Project description
A new way to wash food transport vehicles
Disinfection of vehicles between loadings in the transport of perishable foodstuffs is crucial for preventing bacterial growth and cross-contamination across the food chain. Existing sanitisation methods are inefficient, responsible for about 1 % of food wastage annually and 25.4 % of road-freight vehicles empty travel after unloading their freight. Since 2002, D-Tech provides D-San mist systems and disinfectants for the meat and fish processing industry. The EU-funded D TRUCK project proposes the first mist sanitisation system built-in to food transport vehicles, allowing automated disinfection immediately after the unloading of the foodstuffs. The system provides disinfection out of the depot, which is 95-97 % more effective, 90 % faster, 95 % less chemical intensive, 90-95 % less water intensive, and allows the immediate reloading of foodstuffs, eliminating empty travels.
Objective
When transporting perishable food-stuffs, disinfection of vehicles between loading is crucial for preventing bacterial growth, cross-contamination and ultimately bacterial outbreaks across the food chain. However, the inefficient current sanitisation methods (i.e. manual cleaning and spraying with disinfectant) are responsible for both i) ~1% of food wastage annually due to cross-contamination during transportation, and ii) 25.4% of road-freight vehicles empty travels after unloading their freight because of the latent risk of cross-contamination, bringing as consequence poor food supply chain security, fuel inefficiency and excess of CO2 emissions.
Since 2002, at D-Tech, we have been providers of D-San mist systems and disinfectants for the meat and fish processing industry, and in doing so we have reached the successful installation of 100 D-San systems in 50 companies across 10 countries. Now, considering the food transportation sanitisation challenge and capitalising on D-San success, we have developed D-Truck: the first mist sanitisation system built-in to food transport vehicles, enabling automated disinfection immediately after the unloading of the food-stuffs.
Thus, D-Truck, offering disinfection out-of-depot, 95-97% more effective, 90% faster, 95% less chemical- and 90-95% less water-intensive, allows the immediate reloading of foodstuffs (no more empty travels) and makes freight fleet monitoring simple.
Entering the market in 2021, D-Truck will sell on demand to refrigerated road-freight transport companies (B2B) involved with the transportation of fish-product transport. By 2023, we expect to gain a minimum market share of 0.5% (2,800 D-Truck units sold), making a cumulative profit of € 7 million and creating at least 15 new jobs.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesfood technology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware development
- social sciencessocial geographytransport
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuels
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
101 REYKJAVIK
Iceland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.