La production mondiale de vin occasionne chaque année environ 13 millions de tonnes de déchets de marc de raisin.
De ces déchets de marc de raisin ressortent 15% de pépins de raisins (soit environs 2 millions de tonnes de pépins de raisin), 30% de pulpes et rafles et 55% d’eau.

Le marc de raisin était jusque dans les années 1970 un coproduit de l’industrie vinicole auquel il fallait trouver un débouché suite à l’interdiction de leur épandage en agriculture.

Aujourd’hui, la valorisation de ces coproduits représente pour la plupart un marché de niche à forte valeur ajoutée.

The challenge

Increasing the value of grape seeds and pulp implies selling them separately; grape marc extraction is a means to achieve this.

Increasing grape seed value:

  • Grinding (oil and meal) for food-processing and cosmetic industries (7 kg of grape seeds give one litre of oil)
  • Transformation into fuel (grape seeds have a high calorific value)
  • Transformation into vegetable leather material 

Increasing pulp and stem value:

  • Composting 
  • Methanisation 
  • Biofuels
  • Cattle feed

Research is being carried out to study other ways of increasing the value of these materials;

Our solution

In collaboration with a distillery that specialises in the valuation of grape by-products, we have reviewed and modified our separator cleaners in order to adapt to the different processing needs of this industry.

After several months of studying and prototyping, our teams have come up with a solution for sorting grape seeds, pulp and stems in dry or wet mode (starting from 60% humidity).

Our machines are now integrated into the processing and valuation process of grape by-products by companies in France and abroad.

SJC separator cleaners operate on the basis of planetary movement, allowing better distribution of grains all over the sifting surface and thus enhancing the flow rate and yield.

Our project partner AITEC ENV  offers press equipment upstream of our separator cleaners: last generation ECOPRESS compacting presses, which are able to decrease the humidity level to 50% and thus provide for optimum operation of our separator cleaners.

These ECOPRESS machines include an Archimedes screw and are therefore able to operate at high flow rates.

Combined with SCHNEIDER JAQUET separator cleaners, ECOPRESS machines will enable you achieve maximum grape marc extraction.

The result

Wet mode seed removal

Dry mode seed removal