Production of
Tapioca Starch

To start, the manioc roots are cleaned in wash drums to remove any soil and dirt deposits; they are then coarsely chopped and crushed. The wash water is clarified in ponds for reuse later in the process. The remaining sludge is dewatered using Flottweg decanters.

After crushing, the root pieces are ground into a so-called grated pulp with the help of special machines and then diluted with water. Here, the goal is to break down the cells and release the starch grains. A grating decanter separates a large part of the fruit water (centrate) from the starch-fiber fraction (solid phase). Approx. 70% of the soluble substances are thus separated from the amniotic fluid. This reduces downstream water consumption, improves tapioca quality and increases the yield of tapioca starch.

Industrial centrifuges are used to separate the tapioca gratings from the amniotic fluid. The mixture of gratings and fluid contains a high quantity of solids. Therefore, a powerful drive like the Flottweg Simp Drive® is indispensable in this application. The industrial centrifuge separates high amounts of tapioca gratings in a short period of time. Efficient separation of the amniotic fluid increases the service life of the system, conserves resources (like water), produces better quality starch, and increases the starch yield.

Flottweg decanter centrifuges are equipped with the Recuvane® system for maximum energy efficiency. Targeted drainage of the separated liquid saves drive energy and reduces energy consumption.

To achieve high starch quality, it is essential to constantly and efficiently remove impurities from the starch. After starch extraction, the Flottweg nozzle separator refines and concentrates the starch milk. Our FDS series nozzle separators have the largest possible clarification area and can continuously process and discharge large quantities of solids. Producers consistently obtain pure and concentrated starch at the lower outlet. The nozzle separator can also be equipped with an optional washing system. This device allows process/wash water or already concentrated product to be added directly to the solids chambers upstream of the nozzle outlet. This improves the separation result and compensates for product variations in a process-safe manner.

After extracting the starch, operators dewater the resulting tapioca pulp in order to reduce the transport and drying costs. Compared to screw presses, industrial centrifuges dewater with less space, and they are clean and efficient. The drier the dewatered pulp, the less material that needs to be disposed of, and the lower the cost of transportation, disposal or drying.

For durability and reliability, our machines are developed and manufactured exclusively in Germany. Our industrial centrifuges include numerous features that further enhance performance. Our decanter centrifuges are equipped with the powerful Flottweg Simp Drive® drive. The drive ensures high differential speeds and automatically adapts to changing conditions during operation. This provides consistent separation results even with product variances.

For the longest possible service life and minimum downtime, our decanters have special wear protection — adapted to the conditions encountered in starch production.

Whether in Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines, Flottweg has decades of experience and numerous references related to the production of tapioca starch. We know what matters to producers.