Ozone gas on its own or mixed in water is a powerful disinfectant that reverts into oxygen quickly. Ozone, therefore, is a perfect final, no-rinse sanitizer in Wineries or Brewery production, where no fear of tainting the product quality will occur.
Ozone will annihilate enzymes, microbial membranes, and unpleasant taste- and odour- causing compounds. It destroys, on contact, all known bacteria, viruses, moulds, spores, yeast, mildew, microscopic fungi, and biofilms (toughened colonies of microorganisms on
surfaces). It has been proven to kill microbes much faster than weaker oxidisers like chlorine (up to 5,000 times faster.) But unlike chlorine, ozone oxidation leaves no harmful or foul by- products; oxygen is the only residue. Another benefit includes that fact that these microorganisms cannot build up a tolerance to ozone as they can to less reactive chemicals such as chlorine.
When comparing the cost of hot water or steam treatment the cost of ozone production is far less. Inevitably the power-saving costs are dramatically affected when you harness the power of mother nature’s technology.
The many advantages and various uses of ozone in a winery.
- In the vineyard for insect and mildew control
The farmer can spray ozonated water at pre-set levels onto the vines for mildew, mould, mildew control, and even insects. The process involves hitting the vines with a strong shot of ozone. In addition to the hoped-for control of powdery mildew, the ozonated water treatments will be effective on leafhoppers and thrips, especially on mites. Since ozone is non-residual and non-polluting, successful vineyard control of mildew is a great advantage to sustainable vineyard management. - Process Water treatment allows for the recycling of wastewater.
When using Ozone as the oxidant and disinfectant in primary water treatment, wastewater can be easily recycled back into the process water after suitable filtration. This allows for considerable savings and ensures chemically contaminated water will not be discharged, polluting soils and water bodies.
- Bottle and cap rinse disinfection before filling.
Many wine bottles are recycled and reused; it is common for wineries to sanitize all bottles with ozonated water before filling. Because ozone works 3 times faster and is 3000 times stronger than chlorine as a disinfectant, it goes without saying that when mixed with water, it becomes the ideal rinse for bottle and cap rinsing before filling, and the water after rinsing can be recycled back into the process water. The major benefit here is no affect to taste or unhealthy residue left behind. - Residual ozone in bottled water
Commonly levels of 0.04 ppm ozone are left in bottled water to prevent residual infection and longer shelf life. The residual ozone in the bottle does provide a fresh taste, such as in fresh rain after a thunderstorm. - Surface sanitation, bottling lines, Vat vestibules, and Clean In Place systems ( CIP)
Ozone can be sprayed directly on floors, drains, walls, de-stemmer-crushers, tanks (inside and outside), fruit bins, and any other wet-table, non-rubber, non-fibreglass equipment or surface in a winery or brewery. Typically, the equipment is first cleaned, and then ozonated water is used as a final sanitising rinse. This very effectively reduces microbial loads on the surfaces. Ozonated water used as a rinse throughout the bottling system at regular intervals will prevent microbial or bacteria build-up and prevent the growth of mould or algae on pipelines, nozzles, and storage tank systems. Without ozone, CIP sanitation must be done either by chemicals (usually chlorine or iodophor solutions), requiring multiple rinses afterwards to remove harmful toxic residues, or by heat (usually high- temperature water or steam), which is very expensive to produce and creates a danger for cellar workers. Ozone achieves low-cost CIP sanitation, ambient cellar temperatures, and without chemical residues. Further, hot water or steam causes the expansion and contraction of welds, one of the biggest causes of line degradation and repair. Heat also can bake on materials inside the lines, making them more difficult to clean. Since ozone is used in cold water, it avoids these and other problems of heat-based CIP sanitation. - Oak Barrel rinsing and washing
Ozone can sanitize barrels without tainting the wood, as chlorine chemicals will, or without extracting something out of the wood. Proxycarb will kill microbes in wood, but it is a soda ash-based product that strips out oak essence. Hot water is delivered to the barrel at high pressure to dissolve tartrates, blast the barrel clean, and open the wood pores (typically one and a half minutes). Then a cool rinse with ozonated water is applied, which sanitizes and shrinks the pores in the oak. Determining barrel rinse times is based primarily on the concentration of ozone in the water and the age and the degree of contamination of the barrel but in general if a barrel is deemed healthy. The wines that come out of it are untainted. A treatment time of one and a half minutes at two ppm is sufficient to sanitise the barrel. A damaged barrel with very high 4EP levels, which would normally be retired, could be saved with a 4–5-minute treatment over three successive days.
- Gaseous ozone, Semi or unoccupied Storage rooms, Cellars, caves, and Coldrooms.. maintain air quality.
Gaseous ozone will penetrate and sterilize the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies that ozonated water might miss. Mildew and mould growth and to a certain extent, insect control will be effectively prevented with a regular ozone dose. For example, in a winery cork storage room, this can be treated with ozone gas for 30-90 minutes at night. A system with a flashing light on the outside can be installed to flag when the ozone in the room is above 0.1 ppm. A calibrated system that will maintain the desired concentration can be installed where there will be no is no remaining ozone in the room when workers arrive in the morning.
Biozone Manufacturing can design and engineer complete water treatment solutions with or without ozone regardless of whether this water is from a municipality, borehole, dam, or river. Wastewater from a factory, ablutions or kitchens can be easily recycled back into
process water. The design will include necessary and adequate safety monitoring systems to maintain correct ozone levels in the water or air and to flag in the case of leakages or other.
Harness Nature’s Technology, contact Biozone.