Overview
ARBOK-DEALCO removes ethanol from wine, beer, brandy, whiskey and other beverages while preserving the great majority of the aromatic compounds — esters, terpenes, phenols — that define flavour. Traditional methods (spinning cone, reverse osmosis, thermal distillation) sacrifice aroma for completeness; DEALCO operates in deep vacuum at ambient temperature — equal to the temperature of the feed and the surroundings, with no heat supplied — so volatiles never undergo thermal degradation. The key innovation is a proprietary regenerable sorbent module that regenerates once a year at $1,500–4,000 annually, against single-use membrane consumables costing 10–100 times more. Specific energy consumption is very low, well below competing processes.
Applications
Dealcoholized wine, eliminating alcohol while preserving terroir and complexity; craft breweries producing 0.0 % ABV beer; spirits producers making reduced-proof whiskey, brandy and cognac at 15° instead of 40°; a new mid-strength premium category — half-proof spirits carrying the full flavour profile; industrial alcohol recovery; laboratory research-scale dehydration.
Operating Principle
Deep vacuum at ambient temperature exploits differential vapour pressure: ethanol evaporates preferentially to water and flavour compounds. A proprietary regenerable sorbent membrane provides the core separation mechanism, so separation is physical — there is no chemical precipitation and no membrane fouling. The loop is closed: recovered ethanol exits as commodity-grade neutral spirit and returns to the process as raw input for other applications, giving zero liquid waste stream and a closed material balance.
Limitations: sorbent-module durability under continuous operation requires long-term validation.
Key Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|—|—|
| Input volume | 30–1,000 L per batch (lab to semi-industrial) |
| Final alcohol content | tunable 0.1–0.5 ABV |
| Aroma preservation | the great majority of volatile compounds retained, well above competing thermal and membrane methods |
| Energy consumption | very low specific energy consumption, among the lowest reported for the category |
| Sorbent module regeneration cost | $1,500–4,000/year (vs $10,000–50,000+ for competing consumables) |
| Operating pressure | deep vacuum |
| Temperature | ambient — equal to feed and surrounding temperature; no heat supplied, no thermal stress |
| Recovered ethanol purity | commodity-grade neutral spirit, high purity |
| Cycle time | a few hours per batch |
| Sorbent module regeneration | once per year |
Architecture and Components
Deacidification vessel (optional, adjusts pH); vacuum chamber with regenerable sorbent cartridge and membrane module; heating and cooling jacket for temperature control; condenser for vapour recovery; vacuum pump; ethanol recycle loop; control system for pressure, temperature and flow; storage for recovered ethanol. Available as a modular compact unit fitting standard winery space, or as a large-scale continuous system.
Advantages
Technical: aroma preservation clearly ahead of the 75–85 % typical for competing thermal and membrane processes; specific energy consumption among the lowest reported for the category; modular sorbent regeneration replaces disposable membranes; closed material balance with no waste ethanol.
Economic: approximately €1,000 annual sorbent-module cost against €10,000–50,000 in consumables for competitors.
Market: addresses an $11 billion no/low-alcohol category growing 9 % per year toward $18 billion by 2029; enables a previously impossible mid-strength premium category — 15° whiskey carrying a 40° flavour profile.
Environmental: zero liquid discharge, reusable recovered ethanol, minimal chemical footprint.
Integrations
Winery and brewery production lines; premium spirits makers; craft beverage producers; RTD cocktail manufacturers; bar and restaurant automation.
ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking) · Arbok-AVD (Amalgam Vacuum Distillation) · AEROGRAPH (Graphene AeroGel)
Deployment & Operation
Path: feasibility study with input wine or spirit characterization → pilot trial on a 50–200 L sample → full-scale setup at 500–1,000 L per batch → production scaling.
Operation: batch mode, a few hours per cycle, compatible with existing production schedules and requiring minimal retraining.
Maintenance: sorbent module regeneration once per year; pressure system annual inspection.
TRL
TRL 6 — pilot-scale lab validation with industrial equipment designed. Evidence: laboratory demonstrations at 20 L scale showing strong aroma preservation, well ahead of thermal and membrane alternatives; energy and economics modelled; industrial equipment specifications drafted; commercial interest from major wineries and breweries.
Remaining: full-scale winery deployment at 500+ L/month production; 12+ months of operational validation; regulatory approval against beverage standards; commercial supply agreements.
Market Potential
Target customers: premium winemakers, craft breweries, luxury spirits producers such as Diageo and Pernod Ricard, and the emerging mid-strength premium segment. Drivers: a global no/low-alcohol market of $11 billion growing 9 % per year; consumer demand for authentic flavour in alcohol-reduced drinks; premium positioning allowing a 30–50 % markup. If DEALCO captures 5–10 % of the no/low-alcohol dealcoholization market, revenue potential is $250–550 million by 2035.
Typical Project Economics
Reference case: winery processing 200,000 L/year with 20 % dealcoholized, giving 40,000 L/year of input to treat.
| Item | Value |
|—|—|
| CAPEX | €300,000–500,000 (equipment + installation) |
| Annual revenue (premium pricing, 30 % margin) | €250,000–400,000 |
| Annual OPEX (energy, labour, sorbent module) | €30,000–50,000 |
| Net margin | €200,000–370,000/year |
| Payback | 5–7 years |
Risk Factors
Technical: sorbent-module durability under continuous operation; long-term performance validation still needed.
Market: competition from acid-based and thermal dealcoholization suppliers (Tomsa, BevZero, ABV Technology) with established supply contracts; commodity alcohol pricing pressure.
Regulatory: beverage composition standards vary by country (EU, USA, China), requiring certification in multiple regions.
Related Technologies
ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking) · Arbok-AVD (Amalgam Vacuum Distillation) · ARBOK-REVITA · WINE-Nitrocellulose