Overview of starch sugar production technology

Starch sugar is a kind of sugar mainly derived from glucose, fructose and maltose, which is hydrolyzed by enzyme or acid method. The production process mainly includes starch pulping, saccharification, filtration, refining, concentration and other steps. In this series of processes, the filtration process is crucial, which can remove insoluble impurities in the saccharification solution, such as unreacted starch particles, proteins, bacteria, etc., to provide clarified sugar solution for subsequent refining and concentration, and ensure product quality.\

The structure of vacuum drum filter is composed

The vacuum drum filter is mainly composed of drum, distribution head, filter cloth, scraper, vacuum system and transmission device.

 drum: is the core part of the filter, usually cylindrical, with many holes on the surface, used to support the filter cloth and filter function. The inner part of the drum is divided into a number of uncommunicated segments, each segment is connected to the distribution head through a pipe.

 Distributing head: It is the key component to control the communication between the drum segments and the vacuum system and the washing liquid system. According to the rotating position of the drum, different segments can be connected to the vacuum system in turn to achieve different operation stages such as filtration, washing and drying.

 filter cloth: covering the surface of the drum, is the filter medium, used to trap solid particles, so that the liquid can pass through. The material and performance of the filter cloth have an important impact on the filtration effect, and the common filter cloth materials are natural fibers, synthetic fibers and metal fibers.

 Scraper: installed under the drum, used to scrape the filter cake formed after filtering on the drum surface and make it fall into the collection device. The position and Angle of the scraper can be adjusted as needed to ensure that the cake can be effectively scraped.

 Vacuum system: composed of vacuum pump, vacuum tank, pipe, etc., to provide vacuum suction for the filtration process, so that liquid can enter the drum through the filter cloth under the action of pressure difference, to achieve solid-liquid separation.

 transmission device: drives the drum to rotate at a certain speed to ensure the continuous filtration process. The transmission device is usually composed of a motor, a reducer, etc., and transmits power to the drum through a transmission mode such as a belt or chain.

Working principle

The working process of the vacuum drum filter is continuous, which can be divided into four stages: filtration, washing, drying and unloading.

Filtration stage: the drum rotates slowly under the drive of the transmission device, when the fan grid on the surface of the drum enters the slurry tank, under the action of vacuum suction, the liquid in the slurry enters the fan grid inside the drum through the filter cloth, and the solid particles are trapped on the surface of the filter cloth to form filter cake. As the drum rotates, the cake gradually thickens.

 washing stage: When the fan grid with filter cake is turned into the slurry tank, it enters the washing area. At this time, the washing liquid is evenly sprayed on the surface of the filter cake through the spraying device. Under the action of vacuum suction, the washing liquid passes through the filter cake to dissolve and take away the residual impurities, further improving the purity of the filter cake.

 drying stage: after washing, the filter cake enters the drying area. Under the continuous action of vacuum suction, the water in the filter cake is further sucked out, so that the moisture content of the filter cake is reduced.

Discharge stage: When the drum is rotated to the discharge area, the scraper will scrape the cake off the drum surface and drop it into the collection device. Subsequently, the filter cloth on the surface of the drum is cleaned by the cleaning device to restore the filtration performance and enter the next filtration cycle.

peculiarity

 continuous operation: can realize automatic continuous production, high production efficiency, suitable for large-scale industrial production needs.

 Good filtration effect: through reasonable adjustment of vacuum degree, drum speed, filter cloth material and other parameters, you can effectively control the filtration speed and filtration quality, and obtain high clarity filtrate.

 Stable operation: the equipment structure is relatively simple, stable operation, easy maintenance, low incidence of failure.

 Strong adaptability: according to different material properties and filtration requirements, choose the appropriate filter cloth material, drum size and vacuum and other parameters, to meet the filtration needs of a variety of materials.

Position in the starch sugar filtration process

In starch sugar production, the vacuum drum filter is usually located after the saccharification reaction. After a certain period of reaction, the saccharifying solution contains unreacted starch particles, proteins, enzymes and other impurities, which need to be preliminatively filtered through the vacuum drum filter to remove these insoluble impurities and obtain a relatively clarified sugar solution. The filtrated sugar solution then enters the subsequent ion exchange, activated carbon adsorption and other refining processes to further improve the purity and quality of the sugar solution.

Application advantage

 Improve production efficiency: The continuous operation mode of vacuum drum filter can greatly improve the filtration efficiency of starch sugar production, reduce the filtration time, and meet the needs of large-scale production. Compared with the traditional intermittent filter equipment, its production capacity is stronger, can effectively shorten the production cycle, improve the economic benefits of enterprises.

 Guarantee product quality: Through the precise control of filtration parameters, the vacuum drum filter can effectively remove impurities in the saccharifying liquid and ensure the clarity and purity of the filtrate. This provides a good raw material for the subsequent refining process, helps to improve the quality of starch sugar products, reduce the content of impurities in products, and improve the stability and taste of products.

Reduce labor intensity: The automated operation process reduces manual intervention, and reduces the labor intensity and operation difficulty of workers. Workers only need to check the operation of the equipment regularly, replace the filter cloth, etc., which greatly improves the safety and reliability of the production process.

 Cost saving: The efficient filtration performance of the vacuum drum filter can reduce the material loss in the filtration process and improve the utilization rate of raw materials. At the same time, the continuous production mode also helps to reduce energy consumption and equipment maintenance costs, and improve the comprehensive competitiveness of enterprises.

Process control points

 Vacuum degree: Vacuum degree is one of the key factors affecting the filtration effect of vacuum drum filter. In the production of starch sugar, it is necessary to adjust the vacuum degree reasonably according to the properties of saccharifying liquid and filtration requirements. Generally speaking, the higher the vacuum, the faster the filtration speed, but too high vacuum may lead to too dense filter cake, affecting the washing effect and unloading difficulty. Generally, the vacuum degree is controlled between -0.06 and -0.08MPa.

 Drum speed: The drum speed determines the filtering time and the thickness of the cake. The speed is too fast, the thickness of filter cake is thin, and the filtering effect may not be ideal; If the speed is too slow, it will affect the production efficiency. The appropriate drum speed should be selected according to the filtration performance and production capacity requirements of the saccharifying liquid, generally between 0.5-3r /min.

 Filter cloth selection: the material, aperture and weaving mode of the filter cloth have an important impact on the filtration effect. In the production of starch sugar, the suitable filter cloth should be selected according to the particle size and properties of impurities in the saccharification solution. For example, for the saccharification solution containing small particles of impurities, a filter cloth with a small aperture can be selected; For highly corrosive saccharification liquid, corrosion resistant filter cloth material should be selected.

 Washing operation: Washing is an important link to ensure the quality of filter cake and the purity of filtrate. In the washing process, it is necessary to control the amount of washing liquid, temperature and spray uniformity. The amount of washing liquid should be adjusted according to the adsorption and impurity content of the filter cake, generally 1-3 times the volume of the filter cake. The temperature of the washing liquid is generally controlled between 40-60 ° C to improve the washing effect.

In short, the vacuum drum filter has important application value in the production of starch sugar, through reasonable process control and equipment maintenance, can effectively improve the production efficiency and product quality of starch sugar, and provide strong support for the development of starch sugar industry.