NIMOS PSA New Edition: More Nitrogen with Less Air and Lower Energy Consumption

Isolcell has long placed sustainability and efficiency at the heart of its innovation strategy. This commitment began with the pioneering development of dynamic controlled atmosphere technologies using fluorescence sensors, designed to preserve fruit quality during storage while also optimizing energy consumption. By slowing down fruit metabolism and adapting storage conditions to its actual requirements, these technologies can reduce the operating hours of CO₂ scrubbers, refrigeration systems and other equipment, thereby lowering the energy required throughout the storage period.

Today, this same approach —achieving better results while using fewer resources— has taken another step forward. Isolcell’s latest innovation focuses on one of the key technologies used in controlled atmosphere storage: the generation of high-purity nitrogen (10 ppm).

Sustainability does not depend solely on introducing new energy sources, but also on using existing resources more efficiently. With this approach, Isolcell has developed NIMOS PSA New Edition 2026, a nitrogen generator based on Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology, designed to significantly improve the efficiency of the air separation process.

In a PSA installation, one of the key parameters used to assess efficiency is the ratio, which represents the relationship between the average volume of compressed air consumed and the volume of nitrogen produced at a given purity level. The lower this value, the less air the compressor needs to generate for each cubic metre of nitrogen produced.

This has a direct impact on the sustainability of the installation: reducing compressed air consumption also means reducing the electricity required to produce it.

The NIMOS PSA New Edition project has focused specifically on optimizing this parameter. A new pneumatic circuit, advanced management of adsorption cycles, improved control of flows and pressure transfers, together with optimized sizing of the process tanks, make it possible to use the adsorbent material more efficiently and produce a greater amount of nitrogen with less compressed air. The system also provides more stable production in terms of both flow rate and purity and can operate with different supply pressures.

The improvements are particularly significant when high purity levels are required. Depending on the size of the generator and the residual oxygen concentration, tests carried out by the company show reductions in the ratio of up to 66% compared with the previous generation.

This reduction results in fewer equivalent operating hours and lower energy demand from the compressed air system, with the potential to reduce both operating costs and the carbon footprint associated with nitrogen generation.

With NIMOS PSA New Edition, Isolcell is further improving the efficiency of nitrogen generation by reducing the amount of compressed air required for each cubic metre of nitrogen produced, while providing greater process stability and a more efficient use of energy. The technology represents another step towards making controlled atmosphere installations increasingly efficient and sustainable.