Corn Starch
Corn starch is made by impregnating corn soaking with 0.3% sulfurous acid, crushing, sieving, separating, dehydrating and drying. Mainly used as raw materials for glucose, fructose, polyols, as well as many fermentation products such as lysine, threonine, lactic acid, vitamins….Around 100 Million tons of corn was used to produce corn starch.
Process Flow
Process Description
There are 4 main steps for corn starch production.
1. Corn steeping:
The purpose of steeping is to separate water solubles from the corn and to soften the kernels
Main process and equipments:
Precleaning (magnetic separator, corn after cleaner, cyclone filter…)
steeping tanks
Stone catcher, sieve bend
Corn steep liquor evaporator (falling film)
2.Grinding, germ separation and fibre separation
Grinding is made in 2 steps. Each grinding is followed by germ separation, by means of 2 stage degermination system
The remaining starch in germs fraction is washed out in 3 stage sieve bend system, using process water
The starch is sent to refiner mill, were it is separated from fiber by means of multi stage sieve bend.
Fiber is sent to further dewatering and drying
Starch is sent to further starch / gluten separation.
3.Gluten separation and starch washing
Separation of starch and gluten is obtained in a centrifuge separator
Gluten is concentrated in a centrifuge separator and dewatered on rotary drum vacuum filter prior to drying
The starch is purified in a multi-stage starch washing system.
The purified starch milk can be sent as it is to glucose plant (no intermediate storage higher than 2 hours), or sent to dryer (OPTION).
4.Drying (germs, gluten and fibers)
Germ drying
After dewatering press, germ is dried in a steam heated tube-bundle dryer.
Gluten drying
After rotary vacuum filter dewatering, gluten is dried in a steam heated tube-bundle dryer.
Fiber drying
Dewatered fibre and CSL is dried in a steam heated tube-bundle dryer.
Starch drying (OPTIONAL)
Refined starch milk is dewatered on peeler centrifuge, and dried in flash dryer