Reducing energy consumption in animal feed processing
Thecase study on Solex Thermal Science's co-operation with Dutch-based co-operative Royal Agrifirm has been picked up Heat Exchanger World!
The May/June 2025 issue captures how Royal Agrifirm embarked on an opportunity to create an efficient, safe, reliable and chemical-free method to treat the oilseed cake or meal that acts as the main protein source for animal feed
Core to the process of producing this new-generation rumen by-pass protein was what Agrifirm labelled as its Greenwave technology, a process that heats the feed to approximately 130°C through radio frequency waves.
Agrifirm identified that to effectively reduce overall primary energy consumption in this production process, it still needed to pre-heat the product before using the RF technology – and then cool the product after the RF stage to ambient temperature for safe handling and storage. Also essential was the ability to recover energy from the hot product at the cooling stage, and then “upcycle” it for use back at the pre-heating stage.
The case study in Heat Exchanger World details why Agrifirm contacted Solex. Furthermore, it provides details of how, through a combination of plate-based moving bed heat exchanger (MBHE) technology and industrial heat pumps, the partnership was able to consistently ensure a high-quality finished product through a process that reduced overall energy consumption.
This entry was last updated on 2025-5-8
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