MA Silva -®Dyvanox System: Saving Water, Energy and Waste in cork stoppers prodution
COMPANY SUMMARY
The MASILVA group was incorporated in 1972 by Manuel Alves da Silva, its current Executive President, as a company dedicated to the manufacture of natural cork stoppers. This is a family-run group with a strong financial dynamic and in-depth knowledge of the cork production sector.
Operating in the cork industry for over 45 years, exploiting synergies between nature and industry, committed to becoming an industry benchmark at product quality level, customer service, technological innovation and mindful of sustainable development. The group reaffirms its entrepreneurship by being bold and serious-minded in the marketing of its product, the natural cork stopper.
THE SOLUTION:
The DYNAVOX® system is a MASILVA’s mandatory process used to sterilize and vaporize all cork planks that the company uses to produce natural corks. All cork planks are subject to intense steam and pressure in clean water through this system, removing any undesirable substances from the innermost part of the cork planks. This thoroughly eliminates microorganisms in a natural way. Anisols such as TCA are reduced, along with other odor-causing compounds, tannins and phenols precursors of anisols, thus improving the thickness and the elasticity of cork.
The boiling takes place under pressure at 105 ᵒC, penetrating the cork structure, dragging off and vaporizing the TCA and other anisols and phenols. The steam containing TCA is removed by degasification during a one-hour boiling cycle. Having followed the boiling process, the cork planks are removed with around 17 % moisture content. This significant reduction in residual humidity allows for the stabilization period to be shortened from two weeks to two days.
The water used is filtered using a 100-micron filtration system. The DYNAVOX® system continuously measures the pH of water, to monitor the level of tannins. With these 2 elements, the water is reused in cycles saving drastically the quantity used per boiling cycle.
Additionally, to this, the DYNAVOX® system uses a sustainable energy production system. In 2012, MASILVA started to use cork dust produced in the units in the north, to create the heat needed to origin the steam under pressure at 105 ᵒC. The cork dust is dislocated to the raw material center, in Alter do Chão, using the same transport that brings the cork planks for its industrial transformation in the north. With this heating source, MASILVA ensures circular economy on its production system. At the same time fossil energy consumption was drastically reduced and the CO2 emissions were drastically reduced.
For more information please see: https://www.masilva.pt/masilvasite/onebyone.php?idioma=en
