Every year, the world generates 16 million tons of wood scrap. Though most of this scrap wood can be recycled, only 15 percent of it is. This occurs even though recycling costs far less in energy and materials than utilizing virgin lumber. In many places, recycling wood scrap is even cheaper than dumping it in… Read more »
The Benefits of Extruding Soy
The domestication of soybeans can be traced back thousands of years to China in the 11th century BCE. Though they were believed to have been introduced to the North American colonies about a decade before the American Revolutionary War, the term “soybeans” only came into use in the United States during the early 19th century…. Read more »
Breaking Down E-Waste for Precious Metal Extraction
Discarded electronics that reach the end of their lifecycles and are no longer in functioning condition are often referred to as e-waste. E-waste includes smaller devices like cell phones, DVD players, calculators, and bulkier equipment like refrigerators, washing machines, and other large appliances. This e-waste contains aluminum, copper, ferrous metals, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum, silver,… Read more »
How to Get the Most Out of Your Rotary Dryer
Though industrial rotary dryers are used mainly in the chemical and mining industries, they are also used in other sectors. The food industry utilizes rotary dryers for dehydrating waste materials like vegetable trimmings and citrus peels. They’re also employed to minimize moisture in animal feed without directly contacting the material with heated gas. Rotary dryer… Read more »
How to Get Flour Finer with a Rotormill
Flour is generally made from wheat kernels, which have three basic components. These include the bran, endosperm, and germ. The bran and germ contain high amounts of fiber, minerals, natural oils, and nutrients, along with protein. The endosperm is mainly made up of protein and starch. The endosperm is used exclusively when producing refined or… Read more »
Grinding and Drying with Air Swept Mills
When fine grinding (or simultaneously grinding and drying) a variety of materials, the grinding process can result in heat that can degrade the particles, alter their flow characteristics or result in plugging of mills that use small classifying screens. What is an Air Swept Mill? Air swept mills finely grind material with or without the… Read more »
What is an Attrition Mill?
Industrial size reduction generally falls into two basic categories. Particles are either crushed or milled. While crushing breaks down larger chunks, milling reduces material to a low micron range, and in some cases, can even achieve sub-micron reductions. Attrition milling is used for a wide range of applications, including chemical processing, to reduce particles into… Read more »
Soap Milling on a Large Scale
Soap, one of our most mundane items, has a significant history and plays a pivotal role in today’s world. Years ago, people made their own soap, yet today, almost everyone buys commercial soap. The soap that we take for granted is made using the process of saponification, which involves the conversion of fat or oil… Read more »
Masa Milling and Processing Dry Masa
Over the past 30 years, masa has taken center stage on grocery store shelves and in the American diet. As Mexican-style food and corn snack products have grown in popularity, particular demand and processing focus is given to products that utilize masa corn (specifically tortillas, gorditas, tamales, and pupusas). What is Masa Harina? Masa is… Read more »
Processing Oats to Preserve Nutrient Dense β-Glucans
Oats: A Nutrient-Dense Food Oats (Avena sativa) are a very healthy and nutritious food. Most people know that oats are an excellent source of soluble fiber, they are vegan, and because they naturally do not contain gluten, oats are easier to digest (as long as oats are not cross-contaminated with wheat). For these reasons and… Read more »