Starch Reactor

Description:

Microtec is a master in reactor design, a crucial component in the production of modified starches. The reactor design is key to ensuring consistent batch quality, optimal chemical mixing performance, and a fully automated system. These factors, along with many others, are critical for producing high-performance reactors that can handle various types of modified starches through wet chemical modification. Microtec's reactors range in capacity from small to very large, accommodating up to 100 m², and are engineered to deliver superior performance in starch modification processes.

Modified starches, also known as starch derivatives, are produced by chemically treating native starch to alter its molecular and granular structure, thereby enhancing its properties for different applications. This process is carefully managed within a reactor, where variables such as temperature, pH, and agitation are controlled according to specific recipes. Chemical modifications such as hydrolysis, oxidation, cross-linking, substitution, etherification, and esterification are achieved within these reactors.

Starch modification reactions are carried out in specially manufactured reactors where starch, suspended in water as a slurry, is treated with acids or alkalis under controlled conditions. The process involves careful heating without reaching the gelatinisation temperature and the addition of modifying reagents following the modification recipe. After neutralisation, the starch's properties are completely transformed.

Microtec's reactors are designed with precision, offering materials of choice such as stainless steel or reinforced fiberglass. These reactors are equipped with a range of features to ensure optimal performance, including special high-speed agitators, internal wave breakers for effective agitation, side homogenisers for ideal mixing, and control systems that include valves and flow meters. Additional features include a recirculation loop, static mixer, side heat exchangers for temperature control, and precise instruments for measuring level, temperature, and pH. The reactors also have proper ventilation, sample connections, and are designed to prevent dead spaces and sedimentation.