Wet fractionation of forage to reduce energy requirements of dehydration. Final technical report

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6317948

The Valley Dehydrating Company of Atwood, Colorado, was founded in 1952 to dehydrate alfalfa. Subsequently, it was realized that the rapidly escalating cost of natural gas, burned to provide heat for the dehydration of the alfalfa, would make the traditional process of direct dehydration uneconomical. As an alternative, the use of green crop fractionation in combination with waste heat recovery from the main dryer was investigated. In the wet, or green crop fractionation process, freshly cut alfalfa is brought to the processing site where it is first macerated to rupture the plant cells and then is pressed to remove as much juice as possible. The fiber fraction from the pressing contains only about half as much moisture as the original alfalfa; and thus, can be dehydrated at a much lower cost. The juice which contains plant proteins and lipids as well as a variety of soluble components, is heated to above 80/sup 0/C in order to coagulate the protein. When this material is separated from the residual liquid and dried a high protein, high xanthophyll product (Pro-Xan) results. The remaining solubles are concentrated, using the waste heat from the main dryer to yield a molasses-like product. Instead of the one product, (dehydrated alfalfa) produced by the traditional process, green crop fractionation produces three: dehydrated pressed alfalfa, leaf nutrient concentrate, and molasses.

• Research Organization: Valley Dehydrating Co., Sterling, CO (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-78CS40088
• OSTI ID: 6317948
• Report Number(s): DOE/CS/40088-T1; ON: DE83010309
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
ALFALFA
DEHYDRATION
FRACTIONATION
FORAGE
MOLASSES
PROTEINS
WASTE HEAT UTILIZATION
ANIMAL FEEDS
FOOD
LEGUMINOSAE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
320304* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Waste Heat Recovery & Utilization