Holmach Ltd has been working with technology provider Revtech, of Loriol, France to introduce revolutionary spiral heating and roasting technology for the UK malting industry.
Revtech has already experienced significant sales in the US, South Africa, Belgium, Portugal, and Japan for turning green malting barley into defined colour roasted malt for the brewing, distilling, and food industries.
Revtech’s patented spiral technology allows the continuous flow of product into what is a heated vertical elevator. It says the system is simple to run with little maintenance and low risk of fire due to the confined product flow.
In traditional systems, liquifying starch to sugar in the grain and then crystallising it and finally colouring it can take four hours, with challenges to uniformity of colour and high risk of fire on atmospheric drum or belt roasters. Many Maltsters
are haunted by the constant threat of fire, with frequent outbreaks, says Holmach.
Taking as little as 50 minutes to turn green malt into black malt, the Revtech is electrically powered, making it the first system in the world that is truly green, as energy can be sourced from wind, wave, or solar power, unlike traditional roasters that rely on gas, with typically 40% to 50% efficiency. Maltsters can now achieve their goals of becoming carbon neutral much more quickly.
Capacities are available from 200kgs to 12 tons per hour and can also be used for malting other products, such as seeds and other cereals, as well as simple toasting or roasting. Revtech’s design can also allow for injection of smoke or flavours such as peat, honey, or citrus into the roaster, to make unique recipes.
