Based on a review of the professional and scientific literature, technical data, and the Internet, we studied the technologies used to produce wooden barrels, the basic characteristics of the products, the use of wood species, and the implementation of the circular economy in cooperage. We found that the craft production mode offers a greater variety of barrels and other wooden containers with a wider range of volumes. In industrial production, barrels are made to order, with a limited minimum and maximum volume. High-quality oak wood (Quercus) is mainly used for the production of wooden barrels, especially European oak (Q. robur) and American white oak (Q. alba). The industry uses certain special processing machines and technologies, such as hydrothermal treatment, bending and toasting of the surface of the wood. Wooden barrels are now used primarily for the storage and ageing of wines and certain alcoholic beverages, which, upon contact with the container, acquire the desired characteristics through extraction of the wood ingredients. The barrel industry has not yet adapted to the circular economy, but renovation of old barrels and cascade use have been introduced. The latter allows the barrels to be reused for different purposes and converted into alternative products. These products are used for the storage of beverages in containers made of other materials and for the construction of hybrid tanks.
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