Wine industry

Photoclean
operates in the wine industry

There are many sources of contamination in the wine industry, and they can have disastrous consequences if an effective solution is not found. For example, chlorophenols present in pallets or paints can be converted into chloroanisole by mold in a humid, enclosed environment. Mold itself can leave stains on walls and barrels and clog the filters in the air handling unit.

Discover the Photoclean solution for continuously eliminating contaminants and odors.

Your Challenges

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) responsible for cork taint and earthy—musty—flavors

A significant portion of the bottles on the French market are reportedly affected by cork taint.
In most cases, contamination does not come directly from the cork but is carried in the air or on the wood, or even carried by other contaminated corks.
The molecular contaminants responsible for the contamination are TCA, TeCA, or TBA.
These VOCs are synthesized from chlorophenols through the action of mold. These chlorophenols are formed from chlorine, which can come from tree bark contaminated with insecticides, from the air, or from chlorinated products, as well as from certain paints—particularly antifungal paints—used in wine cellars.

Molds, which cause deterioration and promote the formation of chloroanisoles

Molds are very common in the wine industry, where they find the most favorable conditions for growth:

Temperature between 10 and 15°C

High humidity

Confined atmosphere

These molds have numerous effects:

Damages surfaces (walls, ceilings, etc.) by leaving a residue
Damages wood (barrels, casks, wooden structures, etc.)
Promotes the formation of chloroanisoles
Clogs heat exchangers and air filters

All of this results in:

Extensive maintenance (cleaning) and excessive use of biocides
Flow rate loss, temperature drift, and increased power consumption due to increased pressure drop

Information

Since microorganisms feed on VOCs, their attachment to media that have adsorbed VOCs allows them to grow and multiply.
Similarly, airborne microorganisms feed on VOCs adsorbed by dust particles. These microorganisms do not merely consume VOCs; they also release them themselves: these are the products of fermentation, which are often malodorous compounds.
Because of this interaction between microbial and chemical pollution, no air treatment method will be effective unless it addresses both types of pollution at the same time.

Our Solutions

For many years now, Photoclean Quartz has been developing a comprehensive line of enclosures that incorporate its photolysis-based air decontamination modules, designed to:

Minimize the amount of mold as much as possible

Eliminate any chemical contaminants from the air (VOCs, TCA, TeCA, etc.)

Keep the premises odor-free at all times

Maintaining this effectiveness over time

Our fully autonomous modules are installed in areas that have received little or no treatment, ensuring that each unit recirculates and performs air decontamination, with a capacity of 5 to 20 volumes of air from the room per hour.

Our air decontamination units represent the perfect combination of the performance and reliability of an air handling unit and the simplicity of a standalone module. Our photolysis-based degradation processes offer the unique advantage of continuously destroying microbiological and chemical contaminants as well as odors.

Information

Our modules continuously destroy contaminants in three phases:

Sterilization: The very short wavelengths (254 nm) emitted by UVC germicidal lamps penetrate deep into the DNA of microorganisms, preventing them from replicating.
Adsorption: All organic contaminants (microbiological or chemical) are adsorbed by our media, which retains them until they are completely destroyed (mineralization).
The combined action of UVC light and a catalyst creates extremely powerful oxidizing radicals (OH°) capable of continuously destroying bacteria, mold, VOCs, and odors, and can even break down the most complex chemical compounds.

In addition, our units can be integrated with or combined with:
– systems for extracting stale air or CO2
– humidification or dehumidification systems using our air distribution duct networks
– air handling units to regulate temperature and/or humidity