Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. (KMS), a global leader in membrane separations technologies, announces the launch of the Lees-COR family of tubular crossflow systems for the recovery of high-quality juice and wine from lees. Lees accounts for up to 15% of a winery’s production capacity, so maximizing product recovery from these streams represents a significant opportunity to improve sustainability and the bottom line. KMS Lees-COR systems are available for a wide range of production rates up to 400 gallons per hour, offering treatment solutions suitable for all production scales.
Lees-COR crossflow microfiltration systems were designed with performance, operational simplicity, and durability in mind. These systems utilize robust 1-inch tubular membranes, and besides circulation pumping, contain no moving or fragile parts. The 1-inch diameter tubes are capable of concentrating lees up to 85% solids without fear of plugging or catastrophic failure from over-concentration. While traditional ceramic membranes and disks can be susceptible to thermal shock, plugging and breakage, KMS tubular membranes can also tolerate fluctuations in temperature offering reduced CIP time, extended runtimes and increased productivity.
Because Lees-COR systems utilize a crossflow membrane, they produce excellent quality wine and juice with brilliant clarity . A membrane-based treatment solution such as Lees-COR allows for elimination of diatomaceous earth rotary vacuum drum filters which represent a potential respiratory hazard for workers and degrade recovered juice and wine value due to oxidation. Typical product clarity is less than 1 NTU with exceptional flavor, aroma, color, and mouthfeel. In the case of wine lees, the product can be blended directly with the traditionally crossflow-filtered wine without additional treatment.
“I’m excited about KMS Lees-COR because it filters lees without exposing the wine or juice to oxygen,” Nick Barretto, North American Wine Sales Manager for KMS, points out. “This results in significantly improved quality compared to traditional pad filtration or diatomaceous earth filtration systems.”
KMS prides itself on superior customer service for its entire portfolio of technologies and systems. To complement the Lees-COR system offerings, KMS offers KMS ASSIST® Service and Maintenance Programs which can be tailored to the specific needs of the winery.
For more than half a century, KMS has been engineering advanced membrane filtration solutions for a variety of industries and applications across the world. With all membranes manufactured in the United States, KMS provides a best-in-class solution to improve operating efficiencies, lower costs, and increase quality and quantity of product.
To learn more and request a quote, visit: https://www.kochmembrane.com/en-US/.
