Circular economy in the Chilean wine industry?

The circular economy is an approach that seeks to reduce the amount of waste generated in the production process, promoting the reuse and recycling of materials to prolong their useful life and prevent them from ending up in landfills or incinerators. This approach aims to achieve a more sustainable and efficient economic system, and the Chilean wine industry could greatly benefit from its implementation.

Wine production generates a large amount of waste, and one of the main ones is grape pomace. This residue is a valuable source of phenolic compounds, which are bioactive antioxidants with beneficial properties for health. The recovery of these compounds could be a way of adding value to waste and reducing its environmental impact.

Drying of wet grape residues is a recommended technique for the recovery of phenolic compounds. The use of a TROCKNNER dryer is an efficient option for drying this waste. This dryer can process large amounts of waste efficiently and without the need to use other filtration equipment. In addition, the obtained dry material has a high calorific value, which makes it useful as a biomass resource.

The Chilean wine industry is constantly growing and evolving, with the need to adapt to new trends and market demands, especially with regard to waste management and treatment. One of the main by-products generated in wine production is sludge, which is solid waste of organic origin that is obtained in the must clarification stage.

At present, there is a growing concern about the environmental impact generated by sludge, since it can contaminate the soil and groundwater if it is not managed properly. Therefore, it is important to have efficient technologies that allow treating and recovering the sludge generated in the wine industry.

In this sense, the use of a TROCKNNER dryer is recommended for sludge processing. This equipment can process from 2 tons per day to 100 tons, which makes it suitable for companies of different sizes. In addition, it can directly dry wet material with a moisture content of 83% to less than 20%, which significantly reduces the volume of sludge. One of the main advantages of this process is that it does not require segmented removal, such as plate and frame filter presses, centrifugal filter presses, band filter presses, screw filter presses + heat drying, among others. This means that there is no loss of organic components in the chemical process, which allows the recovery of compounds with healthy properties, such as phenolic compounds. In addition, the obtained dry material has a high calorific value, which makes it suitable for subsequent use as a biomass resource. In this way, an added value can be obtained from a by-product that was previously considered a polluting waste.

Another benefit of using a TROCKNNER dryer is that it significantly reduces the costs of transportation and final disposal of the sludge, since by reducing its volume, transportation trips and associated costs are reduced. The efficiency of the production process is also improved by reducing the amount of water and chemical products used in the clarification of the must.

In conclusion, the use of a TROCKNNER dryer for the treatment and recovery of sludge in the Chilean wine industry represents an opportunity to generate added value from a by-product previously considered a polluting residue. In addition, this technology makes it possible to significantly reduce the costs of transportation and final disposal of the sludge, improving the efficiency of the production process and reducing the environmental impact of the industry.