Familia Torres has been capturing carbon dioxide for reuse since 2015. Image courtesy Familia Torres
Pilot testing at a winery in Spain has made significant headway in the capture and reuse of CO₂, using new technology which collected a pure form of CO₂ from the wine fermentation process.
In a pilot test conducted at Familia Torres’s Pacs del Penedès winery, cutting-edge technology developed by Orchestra Scientific—a spin-off of the Catalan Institute for Chemical Research (ICIQ)—has enabled the winery to concentrate carbon dioxide from wine fermentation in its purest form.
Familia Torres said the implementation of this technology would allow the winery to become self-sufficient in producing the CO₂ it requires to inert wine tanks, preventing oxidation. Currently, the winery meets half of its CO₂ needs through its existing capture system, with the remainder sourced from the chemical and gas industries.
The winery said that the pilot test has demonstrated the technology’s effectiveness and efficiency in real production environments, opening up new possibilities for reusing CO₂ in key sectors such as industry, agri-food, and energy.
The technology is based on an innovative material developed by ICIQ—metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)—which exhibit a high capacity for CO₂ capture. Orchestra Scientific has scaled and refined this technology, achieving a significant reduction in energy consumption compared to existing solutions. Furthermore, the use of standardised components in its construction has made this solution more accessible and cost-effective for industrial-scale implementation.
“Achieving this level of purity in captured CO₂ unlocks a wide range of reuse opportunities, from applications within the winery itself to commercialisation in other sectors,” said Miguel A. Torres, president of Familia Torres. “This progress underscores our commitment to driving sustainable change through innovative solutions in the wine industry.”
Refining carbon capture and reuse
Familia Torres began capturing and reusing CO₂ from fermentation in 2015 with the introduction of the Oresteo system in red winemaking tanks. In 2021, the winery extended this practice to white and rosé winemaking through a pioneering in-house system, which was further expanded in 2023.
The main limitation of these existing technologies lies in the purity of the captured CO₂, which restricts its potential applications within the winery. During the most recent harvest, these systems provided the winery with 50% of its CO₂ requirements, primarily for uses such as inerting tanks and pumping over red wines.
Since the initial tests with Orchestra Scientific began in 2017, the project has involved collaboration across multiple areas of Familia Torres, including production, engineering, innovation, and sustainability. Familia Torres said that the cross-disciplinary approach, combined with the teams’ perseverance, has been instrumental in overcoming technical and operational challenges.
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