,000 BPH (reduced speed means increased soaking time for
the bottles). Table 2 showed the results when the bottle washer operated at 46,000 BPH (average speed
for processing returnable glass bottles).
Table 1.NaOH Concentration and Temperature Readings for Soaking Baths 1, 2, and 3 at Washer
Speed of 40,000 BPH
Bath 1 Bath 2 Bath 3 EBI Results
Processe
d bottles
per hour

NaOH Temp NaOH Temp NaOH Temp Reject

conc. (%) C conc. (%) C conc. (%) C rate
Control Range <5%

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1.9-2.1 58-62 1.7-1.9 78-82 1.5-1.7 58-62

2.10 55.5 1.66 79.6 1.52 54.6 21409 0.11
1.90 62.6 1.74 79.5 1.56 60.3 18455 0.17
1.85 61.6 1.77 81.2 1.78 61.4 22008 0.22
2.00 61.7 1.78 82.0 1.75 62.0 23400 0.21
2.00 61.4 1.82 82.5 1.56 62.5 19360 0.11
1.72 61.5 1.88 82.6 1.66 62.9 23800 0.19
Actual Reading (Per Hour)

1.92 62.4 1.85 82.4 1.68 63.5 19444 0.19

1.97 61.5 1.91 81.2 1.69 63.2 23544 0.28
2.11 63.0 1.93 81.4 1.55 63.7 21633 0.19
2.14 63.6 1.90 81.9 1.78 63.6 23766 0.16
1.89 62.5 1.69 77.0 1.81 62.8 21005 0.21
2.01 60.1 1.70 78.3 1.71 62.5 23654 0.16
2.01 57.4 1.71 78.9 1.65 62.5 24008 0.21
1.95 58.9 1.88 81.0 1.68 61.9 21900 0.29
1.97 61.5 1.83 78.6 1.61 61.8 21665 0.29
2.23 62.4 1.90 85.0 1.62 61.0 18203 0.32
2.00 56.8 1.92 83.5 1.56 59.8 19907 0.25
1.93 53.6 1.85 79.6 1.58 63.2 19008 0.18
1.95 62.6 1.70 80.2 1.52 63.8 23777 0.21
1.90 63.0 1.74 81.7 1.73 63.9 20866 0.23
Total 430,812 4.18
Table 2.NaOH Concentration and Temperature Readings for Soaking Baths 1, 2, and 3 at Washer
Speed of 46,000 BPH
Bath 1 Bath 2 Bath 3 EBI Results
NaOH Temp NaOH Temp NaOH Temp Reject bottles per
Processed

conc. (%) C conc. (%) C conc. (%) C rate hour

Control Range <5%
1.9-2.1 58-62 1.7-1.9 78-82 1.5-1.7 58-62
1.95 62.3 1.91 80.3 1.89 57.9 21850 0.38
2.20 62.5 1.96 80.6 1.55 58.3 20983 0.44
2.10 62.9 1.93 80.9 1.52 58.5 21888 0.33
2.10 61.4 1.88 80.2 1.55 58.9 20090 0.34
Actual Reading (Per) Hour)

2.20 60.9 1.85 83.3 1.69 60.6 21844 0.41

1.82 62.8 1.86 83.9 1.77 61.2 24511 0.35
1.89 58.9 1.65 83.7 1.80 61.5 22555 0.39
1.95 57.4 1.77 79.3 1.82 61.3 22011 0.41
1.95 62.5 1.71 79.8 1.75 62.8 22943 0.56
1.96 62.3 1.71 79.5 1.71 63.5 23477 0.43
1.99 62.8 1.92 79.6 1.70 63.9 19588 0.38
1.97 61.4 1.82 78.6 1.54 63.7 24333 0.47
2.10 61.5 1.87 78.9 1.58 62.5 23611 0.41
2.30 61.2 1.73 82.0 1.51 62.9 21677 0.38
1.85 63.9 1.79 83.6 1.52 62.7 20999 0.41
1.89 63.5 1.89 82.9 1.65 58.2 23338 0.52
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2.10 62.5 1.95 81.5 1.68 58.6 24301 0.47

2.20 62.9 1.99 79.8 1.69 58.9 23981 0.36
1.98 58.2 1.84 79.5 1.64 59.3 24109 0.52
1.99 58.6 1.71. 78.0 1.78 60.5 22006 0.48
Total 450095 8.44
4.2. Surfactants: mix LEG and mix KTA
Mix LEG and Mix KTA are surfactants, surface-active substances used as additives to caustic soda
(NaOH) solution in the bottle washer. Mix LEG possesses powerful anti-scaling action; it is stable in
alkaline solution and has excellent cleaning and peptizing properties responsible for soil removal. Mix
KTA has properties specifically for cleaning bottles with labels challenging to remove (moisture of paper,
degradation related to storage condition). Table 3 shows the average per hour values for these surfactants.
Note that Mix LEG is only applicable to NaOH solution bath one while Mix KTA applies to NaOH
solution baths 2 and 3. Due to the condition of the bottles supplied (heavily soiled), only Mix LEG is
applied to bath 1 with the aim of completely unsoiling the returnable glass bottles while Mix KTA in
baths 2 and 3 as a wetting agent to soften and aid in label removal. Figure 6 are pictures of Mix LEG (a)
and Mix KTA (b) at the additive dosing station.

Figure 6. Mix LEG (a) and Mix KTA (b) at the Dosing Station
Table 3. Mix LEG and Mix KTA Readings for Soaking Baths 1, 2, and 3 at Washer Speeds of
40,000 BPH and 46,000 BPH
Speed at 40,000 BPH Speed at 46,000 BPH
Bath 1 Bath 2 Bath 3 Bath 1 Bath 2 Bath 3
Mix LEG Mix KTA Mix KTA Mix LEG Mix KTA Mix KTA
(%, v/v) (%, v/w) (%, v/w) (%, v/v) (%, v/w) (%, v/w)
Control
0.20-0.34 40-60 40-60 0.20-0.34 40-60 40-60
Range
(average per

0.21 52.1 42.3 0.22 49.4 42.5

Reading
Actual

hour)

0.31 56.6 43.4 0.25 52.6 42.6

0.25 62.2 49.8 0.31 58.1 46.9
0.20 63.8 48.7 0.36 42.6 46.4

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0.32 55.3 53.4 0.38 62.8 55.8

0.36 52.9 46.3 0.25 61.3 62.5
0.37 59.8 58.9 0.28 55.6 62.5
0.31 48.4 61.1 0.29 51.9 59.3
0.29 42.9 62.3 0.31 41.9 58.4
0.21 41.7 58.7 0.35 41.8 45.4
0.19 45.5 56.3 0.37 58.5 44.4
0.28 46.8 57.2 0.31 52.6 60.3
0.26 62.6 42.8 0.35 41.6 60.9
0.21 61.7 58.6 0.36 46.6 51.6
0.23 57.8 61.1 0.24 49.8 55.8
0.25 58.5 55.4 0.25 52.9 51.7
0.36 53.6 53.2 0.28 60.3 53.9
0.34 50.5 49.6 0.29 60.9 60.5
0.33 59.3 47.2 0.30 63.3 60.8
0.31 48.4 44.4 0.30 61.1 41.7

5. RESULTS AND DİSCUSSİON

Four factors affect the cleaning of returnable glass bottles: temperature, soaking time (depending on
washer speed), NaOH concentration, and mechanical action of high-pressure jets. This study aimed to
investigate the relationship between temperature, soaking time, and caustic concentration and how they
affect the cleanliness of returnable glass bottles during washing. Hourly checks are done for each of these
operating parameters and the results compared to a standard control range (spec) to ensure compliance
with process and quality requirements. All NaOH concentration and temperature results obtained for
caustic solution baths 1, 2, and 3, at washer speeds 40,000 BPH and 46,000 BPH, were within the control
range hence fully meeting both process and quality standards. The results shown in Tables 1 and 2.
Mix LEG and Mix KTA are essential additives for improving the cleaning performance of caustic soda in
bottle washers. These surfactants possess powerful anti-scaling, cleaning, and wetting properties capable
of removing soil and stubborn labels on returnable glass bottles. The bottle washer studied in this research
had three NaOH solution baths 1, 2, and 3. Table 3 shows the hourly readings for these surfactants. Note
that Mix LEG is only applicable to soaking bath one while Mix KTA applies to soak baths 2 and 3. The
reason being that due to the condition of the bottles supplied (heavily soiled), only Mix LEG is applied to
bath 1 with the aim of complete anti-scalling the returnable glass bottles while Mix KTA in baths 2 and 3
as a wetting agent to soften and aid label removal. All results obtained were within the specified control
range.
The empty bottle inspector (EBI) checks and ensures the bottles cleaned and sterilized by the bottle
washer are free from physical defects and do not contain any foreign objects. It equipped with cameras
that use the image of a part of a bottle (base, sidewall, mouth, locking ring), then compare it through a
computer system with a „mask‟ of how that part of the bottle should look. If there is a difference between
image and mask bottle rejected via a reject line back to the washer for rewash. Only bottles that are clean
and pass all inspection standards of the EBI fed to the bottle filler/crowner for subsequent filling and
crowning. EBI results for hourly processed and rejected bottles shown in Tables 1 and 2 for washer
speeds 40,000 BPH and 46,000 BPH, respectively. Figure 7 shows the percent rejected bottles against
processed bottles at these speeds. It can see that operating the washer at 46,000 BPH resulted in a very
high reject rate of 8.44 % compared to 4.18% reject rate when operating at 40,000 BPH. This implies that
the longer the soak time, the more effective the cleaning.

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Figure 7. EBI Reject Rate at 40,000 BPH and 46,000 BPH

6. CONCLUSİON
A research carried out to investigate the relationship between temperature, soaking time, and NaOH
concentration of a bottle washer that processes more than 80% of returnable glass bottles annually for
beer packaging. The machine subjected to two different speeds, 40,000 bottles per hour (BPH) and 46,000
BPH. Temperature, NaOH, and additives concentration of the three soaking baths 1, 2, and 3 were within
required control ranges. At both speeds, caustic solution baths 1, 2, and 3 had average temperatures of 60
°C, 80 °C and 60 °C, respectively, while average NaOH concentration at 1.99%, 1.81%, and 1.66 %
respectively for the three baths. Mix LEG and Mix KTA were used as NaOH additives to aid in soil and
label removal. Mix LEG applicable only to NaOH solution bath one while Mix KTA for baths 2 and 3. At
both speeds, average Mix LEG concentration was 0.29% in bath one while Mix KTA 55.02% and 54.56
% in baths 2 and 3, respectively. At the average operating speed of 46,000 BPH for returnable glass
bottles, 450,095 bottles processed in 24 hours. The empty bottle inspector rejected 8.44 % of the total
processed bottles. At the reduced speed of 40,000 BPH, a total of 430,812 bottles processed within 24
hours operation with the EBI rejecting 4.18 % of the total processed bottles. The findings show that at the
same temperature, NaOH and additive concentrations, cleaning is more effective when bottles subjected
to longer soaking times.

7. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors sincerely thank the management of Heineken South Pacific Brewery Limited for allowing
this research to carried out at the Lae manufacturing plant.
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ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST 8159

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