Fine screening of wash water in fruit processing

ROTOPASS® NSA plus with SPR 160

Location:
Teuringer Fruchtsäfte GmbH, Oberteuringen
Performance: 60 m³/h
(Commissioned: October 2007)

Task:
The Teuringer Fruchtsäfte apple press house uses a wash water cycle to carefully transport the fruit to the processing plant.  However the water also takes up leaves, stems, small branches, pieces of broken apple, grass etc., resulting in increasingly contaminated cycle water, which has to be replaced at a particular stage in the cycle.

Solution:
The company wanted a solution to increase the usage time of the cycle water. With the externally loaded drum screen ROTOPASS®, the Noggerath Business Unit of Passavant-Geiger GmbH offers a simple and effective solution to filter the water. With a mesh size of 0.75 mm, the solids are carefully removed from the water, including small pieces or husk fibers which could easily be pulverized using other screening technology. As the solids take some adhering water with them, it was appropriate to add a screw compactor to the ROTOPASS®, which together are known as ROTOPASS® Plus.  In the ROTOPASS® Plus, the screened material is transferred from the drum to the screw compactor tank, transported through the boreless spirals and removed of water in the pressing area. The mixture of fine and coarse constituents means it can be well drained, which has a positive effect on how often the solids container must be replaced and thus on waste costs.

Result:
After the ROTOPASS® Plus was installed, several positive results were seen: The cycle water can be used 3-4 times longer before it must be replaced. As a result, the water consumption per day was reduced from 60 m³ to 30 - 45 m³, i.e. savings of €70 - €90 per day.

The juice quality was also increased, as no leaves, stems or other material can enter the press. This has resulted in a direct advantage for customers.