How VortX’s clean-air solution is helping Australian roasters reduce their carbon emissions and become better neighbours.
One of the best things about Australia’s roasting community is its diversity. From micro set-ups operating out of suburban garages to café-roasteries embedded in the heart of communities and established operations turning out tonnes of coffee per week from industrial estates, roasters come in all shapes, sizes, and locations.
Despite their differences, many roasters share an ambition to make their businesses as sustainable as possible. Aware of the challenges producers at origin are already facing due to the effects of climate change, Australia’s coffee community is conscious to do its bit to ensure the industry’s future.
American engineering company VortX KleanAir Systems is acutely aware of Australia’s interest in sustainable solutions for the coffee industry and has recently extended its presence in the country. Having already installed its EcoFilter clean-air technology in roasteries across Australia, earlier in 2024 Co-Founder Ron Kleist brought experienced engineer Richard Muhl on board as the brand’s exclusive Australian distributor to expand its reach and provide on-the-ground technical support for its customers.
“Having Richard in Australia is huge for us. His industry experience means he has a real understanding of the roasting business, so as well as being on the ground to facilitate sales he is also available to help problem solve in real time,” says Ron.
According to Richard, there’s an appetite for innovative sustainable technology in the national coffee community. He believes VortX’s EcoFilter offers multiple benefits for roasters of all sizes and set-ups.
“The coffee industry is generally a very progressive, environmentally conscious community, and that’s why I love being a part of it,” says Richard.
“In the past few years, I’ve noticed a lot of coffee companies cementing their focus on sustainability by signing up to certifications such as B Corp that have environmental criteria. I think there’s a want for innovative products that can help them achieve their ambitions, and VortX’s EcoFilter is one of them.”
Developed by former Loring Smart Roast President Ron and his Co-Founders in response to their concern over the threat of climate change, the EcoFilter is designed to make the process of roasting coffee cleaner, safer, and less impactful on neighbours and the planet.
Most roasters that are required to control their emissions are fitted with an afterburner. To incinerate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulates produced by the roasting process, the afterburner burns natural gas or propane to around 760 degrees centigrade. It then emits colourless and odourless air containing very high levels of products of combustion, including carbon dioxide.
“The issue with afterburners is that they require a huge amount of energy to reach the temperatures needed to remove the VOCs. We created a solution that requires only a fraction of that energy, while also making the process safer,” says Ron.
The EcoFilter is a wet scrubber that uses cyclonic energy and atomised water to filter particles from the exhaust air, as well as muting odours and reducing smoke, without the need for high temperatures.
“The EcoFilter does the exact opposite of an afterburner. Whereas the afterburner has to heat up the exhaust air as quickly as possible to remove the VOCs, the EcoFilter must cool down the air to the point at which the VOCs condense from a vapour to a droplet,” says Ron.
“Once the VOCs become droplets, they’re known as condensed particle matter (CPMs). The water inside the EcoFilter captures particle matter and CPMs. At the end of the day, this water can be disposed of as grey water waste, or even better be used to water gardens so the carbon dioxide content can be sequestered by trees and plants.”
As well as reducing energy consumption, Richard and Ron stress that the EcoFilter is much safer than standard afterburners or electrostatic precipitators. The self-cleaning EcoFilter reduces the risk of fires in the stack and safely removes chaff [a fibrous waste product from the roasting process], which can also cause roaster fires.
“The nature of the EcoFilter means it removes chaff as well as VOCs. Therefore, unlike electrostatic precipitators or afterburners, the product doesn’t have to be dismantled and cleaned to reduce risk of fire,” says Ron.
This complete removal of the chaff and dust not only improves safety and saves on maintenance time but also makes roasteries better neighbours.
“Chaff and particles often escape through the exhaust system and can rain down on the cars, homes, and businesses that surround a roastery – which can be very annoying for neighbours,” says Richard.
“The EcoFilter acts as a chaff collecting site and can replace specific devises installed for this task. However, some roasters have internal chaff collectors. In these cases, the EcoFilter acts as another layer of filtration.”
Another benefit that will appeal to roasters in Australia’s warmer states is the EcoFilter’s temperature-reducing qualities.
“Afterburners release a huge amount of heat when reaching the high temperatures needed, and that causes roasteries to get extremely hot – especially in summer,” says Ron.
As the Giesen distributor in Australia for the past decade, Richard knows the trials and tribulations of installing new technology. He believes one of the selling points of the EcoFilter is that it doesn’t require any certification.
“The EcoFilter doesn’t use gas. So if you want to retrofit an EcoFilter, we can just come and do it,” says Richard.
Each EcoFilter is custom-designed to fit individual roastery set-ups and the technology is compatible with all brands and sizes of roasters. Richard and the VortX team produce a bespoke plan for the installation to ensure the equipment best serves the roastery’s needs.
“We don’t just show up and drop the product on their doorstep. We work alongside the roastery to build a product that’s going to provide optimum performance for them,” says Richard.
Ron says he’s excited to have Richard on board to continue to grow the product in Australia. As well as being an advocate for the technology, they’re confident his decades-long industry experience will enable the United States-based company to deliver optimal customer service.
“The technical support Richard can provide is invaluable. Many international equipment companies will fit a piece of equipment and clean their hands of it, but if an element of a roaster is out of action for a few days that can be make or break for a business,” says Ron.
“Richard has more than 40 years’ experience in electrical and electronic engineering, including 17 years in the coffee industry and five as a member on the board of the SCA Coffee Technicians Guild. He’s on the ground and ready to provide that support to the VortX community – from installation through the lifespan of the product.”
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This article appears in the October/November 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.