Sanitary Grade CIP Self-cleaning Two Phase Decanter Centrifuge for Fermentation and Biopharma Industry
Description
Fermentation & Biopharma Decanter Centrifuge is designed for continuous solid-liquid separation of fermentation broth, yeast slurry, bacterial biomass, and biopharma fermentation residues.
For most fermentation and biopharma applications, the recommended configuration is a two-phase decanter centrifuge because the main separation target is usually solid biomass or fermentation residue + clarified liquid.
Best-Fit Applications
- Beer yeast sludge separation
- Alcohol fermentation waste liquid treatment
- Liquor distillery spent mash separation
- MSG and amino acid fermentation residue dewatering
- Antibiotic fermentation broth biomass separation
- Biopharma bacterial cell separation
- Biopharma cell culture broth clarification
- Traditional Chinese medicine extraction residue separation
- Fermentation residue volume reduction before drying or disposal
Typical materials include yeast cells, bacterial biomass, fermentation residue, suspended microbial solids, spent mash, protein-rich organic solids, and fermentation liquid phase.
Why Two-Phase is Recommended
- The feed usually contains microbial solids and one liquid phase.
- The main goal is to recover or remove yeast, bacteria, mycelium, or fermentation residues.
- A two-phase decanter provides continuous operation, stable solids discharge, and simpler hygienic design compared with a three-phase machine.
When Another Configuration May Be Considered
- If the process contains oil, solvent, or a clear light liquid phase that needs to be recovered separately.
- If the feed contains highly emulsified liquid phases that require upstream conditioning.
- If the product requires very high clarification quality, downstream polishing filtration or membrane separation may still be required.
How the Decanter Centrifuge Works in This Application
- Fermentation broth or biopharma residue enters the rotating bowl through the feed pipe.
- Under centrifugal force, heavier biomass, yeast cells, bacterial cells, or fermentation residues move outward and form a sediment layer.
- The screw conveyor continuously pushes the separated solids toward the discharge end.
- The clarified liquid phase is discharged through the liquid outlet.
- The separated biomass or residue cake is collected for recovery, drying, disposal, or downstream treatment.
Technical Parameter
| Model |
Diameter (mm) |
Length (mm) |
Length-to-diameter rate |
G force |
Max solid discharge (m³/h) |
Weight (kg) |
Dimension (L×W×H) (mm) |
| PDC-10 |
250 |
1000 |
4 |
4080 |
0.4 |
1000 |
2410×800×1080 |
| PDC-12 |
4200 |
1350 |
4 |
3500 |
0.6 |
1200 |
2610×800×1080 |
| PDC-12 |
4200 |
1350 |
4.5 |
3180 |
1.2 |
1800 |
3495×840×1180 |
| PDC-18 |
4000 |
1600 |
4.5 |
3180 |
1.2 |
3200 |
3497×1020×1385 |
| PDC-18 |
450 |
2150 |
4 |
2500 |
2 |
3800 |
4447×1080×1385 |
| PDC-20 |
400 |
2250 |
4.5 |
2500 |
3.5 |
4000 |
4580×1140×1470 |
| PDC-21 |
530 |
2280 |
4.3 |
2500 |
5 |
5000 |
4924×1170×1540 |
| PDC-26 |
655 |
2800 |
4.3 |
2270 |
8 |
7000 |
4300×1900×1350 |
Typical Feed Conditions and Design Considerations
| Item |
Typical Range / What to Confirm |
| Feed material |
Beer yeast slurry, alcohol stillage, liquor distillery spent mash, MSG/amino acid fermentation residue, antibiotic fermentation broth, biopharma bacterial biomass |
| Solids content |
Usually 1–15%, depending on fermentation type and upstream concentration |
| Oil content |
Usually not applicable; confirm if solvent or oil-like phase exists |
| Particle characteristics |
Fine biomass, yeast cells, bacterial cells, mycelium, organic suspended solids, sticky fermentation residue |
| Viscosity |
Low to medium; may increase with high biomass or protein content |
| Temperature |
Commonly 5–60°C; heat-sensitive materials may require cooling |
| Corrosion risk |
Low to medium; confirm pH, salt, solvent residue, cleaning chemicals, and CIP conditions |
| Capacity requirement |
Confirm by m³/h, tons/day, or batch cycle requirement |
| Target result |
Biomass recovery, liquid clarification, residue dewatering, volume reduction |
| Hygiene requirement |
Confirm sanitary design, CIP requirement, sealing level, and product-contact material |
| Cooling requirement |
Optional; recommended when biomass activity, protein stability, or product quality is temperature-sensitive |
Main Advantages in Fermentation and Biopharma Applications
- Continuous automatic solid-liquid separation
- Suitable for dilute fermentation broth and biomass slurry
- Supports biomass recovery or residue volume reduction
- Lower suspended solids in separated liquid
- Hygienic material options for product-contact parts
- CIP-compatible design can be provided
- Temperature control options for heat-sensitive materials
- Compact footprint compared with some traditional settling or filtration systems
- Stable operation for long-hour fermentation residue treatment
Expected Results
With stable feeding and suitable configuration, the Fermentation & Biopharma Decanter Centrifuge can typically achieve:
- 85–95% biomass / solids capture rate
- 70–95% suspended solids reduction
- 18–35% cake solids content
- 65–82% final cake moisture
- 30–60% residue volume reduction
- 80–95% clarified liquid recovery
- 16–24 hours/day continuous operation
Actual results depend on biomass type, feed solids, viscosity, temperature, and separation settings. For high-value biopharma materials, pilot testing is recommended.
FAQ
What is the difference between a two-phase and a three-phase decanter centrifuge?
A two-phase decanter separates solids and one liquid phase. A three-phase decanter separates solids, light liquid, and heavy liquid at the same time. For fermentation and biopharma applications, a two-phase decanter centrifuge is usually preferred because the main target is biomass-liquid separation.
Is polymer dosing required?
Usually, polymer dosing is not preferred when the biomass is a valuable product or when the process has hygiene requirements. However, for waste fermentation residue or wastewater-side biomass reduction, conditioning agents may be considered if product recovery is not required.
What information is needed for model selection?
Please provide feed material, capacity, solids content, biomass type, particle size if available, viscosity, temperature, pH, target cake dryness, target liquid clarity, hygiene requirement, CIP requirement, and operating hours.
Can this machine be made in stainless steel?
Yes. Common material options include SUS304 and SUS316L. For fermentation and biopharma applications, SUS316L is often recommended for product-contact parts when corrosion resistance, hygiene, or cleaning compatibility is important.
Can the machine be supplied as a complete skid?
Yes. We can provide the centrifuge together with feed pump, buffer tank, cooling unit, CIP system, control cabinet, piping, valves, and skid-mounted accessories if required.
Send Us Your Project Data
To recommend a suitable model, please share:
- Feed material name
- Fermentation type
- Capacity requirement
- Solids content
- Biomass type
- Feed temperature
- pH value
- Viscosity
- Target biomass recovery rate
- Target liquid clarity
- Target cake dryness
- CIP or sanitary requirement
- Cooling requirement
- Operating hours
- Material or corrosion requirements
- Site voltage or control preference
Our engineering team can suggest a suitable two-phase decanter centrifuge configuration based on your fermentation or biopharma separation project.
Contact Peony for Partnership
If you have local customer channels or project resources in fermentation, biopharma, pharmaceutical production, yeast separation, biomass recovery, or fermentation residue treatment, Peony welcomes cooperation.
Send us your target market, customer type, project background, and cooperation proposal. Our team will evaluate the opportunity and provide technical and commercial support for suitable projects.
