Potato flour production
(Kartoffelmel produktion) |
Denmark
2002-2003
|
Potato flour is produced is from
potatoes. The product is composed
of potato starch and water and is also referred to as potato starch.
Process description
The
present data refer to potato flour production in Karup
Kartoffelmelfabrik.
The main
processes are following: 1) potatoes
from local farmers are transported to the factory
by trucks,
2) the potatoes are washed and
rasped into fine particles in a rotating grater, 3) fruit juice and solid matter are separated into
two streams in a rotating decanter, 4) fresh water is added to the stream of solid
matter and
pulp
is separated from the starch by centrifugation 5) starch is refined in hydro cyclones and
vacuum filters, 6) the concentrated slurry is dried in a warm air stream
until a final water content of 20% 7) the starch is stored and packed for
final distribution to the market and sold as potato flour or potato starch.
Pulp
is used for animal feed. Washing
water and fruit
juice is distributed on farmland where it displaces artificial fertilizer
according to specific nutrient
contents (see below). Transportation of potatoes from field to factory
(average 30 km) is performed by trucks (about 70%) and tractors (about
30%). Pulp is transported by trucks (average 25 km). Washing water and
fruit juice is distributed on 200 respectively 7500 ha farmland through
a network of pipelines. Soil and stones washed off the potatoes is returned
to farmland.
Nutrient
content of washing water: N: 130 g/m3, P: 29 g/m3
and K: 250 g/m3
Nutrient
content of fruit juice: N: 1.4 kg/m3, P: 0.16 kg/m3,
K: 1.8 kg/m3 and Mg: 0.10 kg/m3.
Composition
of pulp: 14% dry matter of which 10% is protein.
Data collection and treatment
Data have been derived from
Karup
Kartoffelmelfabriks
green account (2002/2003) and from the factory's
homepage.
Technical scope
All
production processes as well as administration and product storage
are included.
Packaging and a number of chemicals have been ignored. Transportation
processes to and from the factory have not been included.
Representativity
The
considered factory is the largest producer of potato flour in Denmark
with a market share of about 35%. Some factories refine protein
from fruit juice. This has not been considered here.
Validation
Data from Karup
Kartoffelmelfabrik's
have been compared with data from Ecoinvent
database. Some differences in potato consumption, energy and water consumption
per ton of product have been observed but data are generally
in the same order of magnitude.
Inputs and outputs
Inputs
and outputs associated with potato
flour production
are shown
in the table below.
Data are
provided per ton of potato
flour (80%
potato starch and 20% water) at
the gate of the factory.
|
|
Unit |
Quantity |
Inputs |
Potatoes1) |
ton |
4.5 |
|
Water |
m3 |
5.7 |
Electricity |
kWh |
164 |
Natural gas (heating) |
m3 |
23.7 |
Sulphuric acid |
kg |
9.8 |
|
|
|
Outputs |
Potato flour |
ton |
1.00 |
|
Potato pulp |
ton |
0.73 |
Fruit juice |
m3 |
6.6 |
Washing water |
m3 |
1.2 |
1)
dirty potatoes directly from the field. Quantity of clean potatoes is 4.4
ton/kg potato flour
Location
in database: Material/Food
from indudtry/from other industries/Potato starch / potato flour
|
References
Karup
Kartoffelmelsfabrik's green accounts
(2002/2003).
Administrative information
Data URL: http://www.lcafood.dk/processes/industry/potatoflourproduction.htm
Version no.: 1.00
Author: Per H. Nielsen,
The
Institute for Product development.
Data entry: data have been entered in this format by Per H. Nielsen.
Data completed: February
2004.
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