L-Amino Acid Feed Additive Granulation via Biomass Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fermentation broths containing L-amino acids, such as L-lysine, are difficult to process and granulate due to their complex composition, leading to issues with hygroscopicity, agglomeration, and poor handling qualities, resulting in inefficient production of animal feed additives.
Innovation Solution
Partial or complete removal of biomass from the fermentation broth and the addition of a surface-active substance before the drying process to enhance granulation and processing efficiency, resulting in a more compact particle with improved bulk density and storage stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the fermentation broth is dried directly without biomass removal, then the processing steps are simpler, but the product becomes hygroscopic, agglomerates, and has poor flowability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies biomass removal through filtration or centrifugation to extract the problematic cellular material from the fermentation broth. This extraction eliminates the cause of hygroscopicity and agglomeration while preserving the valuable amino acids and fermentation by-products in the clarified broth, which is then spray-dried to produce a free-flowing powder.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and composition parameters of the fermentation broth by removing biomass to alter its drying behavior. The clarification step modifies the broth's composition to prevent hygroscopicity and improve flowability of the final dried product, transforming it from an unusable sticky powder to a free-flowing feed additive.
2Ease of operation
If biomass is completely removed from the fermentation broth, then the product quality improves with better flowability and storage stability, but the processing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial biomass removal rather than complete removal, achieving sufficient clarification to eliminate hygroscopicity and improve flowability without the excessive complexity and cost of complete biomass elimination. The filtration or centrifugation step removes enough biomass to achieve the desired product quality while maintaining economic feasibility.
3Productivity
If crude fermentation broth is converted to solid feed additive, then the production cost is reduced, but the product has poor handling qualities and is difficult to process in feed mills
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts biomass from the crude fermentation broth through filtration or centrifugation, eliminating the cause of poor handling qualities while preserving the cost-effective direct conversion approach. This selective removal allows the economical spray-drying process to produce a high-quality free-flowing powder suitable for feed mill processing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method allows for the production of a low-biomass feed additive with improved particle size, bulk density, and flowability, reducing processing complexities and enhancing storage stability and handling qualities.
Implementation Method 1
addition of a surface-active substance before the drying process to enhance granulation and processing efficiency
Implementation Method 2
converted by drying into a particulate composition
Data Source
AI summary
By substituting biomass with a surface-active substance in a fermentation broth containing amino acid before spray-drying, granulated animal feed additives with improved product specifications were obtained.