In the food, beverage and plant extraction industries, the efficiency of raw material processing and separation directly affects the purity, taste, nutritional retention and economic benefits of the products. With the increasing demand for healthy and natural products, the market for fruit juice drinks and plant functional ingredients is growing rapidly. At the same time, the industry has also put forward higher requirements for processing equipment: higher separation efficiency, stronger processing capacity, lower operating costs and easier cleaning. The horizontal screw centrifuge, with its excellent solid-liquid separation ability, continuous operation performance and high degree of automation, is becoming an important equipment in the field of juice production and plant extraction, bringing new application opportunities and industrial upgrading paths.
Challenges and opportunities brought by changes in industry demand
1.1 Development trend of juice industry
The juice production process generally includes steps such as crushing, pressing, clarifying, and concentrating. In this process, solid-liquid separation is one of the key links affecting the quality of juice. Traditional plate and frame filter pressing, screen filtration and other methods are inefficient and require high manual participation, making it difficult to meet the needs of modern and large-scale production.
With the rise of new products such as cold-pressed juice, NFC (non-concentrated reduced) juice, and functional juice, consumers are paying more and more attention to the clarity, nutrient retention and taste of the products. This puts higher demands on juice processing: How to efficiently remove pomace without destroying active nutrients? How to ensure that there is no pollution during the production process? These have become important challenges facing manufacturers.
1.2 Expansion of plant extract market
Plant extracts are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, health products, food additives, cosmetics and other industries. During the extraction process, it is usually necessary to separate effective ingredients such as polysaccharides, flavonoids, saponins, phenols, essential oils, etc. from plant raw materials. Due to the wide variety of raw materials and different textures, the extract contains a large amount of impurities such as suspended matter, fine fibers, and gum-like substances. If they cannot be separated efficiently, it will not only affect the subsequent concentration and drying processes, but also reduce the purity and quality of the final product.
Therefore, finding an efficient, reliable, and adaptable solid-liquid separation equipment has become an urgent problem to be solved in the entire plant extraction industry. It is in this context that the horizontal screw centrifuge stands out.
Working principle and technical advantages of decanter centrifuge
Decanter centrifuge is a device that uses centrifugal force to achieve continuous solid-liquid separation. Its core consists of a drum, a screw conveyor, a differential, a drive system, etc.
2.1 Brief description of working principle
When the mixed liquid (such as juice, plant extract) enters the centrifuge, the high-speed rotating drum generates a strong centrifugal force, causing the denser solid particles to be thrown to the inner wall of the drum to form a solid phase layer; while the relatively lighter liquid flows to the center to form a liquid phase layer. The screw conveyor rotates slowly at a set differential speed, pushing the solid material to the slag discharge port for continuous discharge, and the clarified liquid is discharged from the other end, thereby achieving the purpose of solid-liquid separation.
2.2 Key technical advantages
Continuous operation and efficient separation: Unlike traditional intermittent filtration, the decanter centrifuge can achieve continuous separation around the clock, which is particularly suitable for high-yield juice or extraction workshops.
Strong adaptability: Suitable for high-fiber, high-viscosity, high-solid raw materials, such as mango juice, carrot juice, Chinese herbal extract, etc., with high separation accuracy.
High degree of automation: It can be controlled by PLC or DCS system to realize intelligent adjustment of parameters such as feed amount, speed, differential speed, and slag discharge time.
Small footprint, energy saving and consumption reduction: Compared with traditional process flow, the horizontal screw centrifuge has a compact structure, low energy consumption, and reduced labor input.
Easy to clean and maintain: Some models are equipped with CIP online cleaning system to reduce the risk of cross contamination and meet food grade or pharmaceutical grade requirements.
Application scenarios in juice processing
3.1 Deslagging of primary pressed pulp
For apple, orange, grape and other pulps, the primary pressing often contains a large amount of suspended impurities such as pomace, peel, and seeds. Using a horizontal screw centrifuge, the coarse residue can be removed efficiently without affecting the flavor of the juice, making subsequent fine filtration and sterilization smoother.
Case: A large juice processing plant uses a horizontal screw centrifuge instead of a traditional filter press, increasing the daily processing capacity of raw materials by 30%, the clarity of the juice by 40%, and effectively reducing the amount of clarifier added.
3.2 Cold-pressed clarification of NFC juice
For high-end NFC juice production, heat treatment cannot be performed, and solid-liquid separation must be completed at low temperature. The horizontal screw centrifuge can separate the pomace at high speed under temperature control, keeping the nutrients intact and ensuring the original flavor of the juice.
3.3 Pretreatment of fruit wine and fermented beverages
When used in the production of fruit wine and fruit enzyme drinks, the horizontal screw centrifuge can remove the pomace and separate the lees before and after fermentation, improving the clarity and taste stability of the product.
Driven by the wave of healthy consumption and the demand for natural extracts, the juice and plant extraction industry is entering a stage of rapid development. The decanter centrifuge, with its core advantages of efficient separation, automatic operation, hygiene and environmental protection, is becoming an important equipment support in this trend.
