New concepts for the starch and starch-based sweetener industry
Lipnizki, Frank LU
; Dupuy, Aurélie
LU
and Nilsson, Mattias
LU
(2015)
66th Starch Convention
- Abstract
- 1. IntroductionBoth the development of nowadays membrane technology and nutritive sweeteners started in the middle of the 20th century. The development of the asymmetric membranes using phase inversion was pioneered by Loeb and Sourirajan in the 1960-ies, while the discovery of glucose isomerase was a milestone in the commercialisation of high fructose corn syrup in the beginning of the 1970-ies. The use of membranes in the sweetener industry started in the 1980-ies with DDS Filtration, now Alfa Laval Business Centre Membranes, as one of the pioneering companies. The aim of this presentation is to give an update on recent developed membrane concepts for the starch and starch-based sweetener industry and it will focus on three novel... (More)
- 1. IntroductionBoth the development of nowadays membrane technology and nutritive sweeteners started in the middle of the 20th century. The development of the asymmetric membranes using phase inversion was pioneered by Loeb and Sourirajan in the 1960-ies, while the discovery of glucose isomerase was a milestone in the commercialisation of high fructose corn syrup in the beginning of the 1970-ies. The use of membranes in the sweetener industry started in the 1980-ies with DDS Filtration, now Alfa Laval Business Centre Membranes, as one of the pioneering companies. The aim of this presentation is to give an update on recent developed membrane concepts for the starch and starch-based sweetener industry and it will focus on three novel concepts: (1) water recovery from the 3-phase starch decanter by reverse osmosis in the wheat starch production to improve the overall water balance, (2) demudding of starch-based sweeteners with a decanter-ultrafiltration process replacing rotatory vacuum filters and improving product quality and (3) the use of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) in the wastewater treatment plant of starch factories. 2. Water recovery from 3-phase starch decanter using ultrafiltrationThe first focus application is related to the wheat starch extraction. In the process, the wheat flour is mixed with water and then separated by a 3-phase decanter resulting in an A-starch fraction, a gluten and B-starch fraction, and a fraction consisting of solubles and pentosanes. In order to optimise the water consumption it is possible to apply UF for concentrating the solubles and pentosanes and recovering water for recycling in the process i.e. dough preparation. Applying this concept reduces the water consumption by approx. 20% resulting in reduction of water from 2.4 m3 water/ton flour to 2 m3 water/ton flour for a wheat starch line and from 1.7 m3 water/ton flour to 1.3 m3 water/ton flour for a wheat gluten line. It should be noted that this concept does not only improve the overall water balance for the starch extraction but reduces also the energy required for the concentration of the soluble/pentosane fraction by evaporation. An application study for the treatment of 56 m3/h soluble/pentosane fraction from a wheat starch decanter will be presented. 3. Demudding of starch-based sweeteners by a decanter – ultrafiltration synergy process After the after liquification and saccarfication of the starch the resulting starch-based sweeteners needs to be polished. This demudding step is conventionally done with rotary vacuum filters using kieselguhr as filter aid. Alternatively, a decanter – ultrafiltration synergy process has been developed. This closed process avoids potentially hazardous filter aids, limits the exposure of the sweeteners to the outer atmosphere and achieves higher product qualities than the conventional approach. A case study of a low DE 42 – 50 line and a high DE95 line for the demudding of corn-based sweeteners will be shown. 4. Membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment in starch factoriesDespite efforts to reduce the water consumption in the starch and starch-based sweetener industry and close the water loop as much as possible often some effluents streams are generated which have to be removed from the process and discharged. In the last 20 years, membrane bioreactors (MBRs) combining activated sludge treatment with a filtration through an MF/UF membrane, either submerged in the biology or in a side-stream, have established themselves in a wide range of industries and it can be foreseen that MBRs will also establish themselves in the area of the starch and starch-based sweetener industry. In particular combining MBRs with NF/RO polishing could result in water stream suitable direct recycling or blending with in-take water streams. A case study related to the wastewater treatment plant of a modified potato starch producer using Alfa Laval’s hollow sheets MBR modules will be used to highlight the potential of this emerging technology. 5. Conclusions and outlookOverall, membrane processes have their potential in the starch and starch-based sweetener as highly selective and energy-saving separation processes and these new applications will support this trend. R&D efforts are currently focusing on the optimisation of these new applications and on the increased further integration of membrane technologies in the starch and starch-based sweetener production plus starch-based biorefineries aiming at the optimal utilisation of the starch containing crops. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/b04e3aaa-7f77-4d4e-be45-1bc4dd7e44df
- author
- Lipnizki, Frank
LU
; Dupuy, Aurélie
LU
and Nilsson, Mattias
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2015
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Membranes, Starch industry, Ultrafiltration
- conference name
- 66th Starch Convention
- conference location
- Detmold, Germany
- conference dates
- 2015-04-15 - 2015-04-16
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- b04e3aaa-7f77-4d4e-be45-1bc4dd7e44df
- date added to LUP
- 2018-10-15 05:00:32
- date last changed
- 2019-03-08 02:29:44
@misc{b04e3aaa-7f77-4d4e-be45-1bc4dd7e44df,
abstract = {{1. IntroductionBoth the development of nowadays membrane technology and nutritive sweeteners started in the middle of the 20th century. The development of the asymmetric membranes using phase inversion was pioneered by Loeb and Sourirajan in the 1960-ies, while the discovery of glucose isomerase was a milestone in the commercialisation of high fructose corn syrup in the beginning of the 1970-ies. The use of membranes in the sweetener industry started in the 1980-ies with DDS Filtration, now Alfa Laval Business Centre Membranes, as one of the pioneering companies. The aim of this presentation is to give an update on recent developed membrane concepts for the starch and starch-based sweetener industry and it will focus on three novel concepts: (1) water recovery from the 3-phase starch decanter by reverse osmosis in the wheat starch production to improve the overall water balance, (2) demudding of starch-based sweeteners with a decanter-ultrafiltration process replacing rotatory vacuum filters and improving product quality and (3) the use of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) in the wastewater treatment plant of starch factories. 2. Water recovery from 3-phase starch decanter using ultrafiltrationThe first focus application is related to the wheat starch extraction. In the process, the wheat flour is mixed with water and then separated by a 3-phase decanter resulting in an A-starch fraction, a gluten and B-starch fraction, and a fraction consisting of solubles and pentosanes. In order to optimise the water consumption it is possible to apply UF for concentrating the solubles and pentosanes and recovering water for recycling in the process i.e. dough preparation. Applying this concept reduces the water consumption by approx. 20% resulting in reduction of water from 2.4 m3 water/ton flour to 2 m3 water/ton flour for a wheat starch line and from 1.7 m3 water/ton flour to 1.3 m3 water/ton flour for a wheat gluten line. It should be noted that this concept does not only improve the overall water balance for the starch extraction but reduces also the energy required for the concentration of the soluble/pentosane fraction by evaporation. An application study for the treatment of 56 m3/h soluble/pentosane fraction from a wheat starch decanter will be presented. 3. Demudding of starch-based sweeteners by a decanter – ultrafiltration synergy process After the after liquification and saccarfication of the starch the resulting starch-based sweeteners needs to be polished. This demudding step is conventionally done with rotary vacuum filters using kieselguhr as filter aid. Alternatively, a decanter – ultrafiltration synergy process has been developed. This closed process avoids potentially hazardous filter aids, limits the exposure of the sweeteners to the outer atmosphere and achieves higher product qualities than the conventional approach. A case study of a low DE 42 – 50 line and a high DE95 line for the demudding of corn-based sweeteners will be shown. 4. Membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment in starch factoriesDespite efforts to reduce the water consumption in the starch and starch-based sweetener industry and close the water loop as much as possible often some effluents streams are generated which have to be removed from the process and discharged. In the last 20 years, membrane bioreactors (MBRs) combining activated sludge treatment with a filtration through an MF/UF membrane, either submerged in the biology or in a side-stream, have established themselves in a wide range of industries and it can be foreseen that MBRs will also establish themselves in the area of the starch and starch-based sweetener industry. In particular combining MBRs with NF/RO polishing could result in water stream suitable direct recycling or blending with in-take water streams. A case study related to the wastewater treatment plant of a modified potato starch producer using Alfa Laval’s hollow sheets MBR modules will be used to highlight the potential of this emerging technology. 5. Conclusions and outlookOverall, membrane processes have their potential in the starch and starch-based sweetener as highly selective and energy-saving separation processes and these new applications will support this trend. R&D efforts are currently focusing on the optimisation of these new applications and on the increased further integration of membrane technologies in the starch and starch-based sweetener production plus starch-based biorefineries aiming at the optimal utilisation of the starch containing crops.}},
author = {{Lipnizki, Frank and Dupuy, Aurélie and Nilsson, Mattias}},
keywords = {{Membranes; Starch industry; Ultrafiltration}},
language = {{eng}},
title = {{New concepts for the starch and starch-based sweetener industry}},
year = {{2015}},
}