Are you interested?
Reference project
Hydroponics startup got rid of its mold problem
Introduction.
Ozone sanitation is now an essential part of their everyday sanitation routines
A leading startup within high-tech hydroponics is our customer in this case study! Their vision is to make Sweden self-sufficient in vegetable and leafy greens production; having started out with arugula and crisp salad, their proof of concept has now been well established.
Their investment in an additional large 7,000 m3 production facility and them providing many new job opportunities have made a palpable impact in the small community where they are located. They have successfully converted a woodworks facility into a state-of-the-art venue for growing fresh produce.
Originally, both the production process and the business idea were formed by three friends who decided to set up the very first hydroponic system in one of their garages. Three years later, they are regularly delivering to 15 stores and rapidly expanding both their production and logistic coverage. The next stage of development for the company is make the production more automated.
The hydroponics company takes great pride in their aim to produce the most eco-friendly and nutrient-rich local salad products available on the Swedish market. No pesticides are used in the production process, which uses a drop system that supplies the vertical growing skids with nutrient-rich water. All water is circulated and purified using several filtration and sterilization systems.
The problem.
Mold in any agricultural operation is a serious cause for concern. Producing billions of spores, the mold finds a suitable habitat and takes hold. These spores end up on all surfaces, crops, and crevasses where they grow to become actual mold.
During his first week on the job, Erik, who is one of the co-founders of the startup, was introduced to the problem as he was the one responsible for ensuring that the working environment was hygienic. It came to his attention that a mold infestation had started growing in a critical part of the production space where the produce was grown. During the warm summer months, the humidity and heat made for particularly good growing conditions. Despite several attempts at rinsing and cleaning the space using various disinfectants, the startup was not successful in sanitizing the mold and the contamination kept growing. It quickly gained even more ground and soon, they started fearing t hat it would completely halt the newly started production.
The solution.
Mellifiq was contacted at a point when both pieces of equipment and parts of the facility were considered unfit for use.
A solution was needed—fast. In a very short period of time, the startup received a mobile high concentration ozone system, the Ozonetech RENA Pro. It was put to immediate use. The facility’s equipment was then rinsed clean and placed in the production area. Several rooms were sealed off one at a time and the ventilation was shut off.
The idea was to reach a sufficiently high level of ozone concentration so that the ozone would reach all surfaces, equipment, nooks and crannies of the room. The rooms were treated for a few hours each and the mold was consistently inactivated. Even the most contaminated spaces were inactivated to such a degree that production could start right back up.
Mellifiq delivery
Dimenzije (ŠxVxD)
1,800 x 800 x 800 mm
Input power
1.2 kW
Razina buke
55 dB
Production space
7,000 m³
Performence
100% mold inactivation
Evaluation.
Being a gas, the ozone is able to reach places and spaces where cleaning is otherwise not possible.
Both spores and the mold organism itself are extremely sensitive to the ozone’s oxidative effect; at high concentrations, the ozone reaches several parts per million in the room. After 4-8 hours of treatment in each room, the mold and its spores were effectively inactivated. The vertical garden skids could be reinstalled and the loading and unloading space was reopened to service the facility.
Isporučeni sustav Ozonetech Rena Pro system has since been used during evenings and weekends in order to prevent potential microbiological growth. It is used to sanitize both the production and packing areas at regular intervals. With this regularly occurring treatment, no further outbreaks have happened.
Istaknuti brendovi.
