Exam 2, Solid Particles Engineering, Date: 28th September, 2020

Name: Nicolás Ñustes Cadena Code: 0000156402

NOTICE: Scan or save your exam as *.pdf as follows: NAME_LASTNAME_EXAM2_SOLIDS.pdf. before hand it

Introduction to case1.
Potato starch is extracted from the tubers of Solanum tuberosum. Starch is typically isolated from cull potatoes, surplus
potatoes, and waste streams from potato processing (also from fries slices washing before frying/cooking 2). However,
there are special cultivars developed for starch manufacture. Culled or surplus potatoes are washed with water in a flume,
to remove dirt and foreign matter. They are then disintegrated by a saw blade rasp or hammer mill, and the mashed
product is screened to remove skins and fibre. During the disintegration process, sulphur dioxide is usually added to
preserve the colour and inhibit oxidation. Water-soluble impurities are separated by washing, and other impurities are
separated by gravity separation. Screening (by using a screening 3 battery), separates (in a gross way!) the starch from the
potato pulp, which can be reground, and a second starch extraction made to obtain a total yield of 12% starch based on
raw potatoes. Optimum engineering results in starch recovery rates of at least 97–98% 4.

Starch isolated from the screens or sieves is reslurried in water (15% w/w solids) to remove soluble material, and then
dewatered (25%w/w) in a hydroclone, followed by further batch centrifuge (as example: r1=15cms; r2=45cms; b=82cms,
rpm’s=3000) for final purification of the potato starch. Starch slurry (35%w/w solids) isolated from these operations is
dewatered by vacuum filtration (~67% w/w solids) and flash-dried (< 175 °C gas inlet temperature). Potato starch, dried to
17–18% or less moisture, is then milled, screened/sieved and packaged (refused material, smaller than 180μm is re-
milled). Unmodified potato starch has a relatively low temperature of gelatinization, and exhibits high viscosity on
gelatinization, but breaks down on further heating and stirring. It can form bio-films and has a high binding power. As an
example, in dairy industry, some ‘greek’ yogurts and milky fermented desserts, adding 0.75% to 1% of starch could provide
better sensory/healthy characteristics (low syneresis and microbial counts, improved taste and stability 5) with minimum
change in the total acidity, decrease in pH.

Potato starch is used unmodified (as drying agent in deodorants, talc formulations, dry shampoo, or additive in bakery or
recipes), or it may be pregelatinized, converted to a cationic form, dextrinized, hydrolysed for sweeteners obtaining or
derivatized by hydroxyethylation, hydroxypropylation, or carboxymethylation. Large amounts of potato starch are used in
thickening commercial soups, and pregelatinized potato starch is useful in instant puddings. Other uses of potato starch
include pie fillings, sweets, chewing gums, and extrusion cooking, and as a filtering medium in breweries (or wineries),
where it is employed as a filter precoat when filtering yeast from the wort. The two major starch types, amylose and
amylopectin, dictates which type of potato starch is best for each commercial application 6.
When starch is further hydrolysed by acids or by amylase enzyme, it yields glucose and a variety of malto-oligosaccharides.
Then, an enzyme-catalyzed isomerization of glucose to fructose is carried up to obtain syrups 7, sweeteners and alcohols by
fermentation. In consequence, starch it’s also an energetic reservoir for biofuels.

In the acid conversion process, a starch slurry is acidified to pH of about 2 and pumped to the converter. After
neutralization, liquor is clarified and concentrated by evaporation. The resulting syrup is further clarified, decolorized, and
finally concentrated in evaporators to the final required density. Some syrups are treated with ion exchange resins for
further refinement7. The acid–enzyme process is similar except that the starch slurry is only partially converted by acid to a
given dextrose equivalent (DE), then treated with an appropriate enzyme or contribution of enzymes to complete the
conversion. In multiple enzyme processes, starch granules are gelatinized and the preliminary starch-splitting or
depolymerization is brought about by an α-amylase enzyme, rather than by means of acid. Dextrose or glucose solutions

1
W.S. Ratnayake, D.S. Jackson, Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition), 2003. Chapter: STARCH-Sources and Processing.
2
A. A. Castro, personal experience in “super rica” potato fries factory. Bogotá, 2003.
3
A “screen” can be a coarse size mesh, usually as pretreatment for common sieving.
4
M.G. Lindhauer, B. Putz, Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition), 2003. Potatoes and related crops - Tubers
5
Altemimi AB. Extraction and Optimization of Potato Starch and Its Application as a Stabilizer in Yogurt Manufacturing. Foods. 2018;7(2):14.
6
Donald P. Weeks, in Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science, 2017. “Gene Editing in Plants”
7
M.A. Clarke, in Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition), 2003. “Syrups”.
from starch depolymerization substrates are refined by carbon and ion exchange systems and treated enzymatically with
isomerase in an immobilized (packed bed) enzyme system. Isomerization is usually carried to a point where the substrate
contains 42% fructose. Following this step, the product is refined again through carbon and ion exchange systems and is
evaporated to a dry solids level of 71%.

In the production of syrups with a fructose level above 50%, the original 42% fructose feedstock is passed through
separation columns of cationic ion exchange resins which retain fructose and dextrose. Fructose is removed; dextrose is
recirculated for further isomerization. In a standard moving-bed system, the fructose fraction is generally recovered at an
80–90% concentration, and blended with 42% fructose feedstock to produce 55% fructose content, at a dry solids level of
77%. The high-level feedstock may also be refined and evaporated to produce 90% high-fructose syrup. High-Maltose
Syrups are used for fermentation (brewing) and for applications in icecream and confectionery where physical properties
are more important than sweetness7.

Typically, rice and maize starch have angular (polyhedral) granules; potato starch has oval-shaped granules. Wheat starch
consists of spherical and flat circular (lens)-shaped granules 8. Sizes also vary widely. Rice starch granules are very small (6
μm diameter), while potato starch granules can exceed 100 μm.
Starch density averages 1.49 g/cm³, its water solubility is too low 9,
less than 1% (commonly 0,1%, at room T)

Figure 1. Light micrographs (× 100) of corn (left) and potato starch (right)
shown using normal light

Figure 2. Light micrographs for various native starches a) cassava starch, b) & D) sweet and common potato starch, respectively,
and, C) Peruvian carrot starch. (source: Ciênc. Tecnol. Aliment. vol.30 no.2 Campinas Apr./June 2010)

A starch factory, obtain 5 types of starch from different potatoes batches. The particle size distribution summary it’s
reported on table 110. Those reports belongs to the September’s activity.

POTATO STARCH SMALL GRANULES MEDIUM GRANULES LARGE GRANULES

SOURCE (% RECOVERED THROUGH (% RECOVERED THROUGH (% RECOVERED THROUGH
FILTRATION) (1–10 ΜM) CENTRIFUGATION) (11–25 ΜM) HYDROCYCLONE) (>25 ΜM)
BATCH #1 4.4 16.4 79.2
BATCH #2 0.9 32.6 66.5
BATCH #3 2.7 52.8 48.5
BATCH #4 2.7 42.1 55.2
BATCH #5 5.1 24.5 70.5
TOTAL

Table 1. Particle size distribution summary for different potatoes starch batches obtained in September.

Questions

8
D.S. Jackson, Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition), 2003. “STARCH - Structure, Properties, and Determination”
9
Retrieved from http://www.inr.gob.mx/Descargas/bioSeguridad/almidon.pdf, accessed on October 1, 2019
10
Table reproduced/adapted from: Jaspreet Singh, Rosana Colussi, Owen J. McCarthy, Lovedeep Kaur, in Advances in Potato Chemistry and Technology
(Second Edition), 2016 Chapter 8, Pages 195-247
(1 point) Starch, obtained in September, was separated through hydrocyclone (big/coarse particles), followed by
centrifugation (intermediate/smaller particles), then vacuum filtered (residual/small particles). All starches are air dried
and packaged for cosmetics (fraction below 11 microns) and food/chemical purposes (fraction above 11 microns). Please
draw the global mass balance for starch separation for September through the starch separation units.

(1.5 points) Considering sphericity for potato starch particles on image 1 (right) or image 2 (potato on D), employing
hindered settling conditions. Please obtain the critical slurry flow (qc) for centrifugal (batch) clarification of starch in
September. Please fill the blank spaces with the calculated values for centrifugal and hindered issues (Pure fluid viscosity:
0,8921 mPa-s (cP), Pure fluid density: 9.9707 g/cm 3)

Potato Starch Sphericity: ~________(aprox)

Starch volumetric concentration: _______%v/v ω2 ( ρ p− ρl ) d 2p 2 2
Apparent (effective) density: ______________ kg/m 3
q c=
2 r2
[ π b (r −r )]
2 1

Apparent (effective) viscosity: _____________ Pa-s 18 μ ln ⁡ ( )

r 1+ r 2
Max Critical flow rate:________________ m3/s 1
ρef = ρ ef
Min Critical flow rate:_______________ kg/s C w , sol C w ,liq C vol=C w
+ ρ sol
ρsol ρliq

μef =μl [ 1+2,5 C vol+ 10,05C 2vol +0,00273 e 16,6 C vol

]

Discuss your results (be concise, less than 100 words)

(1.5 points) A potato starch syrup was obtained, and rheologically characterized (see table 2). Then, the syrup was cleaned
using an activated carbon ion exchange packed bed. The solid void fraction can be assumed as 0,6 and particle size as
0,8mm initially. After 24 hours, the void fraction it’s reduced to 0,4 (caused by fouling/retention of impurities). A 0.5 L/s
syrup flow in each cleaning column when it’s necessary to accomplish with the costumers requirements. Each carbon
cleaning column has a 20cm packed height, 12cm in diameter. Please specify the better working conditions and necessary
pressure to motivate the syrup across the activated carbon filter. Motivate your answer with some calculations and a very
brief dissertation (less than 50 words).

2
Table 1. rheological characterization of potato starch syrup. ΔP ( 1−ε ) μU ( 1−ε ) μ U 2
Syrup Viscosity Viscosity Density =150 +1.75
concentration mPa-s (25°C) mPa-s(38°C) (g/cm3)
L ε3 d2 ε3 d
(Bx°)
40 0,159 0,004 1,131
45 1,282 0,030 1,174
50 8,310 0,198 1,214
55 45,074 1,086 1,252
60 211,024 5,126 1,287
64 663,117 16,203 1,314
68 1943,980 47,767 1,340
70 3251,139 80,100 1,352
74 8713,471 215,779 1,377
76 13985,088 347,175 1,389

U0: ________________ m/s

U: ________________ m/s

Initial pressure drop: ___________ Pa

Fouled pressure drop: ___________ Pa

Raw Packed bed permeability: ______ m2

Fouled Packed bed permeability: ______ m2

Suggested working conditions:

(1 point) Give sense to the statement according with theory studied between week 6 and 10 in this course,
mainly/preferably, seminars, part 1 & 2 (Solid Particles Engineering), fill the blank spaces.

Starch dispersion from potatoes is considered a SUSPENSION , and it’s, in essence a COLOIDAL system because
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