HOW IT WORKS
The EcoFilter is based on a high-efficiency cyclone designed to remove particulates well below 10 micron cut size. This cyclonic action is enhanced by instantly cooling the incoming air, causing the VOCs and products of combustion to condense from vapor to liquid where they are entrained along with the particulates in water and flushed out the bottom of the cyclone.
The water is filtered and recycled. One glance at the stack temp confirms that the unit is operating correctly. Scientists have been warning us for many years that climate change is an existential threat and that we can, we must, do something about it. Every day this deep concern drives us to help our customers, the specialty coffee industry, play a leading role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while keeping a commitment to clean air and a safe operation.
We founded VortX because we knew there had to be a better way to filter smoke and odor, or more precisely – particulates, VOCs and products of combustion from coffee roasting exhaust. Conventional methods came with a host of problems:
- Afterburner = gas hog & environmental disaster & heavy cost
- Electrostatic precipitator = laborious cleaning & big fire risk
- Media filters = huge fire risk & costly replacement of media
When we discovered the impact made by instantly cooling the hot, dirty air from a roaster, the VortX EcoFilter was born. We sold our first unit in 2017 and in 4 short years we have established customers on 6 continents. These “early adopters” helped us focus on refining and improving our technology. We love every one of them; they helped us make the EcoFilter the impressive solution it is today.
We continue to serve the retrofit market and we are now building products for roaster manufacturers who are bringing to market a new generation of smokeless/odorless roasters.