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We don't just build sugar refineries, we also take care of the byproducts.
Sugar refineries
Our production plants for sugar refineries and the sweetener industry are tailor-made to match customer requirements. We refine the raw materials – no matter whether sweet sorghum, sugar beet or sugar cane – to create high-quality products.
Our engineers combine their many years of experience of planning technical processes with innovative concepts to create a safe and reliable process, which is a very cost-effective and reliable solution for trouble-free plant operation.
Fermentation products
Products obtained by fermentation include bioethanol; organic, amino and acetic acids; as well as enzymes and antibiotics.
In addition to the production of bioethanol for use as a biofuel, the production of biogas and the brewery are counted among the focus of the fermentation industry.
We also plan complete industrial processing plants for the deep processing of molasses – which is formed as a byproduct in sugar refineries – to create a range of fermentation products. Fermentation plants cover all the stages, from the acceptance and processing of the substrate, through the fermentation, to the downstream processes and packaging.
The EPC Group applies the state-of-the-art technologies to plan and construct fermentation plants that conform to the requirements of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
EPC Exclusives
Scaling up pilot plants that produce, for example, xanthan gum
Xanthan is the most important, commercially used exopolysaccharide (EPS) with pseudoplastic properties. It is usually produced by the biotechnological fermentation of Xanthomonas campestris. Xanthan can be produced extremely cheaply, as the producing microorganism converts between 60 and 70 percent of the substrate when grown on glucose or saccharose.
The viscosity controlling properties of xanthan make it a preferred gelling and film-forming agent in the foodstuffs industry. Xanthan is also used in some specialist fields, such as crude oil and ore extraction. Xanthan is an approved food additive in Europe, with the assigned number E415.
EPC's specialists supervise the experimental process and optimized the plant parameters. The process is simulated in pilot scale, and the data required for the scaling up procedure are determined. The methods developed in laboratory scale can be used with a large scale-up factor for operations in the technical production plant.
Our engineers are principally involved in processes, in which the chemical, mechanical and microbiological transformation of substances is accompanied by a material, heat and impulse exchange. These processes usually behave differently at small laboratory scale than they do at large production scale; the scale-up is our expertise!
Modular plant concept for deep processing
Our unique plants take process optimization into a new dimension to make them more profitable. Well-developed technologies and efficient plant designs enable our customers to produce select, high-quality cereal products at internationally competitive prices. The planning gives top priority to the specific requirements of the demanding foodstuffs industry. EPC applies a quality management system, which is certified according to ISO standards.
Fermentation plants that conform to the requirement of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)
Fermentation technology is the part of biotechnology that develops and runs plants to produce or convert substances by biological processes. We distinguish between three types of biological processes: biochemical processing, enzyme and fermentation methods.
Whereas the enzyme method uses enzymes as biocatalysts, the fermentation method uses the natural biochemical reactions of living cells, which create and transform substances. The main priority is for all the products to be characterized by perfect quality and pioneering innovation. The EPC Group is conscious of these quality standards, and constructs fermentation plants on the basis of the latest technologies that conform to the requirements of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Aqueous and alcoholic methods of extracting proteins
Proteins are essential building blocks in plant and animal metabolisms. They are macromolecules composed of amino acids. Their tasks are to transport important substances, act as catalysts, and to detect and pass on signals.
As some essential proteins cannot be produced by the organism itself, they have to be added, for example, to animal feed as a nutritional supplement. The resulting high protein fodder has muscle-building and performance enhancing effects in comparison to conventional animal feed.
Vegetable proteins are mainly obtained as by-products from the press residues of oil pressing and extraction processes. Depending on the type of raw material or the use of the product, the press cake is processed by either an "alcoholic" or an "aqueous" method.
Alcoholic extraction, usually with ethanol, achieves a higher yield and a purer protein, but more apparatus is required for the more intensive purification of the protein.
Setting the pH value is crucial to obtaining optimal separation of the protein by means of acid-base washing. We offer integrated concepts for controlling the recirculation of process water and water treatment, which minimize process costs and ensure environmentally friendly operation.
The selection of the most suitable process for obtaining protein is based on our experience in the fields of plant engineering and operational management, and an evaluation of the current market situation. We collaborate intensively with experienced, well-regarded equipment suppliers and our customers to work out an optimal, profitable and goal-oriented process variant.
Energy-efficient, water-saving technology
Protecting the environment always plays an important part in our concept. We reduce the quantity of waste water substantially by purifying the process water internally, and recycling it back into the production. Our concepts do not just save water, the use of energy-efficient technologies also makes them very economical. However, such complex plants are only efficient if all parts of the plant are optimally linked energetically, have viable energy recovery, and make full use of the energy. Optimal design of the ancillary plants also increases the efficiency of the overall plant.
