FR2620460A1 - PROCESS FOR IMPROVING THE PRESSING OF SUGAR PULPES AND INSTALLATION FOR CARRYING OUT SAID METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

The subject of the invention is a process for improving the pressing of sugar pulps by an enzymatic treatment, and an installation for implementing this process. To optimize the enzymatic treatment and thus achieve appreciable energy savings on the pressing and possibly the drying of the pulps, the pulps and the diluted enzymes are continuously brought to the suction port of a pump 14 capable of mixing the pulps. pulps and enzymes and to transport them to a storage area 16, the pulps are stored in heaps and left to stay for 4 to 5 hours on this area and the pulps piled up on the area are taken back to press them into 32.

Description

The pulp products which are a by-product of e-trctior-

  Sugar spreading sugar beets are generally used for animal feed and are pressed and optionally dried to reduce their moisture content before being delivered to the users. It is known that it is possible to facilitate the extraction of the liauiae from certain pulps, for example fruit pulps, by prior treatment with enzymes that modify the oectins to make the pulps less hydrophilic. So far, it has not been proposed to use such treatment to improve the pressing of candy pulps because gold. has not been able to economically solve the problem of constituting a homogeneous mixture of very large volumes of

  iules and very low enzyme doses.

  The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to this problem and thus achieve significant energy savings on the pressing and drying of

pul pes.

  The subject of the invention is a process for treating pulp consisting of diluting the enzymes in a liquid, continuously bringing the pulps and the diluted enzymes to the suction port of a pump capable of mixing the pulps and the enzymes. and transporting them to a storage area, storing the pulps in piles and letting them stay for 4 to 5 hours on this storage area and taking up the pulp piled up on the storage area to squeeze them. To dilute the enzymes it will be possible to use a fraction of the sewage water of the pulps collected on the storage area or water>. from pulp pressing. The invention also relates to an installation for the implementation of this method comprising a screw pump ensuring the mixing of pulps and diluted enzymes and their transport to a storage area, a caster to form a pile of pulp on this storage area, and an apparatus for taking up the pulp heaped up on this area, the movements of the caster and the pickup apparatus being conrugulated so that the residence time of the pulps on

  the storage area is substantially constant.

  Advantageously, the storage area will be annular and the caster and the recovery device will be rotatable. The storage area will be tilted towards the center and a circular gutter will be provided under its inner edge to collect the dewatering pulp. The recovery device may be constituted by a screw disposed transversely to the storage area and feeding a pump placed in the center of the storage area. A metering pump will be used to bring to the suction port of the screw pump enzymes previously diluted in pulping water or press water; the flow rate of the metering pump will be

enslaved to the flow of pulp.

  Other features of the invention will appear at

  reading the description that follows and refers to the drawing

  the accompanying person whose unique figure is a diagram of a

  installation for the implementation of the invention.

  In the plant shown in the drawing, reference numeral 10 denotes a diffuser from which the spent beet chips are continuously discharged as a pulp having a moisture content of about 90%. A screw conveyor 12 discharges the pulp into. the feed hopper of a screw pump 14, for example a Moineau pump, which makes it possible to transport this pulp to a stockyard 16. The storage area is annular and has a slight slope allowing a part liquid transported with the pulp to flow to its inner edge to be collected in a circular channel 18. It is coated with a protective layer

anti-aci e.

  A gantry 20 is disposed at the center of the storage facility, it is provided with wheels that can roll on a circular rail 22 concentric with the storage area, and is equipped with a mechanism for rotating it about the vertical axis passing through. by the center of the storage area. A belt conveyor 24 is mounted on a gantry superstructure so as to be rotatable about the axis of the gantry. It is fed by the pump 14 and allows to pour the pulp on the storage area for

form a heap in an arc.

  A recovery apparatus 26, constituted for example by

  a screw is placed transversely on the storage area.

  It is supported at its inner end by the gantry -4-2, dornt it is integral in rotation and, at its outer end, by a carriage 28 moving on a circular track and concentric to the area of storage. This truck can be equipped with a motor rotating around the center of the storage area, the recovery device and the gantry. The recovery apparatus attacks the base of the pile and transports the pulp torn from the pile to the feed hopper of a pump 30, of the same type as the pump 14, which is placed in the center of the stockyard and

feeds pulp presses 32.

  Pectinolytic enzymes are mixed in a tank 34. with a fraction of the water collected in the channel 18. This mixture is fed to the feed hopper of the pump 14 by means of a dosing pump 36. .pe 36 is slaved to the rotational speed of the auger 12 so that the enzyme flow remains

  always proportional to the pulp flow.

  The pump 14 mixes the enzymes and the pulp to obtain a uniform dispersion of the enzymes in the pulp. With this mixture, the enzymatic reaction that occurs in the pile of pulp formed on the stockyard

is particularly fast.

  In steady state, the pulp is discharged continuously on the storage area at one end of the pile 36, by means of the caster 24, and continuously taken up at the other end of the pile, by means of the apparatus 26, so that the pile moves on the storage area maintaining a substantially longer length

  consrtante. The length of the pile is chosen, fornctior.

  dimeit de puipe. so that the residence time of the

  Shield on the storage area is 4 or 5 hours.

  The movements of the thrower 24 and the pickup apparatus 26 can be automated and slaved to the bit rate.

more

  The temperature of the pulp, which is approximately 55 ° C. at the outlet of the diffuser, must not fall below a lower limit, for example 50 ° C., in order to maintain maximum enzyme activity. If necessary the area of

  stocr: ae can be covered and possibly air conditioned.

  The enzymatic treatment of the pulps according to the invention. allows a gain of 4 points on the content-

  Seehes of the puLipe-presses.

  Instead of storing the pulp on a circular park. we could of course perform stocking on a rectangular park. The recovery and transport devices may be different from those described. It is understood that these modifications and all those obtained by

  the substitution of technical means equivalent to those

  described are within the scope of the invention.

_ 6-_

Claims (8)

CLASS I CAT IONS   1. A method for improving the pressing of candy pulps by enzymatic treatment consisting of diluting the enivrimes in a liquid, continuously bringing the pulps and diluted enzymes to the suction port of a pump (14) adapted to mix the pulp and the enzymes and transport them to a storage area (16), store the pulps in piles and let them stay for 4 to 5 hours in this storage area and take up the pulp   squeezed into the storage area to squeeze them.   _ 2. FProcédé according to claim 1, characterized in that use of sewage pulp collected on   1 storage rack or pressurizing water of: pulps for dilute the enzymes.   3. Process according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pulps piled up on the storage area are   maintained at a temperature of the order of 50-55 C.   C 4. Installation for carrying out the method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises a screw pump (14) ensuring the mixing of pulps and diluted enzymes and their transport to an area storage tank (16), a caster (24) for forming a pile of pulps 2 on the storage area, and an apparatus (26) for   take up the pulp piled up on this area, the movements   the caster and the return device being conjugated so that the residence time of the pulps on the   storage is substantially constant.   5. Installation according to claim 4, characterized in that 1L storage area (16) is annular and the caster (24)   and the pickup apparatus (26) are rotatable.   6. Installation according to claim 5, characterized in that 1 storage area (16) is inclined from the perimeter to the center, and a circular channel (18) is provided on its lower edge to collect the water: x eeQouttage of the PLI to DeF.-   EL e 7. Installation according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the recovery apparatus (26) is constituted by a   screw arranged transversely to the storage and food   both a pump (30) placed in the center of the storage area.   8. Installation according to any one of claims 4 to   7, characterized in that it comprises a metering pump (36) which brings to the suction port of said screw pump (14) diluted enzymes in a liquid, the flow rate of the pump   S being slaved to the flow of the pulp.