Unidad de Imagen y Comunicación
OZONE CLEAN IN PLACE IN FOOD INDUSTRIES
OBJECTIVE: Reduction of the environmental impact produced by cleaning and disinfection operations in
the food sector through ozone application as a sanitizing agent.
PROGRAMME: LIFE-Environment, EC
PARTICIPANTS: ainia Technology Centre (project leader), TTZ, Gdank University, cellars DOMECQ,
BECKS and MGLANG
The Ozonecip project has confirmed the potential of ozone as an alternative sanitizing agent to the
traditional chemical agents significantly reducing the environmental impact. Indeed, in the winery,
brewery and dairy subsectors, more than 50% of water consumption saving has been
achieved and the organic load of discharged wastewater generated by the washing of vessels
in the frequent cleaning and disinfection operations has been halved. This represents a
remarkable outcome, since more than 80 percent of water consumption in other industries and virtually
100 percent of industrial wastewaters are generated in cleaning and disinfection operations.
This project has been awarded by the European Commission as best European environmental project
jointly with another 22 projects under its Life programme. This award recognizes the environmental,
social and economic improvements; its degree of innovation and transfer possibility to the food industry,
its economic viability as well as the relationship with European environmental policies.
This project was intended to fill the gap between basic research and the industrial level of technology
transfer. ainia technology centre has been supporting this technology for more than five years, by
developing new innovative alternatives aimed at improving environmental management, sustainability,
as well as achieving the highest standards in quality and food safety in the food sector. ‘The results of
the project and the active collaboration between the centres and participating companies demonstrate
that cooperation works and it is necessary in order to share knowledge, find the most suitable
technology and make their transfer industrially feasible.’
Ozone is a highly efficient antimicrobial agent due to its very high oxidizing power capable of destroying
the majority of microorganisms in a fast and irreversible way. In addition, it does not leave any residue
given that it decomposes into oxygen after the disinfectant action. This means a significant saving in
water consumption and a better wastewater quality generated in cleaning operations. Agro-industrial
ozone can be easily obtained by using equipments called "generators" from the oxygen in the air. A
stream of dry air is introduced through concentric electrodes where an electric shock takes place and
excites the molecules of oxygen (O2) contained in the air. These react together and temporarily form
ozone (O3) as a gas.
For further information on the project: www.ozonecip.net
•
El
uso
del
ozono
para
la
industria,
una
solución
sostenible
y
rentable
http://actualidad.ainia.es/web/ainiaactualidad/medio-ambiente/-/articulos/Tc1l/content/el-uso-delozono-para-la-industria-una-solucion-sostenible-y-rentable
• El ozono reduce el impacto ambiental y el uso del agua en operaciones de limpieza
http://tecnoalimentalia.ainia.es/web/tecnoalimentalia/ultimas-tecnologias/-/articulos/rT64/content/elozono-reduce-el-impacto-ambiental-y-el-uso-del-agua-en-operaciones-de-limpieza
• Ozonecip, coordinado por ainia, elegido entre los 23 mejores proyectos medioambientales europeos
http://actualidad.ainia.es/web/ainiaactualidad/notas-prensa/notas-de-prensa-de-ainia//articulos/Tc1l/content/ozonecip-coordinado-por-ainia-elegido-entre-los-23-mejores-proyectosmedioambientales-europeos