Starch from potato/ cassava
Potato starch process flowchart:
The following flowchart provides a brief overview of the main potato / cassava starch production process. Production process for potato, cassava, sweet potato and yam are almost the same with some minor differences. To see the flow chart please click here
Potato starch process description:
The production of potato starch comprises the steps such as delivery and unloading potatoes, cleaning, rasping of tubers, potato juice separation, starch extraction, starch milk refining, dewatering of refined starch milk and starch drying. We have provided below a brief description on the main steps of the potato starch production process.
Note : MICROTEC updates its potato starch production technology and machinery based on latest experience
1- Potato cleaning and washing
Coarsely cleaning of potatoes takes place during the transport of potatoes to the potato drum washer by channel. In addition, before the drum washer, potato de-sander is installed. The main cleaning is conducted in drum washing unit. Depends on the capacity in order to make less space and less water to wash potato a new kind of potato washing-de sanding is recommended.
2- Potato Rasping
After washing and de-stoning of potatoes in the above mentioned section, the potatoes are transported into the storage hopper then to the Rasper machine. After rasping potatoes in rasping machine, potato slurry is pumped to the de-sanding cyclone, which sand is collected into the collecting vessel and can be discharged periodically.
3- Starch Extraction and fiber dewatering
From the de-sanding unit the potato slurry enters the extraction unit consisting of rotary sieves. By this stage the fibers are washed out counter currently by process water. The washed fibers pumped into the dewatering sieve, where they will be dewatered. Then starch slurry is prepared for the next section.
4- Starch Concentration and dewatering
Raw starch milk is purified in the refining process. This involves the removal of small fibers from the starch milk and then the removal of juice water and starch milk concentration. For this purpose, washing and recovery hydrocyclones are commonly used. Starch slurry also gets concentrated by these hydro cyclone units. Concentrated starch leaves hydro cyclone to a centrifugal decanter or rotary vacuum filter for dewatering
5- Starch Drying
After the mechanical dewatering of the starch milk by vacuum filter, the starch cake is transported to the inlet of the flash dryer in order to be dried to a commercial grade.