Resumen de Memebrane Contactor: a Nondispenrsive and Precise Method to Control CO2 and O2 Concentrations in Wine

Patrik Schönenberger, Ignaz Baumann, Axel Jaquerod, Julien Ducruet

• The described experiments tested the membrane contactor technology in an enological context to find the principal factors that influenced CO2 and O2 transfer rates. A mathematical model was developed to predict the most influential factors for CO2 and O2 concentration changes after membrane passage. Lumen side pressure, initial CO2 concentration in the liquid, and, to a lesser degree, the temperature of the liquid and the gas flow rate had a significant effect on the CO2 concentration changes in the liquid and subsequent CO2 transfer rates through the membrane. The most influential factors for O2 concentration changes were the initial O2 concentration in the liquid and the flow rate of the liquid. All other tested factors were negligible for O2. An increasing positive pressure in the lumen side induced a linear increase in the CO2 concentration of the wine, whereas an increasing negative pressure on the lumen side induced a linear decrease in the CO2 concentration of the wine. In both cases, a linear decrease in the O2 concentration was observed.