Filtration is a key operation in modern cider production to deliver visually bright and shelf stable product. Traditionally, cider clarification has been achieved using diatomaceous earth or sheet-based filtration methods. However, with more favorable economics, easier operation and lower waste volumes, crossflow filtration systems like Pall’s Oenoflow XL system have become more widely adopted over the past decade. While the clarification systems can concentrate to high solids levels, there is still a significant amount of recoverable alcohol in the yeast at the bottom of fermentation or maturation tanks, and the filtration system concentrates. With Pall’s newest member of the Oenoflow family of systems, the HS system, cider producers can now recover high-quality cider from these lees streams to gain up to 4% capacity with no additional capital investment.
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Challenge
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Solution
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Benefits
A cider mill producing 20 million liters annually uses an Oenoflow XL crossflow system for post-fermentation clarification. After fermentation and maturation, the Oenoflow system clarifies the cider while concentrating the solids. Even after consistently concentrating up to 25% solids (v/v), the cider losses are 4%. The cider maker was looking for an economically reasonable way to increase yield.
To recover more alcohol from cider lees, the customer used Pall's Oenoflow HS system, designed for high solid concentrations (up to 70%). After fermentation, hard cider (10% alcohol) is filtered through the Oenoflow XL system, with the remaining lees sent to the HS system for processing. The clarified cider is blended, while the HS system processes a concentrate that is later disposed of at an off-site location.
Diafiltration adds water to the lees concentrate, enhancing alcohol recovery and ROI while reducing water needs for blending. The Oenoflow HS system decreases annual cider losses from 800,000 to 285,000 liters, with diafiltration cutting losses from 28,500 to about 3,500 liters annually. This achieves payback in under a year and boosts capacity from 2.6% to 3.8%, reducing waste volumes and disposal costs.
New Process Schematic
The benefits realized upon implementation of the Oenoflow HS system in this application include:
- Alcohol losses decreased from 80,000 liters per year to approximately 3,5000 liters per year
- 3.8% increase in finished cider capacity without additional capital investments like fermentation vessels and the associated equipment
- Attractive investment with payback of less than 1 year
- Lower concentrate volumes for reduced off-site disposal costs
- Automated and controlled processes have been replicated at other cider producers of similar scale with comparable economic drivers.
| Losses without the Oenoflow HS System | Losses with the Oenoflow HS System | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual volume fermented base | 20,000,000 L | Annual lees volume | 800,000 L | |
| Initial solids loading | 1% | Initial solids loading in the lees tank | 25% | |
| Alcohol strength | 0% | Alcohol strength in the lees tank | 10% | |
| Alcohol volume @ 100% | 2,000,000 L | Alcohol volume @ 100% | 80,000 L | |
| Final solids loading in the lees | 25% | Final solids loading in the lees | 70% | |
| Volume of lees | 800,000 L | Volume of lees | 285,714 L | |
| Alcohol content | 10% | Diafiltrations | 0 | 3 |
| Volume of alcohol losses @ 100% | 80,000 L | Alcohol content | 10% | 1% |
| Percent loss | 4% | Volume of alcohol losses @ 100% | 28,571 L | 3,571 L |
| Strength of final batch | 10% | Percent loss | 36% | 4% |
| Volume of filtrate | 19,200,000 L | Strength of final batch | 10% | 6% |
| Volume of filtrate | 514,286 L | 1,371,429 L | ||
Contact our filtration team today to discuss how we can help you achieve your goals.