What are the differences between hydrocyclone stations and sedimentation tanks in cassava starch processing plants? Why choose hydrocyclone stations?

The main procedures for producing starch from cassava tubers are: raw cassava tubers cleaning, crushing, starch extraction and refining, starch slurry dewatering, and drying. The part that can influence starch quality is the starch refining process. The starch refining process is divided into traditional sedimentation tanks and hydrocyclone stations in the cassava starch processing plant. What's their difference? Why choose hydrocyclone stations?

Traditional sedimentation tanks or pools

In the traditional way, people use sedimentation tanks or pools to concentrate and purify starch slurry. After cassava fibers are removed, the slurry will be put into a pool. Because that starch gravity is larger than water and protein gravity is smaller than water, starch will sink to the bottom of the pool and impurities like protein and cell liquids will go up after sedimentation. Therefore, people can remove the upper water and get starch from the bottom after sedimentation. This traditional sedimentation method needs to spend a lot of time waiting for the separation of starch and water. If you want to produce a large amount, you also need a large site to build a sedimentation tank, and the produced starch contains impurities and the quality is not high. Of course, its cost is very low.

Modern hydrocyclone station

In the modern technology of cassava starch processing plants, a hydrocyclone station is used to concentrate and refine starch slurry automatically, replacing the traditional sedimentation tank.

Hydrocyclone station has the function of concentrating, refining, and recycling starch. When cassava slurry goes into the hydrocyclone, starch, and other impurities will be separated and flows into different outlet-overflow outlet and bottom outlet. The theory is that starch and impurities have different densities, which makes them swirl in different radii. Starch that has a large density will cause the external swirl and come out from the bottom outlet. On the contrary, impurities ( e.g. protein) will flow into the overflow outlet. Normally we match 18 stages of hydrocyclone to ensure high quality of final starch.

18 stages of hydrocyclone stations

Compared to traditional sedimentation tanks, hydrocyclone stations can realize starch refining in a shorter time and with high working efficiency, and they can achieve big capacity. What’s more, starch quality from the hydrocyclone station is higher than sedimentation tanks.

Apart from hydrocyclone, we also have other modern machines (like rasper, centrifuge sieve, de-sander, dewatering machine, flash dryer, etc. )for the cassava starch processing plant, which can make the whole process a complete line and work continuously and automatically. Different capacities from 2t/h to 40t/h are available.

If you have the plan to set up a cassava starch processing plant don’t hesitate to contact us to get a complete proposal.