Sugar and Cocoa: From a Sweet Aroma to a Sharp Industrial Risk

Can food powders trigger explosions? Yes—and it’s not a distant possibility. In a confectionery facility, Tama Aernova installed an ATEX-certified Pulco Air baghouse filter to ensure safety, process continuity, and long-term peace of mind

What smells sweet may hide unseen dangers

Anyone walking into a confectionery production site is immediately embraced by the warm aroma of cocoa or the light scent of powdered sugar in the air.
A sensory experience that evokes quality, family, and the essence of tradition.

Yet beneath this reassuring image lies a serious industrial hazard.

Food powders—especially sugar and cocoa—under certain conditions behave like flammable dusts.
All it takes is oxygen, dispersion in the air, a confined space, and a spark to trigger a dust explosion.

It’s not just a possibility. It has already happened.

In 2008, the Imperial Sugar refinery in the United States was reduced to rubble by a dust explosion: 14 people lost their lives. Dozens were injured.
The cause: excessive dust accumulation, a lack of preventive maintenance, and an ignition source—likely as small as a static discharge.

That case became a global benchmark. Yet, many companies still overlook the same risk today.

When Food Powders Become Fuel

In one food manufacturing facility, the blending of powdered ingredients generated high concentrations of combustible dust, particularly sugar and cocoa.
The dust collected rapidly inside ducts, creating a hazardous ATEX Zone 22 classified atmosphere.

Why is this so dangerous?

Because the issue is not just the product itself, but its behavior during processing.

Here’s what makes food dust so explosive:

  • Micron-sized particles (< 420 µm) → a high surface-to-volume ratio enables fast combustion.
  • Organic material → It acts like fuel in a combustion chain.
  • Dust dispersion → oxygen surrounds each particle, creating an ignitable cloud.
  • Confined environment → If ignition occurs, overpressure leads to an explosion.

 

In other words:
DUST + AIR + DISPERSION + IGNITION + CONFINED SPACE = EXPLOSION

 

Our Solution: Safety Engineered in Every Detail

To mitigate the risk and ensure production continuity, we designed and delivered a Pulco Air ATEX baghouse filter system with the following features:

  • Antistatic, food-grade filter elements
  • Polished stainless steel housing, with an internal structure optimized to prevent dust buildup and guarantee easy, safe cleaning
  • Automatic pulse-jet cleaning system
  • Easy-access maintenance doors

Three months after installation, the results speak for themselves:

  • No clogging
  • Constant airflow performance
  • Certified operation in ATEX Zone 22

Key points of the project

Application:

Aspirazione polveri agroalimentari

Airflow rate

 11.000 m3/h

Filtertype:
 Pulco Air ATEX baghouse filter

Location:

 Egypt

 

What We Installed

The customized filtration system included:

All seamlessly integrated into the production layout, without interrupting operations.

 

Food Processing Safety Starts with Filtration

In confectionery and baking environments, it is easy to underestimate the role of air filtration.
But where there’s sugar—and cocoa—there’s dust. And where there’s dust, there’s risk.

At Tama Aernova, we believe filtration is not an accessory. It is an essential part of any responsible production process.
A well-engineered solution does not just keep your equipment clean. 

It protects your people. Your product. Your future.

 

Do you work in the food industry?

Let’s design the right filtration system for your facility.
We’ll help you turn invisible risks into long-term reliability.

Contact Tama Aernova. Your process deserves safer solutions.