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54 W i n e s & V i n e s A P R i L 2 0 1 4 G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G Conserving resources and treating wastes In addition to improving the quality of wine and efficiency of winemaking, tech- nology can help minimize the need for public utilities as well as improve treat- ing and recovering waste products. By so doing, it can both reduce costs and increase the sustainability of winemaking. One example of a technology that can be imported from allied industries is clean-in-place (CIP) systems for fermenta- tion tanks and storage vessels. Spraying the inside of a tank with a hot caustic solution (typically sodium or potassium hydroxide) at high pressure can clean it thoroughly. The alternatives are today's hand washing or individual cleaning units on each tank. Cleaning tanks in place using auto- mated systems provides better and more reproducible cleaning at lower costs with fewer personnel and less time, materials and waste. It's also safer. There's no dis- mantling of large equipment, contact with cleaning agents, hand scrubbing or crawl- ing into tanks. The factors involved in cleaning are contact time, temperature, concentration and cleaning agents, and turbulence or physical action. A CIP system must be able to vary all of these parameters. Block pointed out that these systems have been used in milk processing since the 1960s and in the pharmaceutical busi- ness since the 1990s. "Of course," he noted, "poor sanitation in those industries can kill you." That's not likely to occur with wine, but it can lead to poor quality. Breweries also use CIP systems. UC Davis is starting to experiment with these systems, and it had the necessary plumbing installed in its research and teaching winery. With the clean-in-place method, piping manifolds are provided for both supply- ing cleaning liquids and return of these liquids to a centralized system. These materials will eventually be recovered and reused by a specialized filtration unit. Managing carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide generated during fermen- tation is gaining increasing scrutiny from regulators as it contributes to pollution and is also a possible safety hazard. Standards are already enforced for large wineries in California's Central Valley. Since most fermentation tanks are closed, it's relatively easy to collect the CO 2 and pipe it to a central location. Some win- Automated clean-in-place systems provide inexpensive and safer cleaning of tanks. Capturing rainwater and treating and reusing cleaning water can drastically reduce the amount of water needed to make wine. gw kEnT Blower CO 2 Stream Gas Outlet Gas Application Columns CaOH Solution Research Fermentors Crystalizer Water Return Filters By collecting CO 2 from fermentations at the University of California, Davis, teaching winery, the gas can be converted to other side products or used for carbonation or biofuels. Teaching Fermentors