Interesting Observation

[yankeewinemaker]

I recently racked a batch of apple wine off the lees and added bentonite to aid in clearing. I filleda one gallonglass carboy up to within a couple inches from the top and filled another one gallon glass carboy up 3/4 of the way. I topped up the second with glass marbles. The carboy with the glass marbles cleared about 4 times faster than the carboy without. I'm assuming this is because the carboy with the marbles has more surface area for the bentonite particles to bond to, in other words, the bentonite particles bonded to the surface of the marbles. Can anybody explain?


Thanks in advance.

 

[ntx_man]

Prolly a function of the granular surface (even as smooth as is appears) and an ionic attraction between the clay and the marbles. Perry's Handbook for Chemical Engineers can explain it in nauseating detail if you can lay hands on one (about three hundred bucks at amazon).

Frank

 

[joeswine]

if you re displacing the 2nd carboy with just weight then it stands to reason it had less work to do and so it should have finished quicker if i understand your view accurately,the chemical reaction takes place to the wine not the marbles,in the future try adding the bentonite to the primary it will start the process earlier and not affect the fermentation process....................................if i understand you correctly............Edited by: joeswine