In the food, animal feed and agriculture industries, also known as Food & Feed, powders are everywhere. They can be handled in bulk, encapsulated, tablet or pellet form.
Quality and product control are a key feature in the food industry. All processing operations, from the reception of raw materials, are meticulously tracked with rigorous controls at every step. Requirements are high, and quality control drectly impact consumer health and satisfaction.
Controlling the physical properties of powders is essential to ensure their performance and to adapt them to their final application : reactivity, flowability, stability, etc.
The specific characteristics of these powders are specific to each application area :
- Dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, dietetics...
- Flavors, plants, spices...
- Sugar, salt, flour, milk, chocolate...
- Additives, proteins, micronutrients...
- Agronutrition
- Agriculture, organic fertilisers, fertilisers, natural phytosanitary products…
Selon votre secteur, nous pouvons vous accompagner pour :
Production
Produce more, produce cheaper
- Optimise production capacity
- Increase production throughput
- Optimise energy efficiency
- Calculate Opex and Capex for plant optimisation
- Optimise process diagrams by integrating unit operations
- Control installations with online particle size measurement to optimise production
- Compensate for energy input from grinders, dryers, fluidized beds
- Optimise separation and sorting of components by nature, composition or colour : fractionation of agropolymers
- Minimise waste and scrap
- Incorporate recycled material
Revamp
Customise existing installations : modernise, instrument, etc
Upgrade or Revamp installations
- Transition towards Industry 4.0
Instrument, Automate, Control
- Instrument the powder installations
- Monitor particle size in real-time (Insitec, Parsum, etc.)
- Control production through online measurement
Scale-up, Industrialise and Transfer
- Choose the best crusher, grinder, mill, microniser, sieve, mixer, blender, granulator, dryer, etc.
- Calculate OPEX and CAPEX for future facilities to optimise equipment choices
- Optimise the purchase of laboratory, pilot or industrial equipment
Produce more consistently, without variation
- Manage analysis and control for optimised plant operation
- Optimise sampling techniques
- Control raw materials (Analytics method)
- Minimise drift
- Optimise cleaning and maintenance cycles
- Optimise the selection of raw materials
- Control equipments using online granulometry to stabilise production
Preserve product quality
- Preserve the quality of food, ingredients and nutrients
- Reduce waste and scrap
- Ensure batch homogeneity (raw materials, finished products)
Ensure safe operations
- Improve installations safety : adapt strategy to product-specific risks (Atex compliance)
- Control dust and pulverulent powders emissions
- Ensure proper inerting of equipment
- Handle micro and nano powders safely
Support the client
- Commission powder production facilities
- Train teams on powder-specific challenges
- Provide training for operating : grinding, micronisation, sieving, drying, mixing, etc.
- Assist with project management and owner support
Innovation, Strategy, R&D
Innovation
- Sort and Separate components
- Preserve the quality of products
- Preserve the quality of food, ingredients and nutrients
- Innovate in powders, processes and technologies
- Particle design
- Grow your business by expanding your product range
- Identify new opportunities and solutions through innovation
- Recycle powders
- Incorporate recycled materials
Scale-up and Development : From R&D to Industrial production
- Scale-up from R&D laboratories to pilot and industrial production
- Design and Size installations
- Calculate OPEX and CAPEX for future installations to optimise equipment selection
- Optimise energy consumption for a production line or the entire plant
Research : Powders strategy
- Optimise the procurement of laboratory equipment
- Choose equipment such as grinders or any powder-related machinery tailored to the product and specifications
- Grow your business by diversifying your product portfolio
Analysis, Control and Characterisation
- Control particle size analysis in the laboratory
- Characterise powders (particle size, rheology, specific surface area, porosity, morphology, etc.)
- Ensure batch homogeneity (raw materials, finished products)
- Determine the state of the blend
- Control the properties of use or the end-use properties of powders
- Optimise sampling techniques
- Control the granulometry directly on the production line
QHSE : Quality, Health, Safety and Environment
Quality
- Preserve the quality of products
- Preserve the quality of food, ingredients and nutrients
- Improve production quality
- Reduce non-conformities through on-line particle size control
- Protect products from oxidation (quality inerting)
- Correct deviations through on-line particle size control
Hygiene
- Optimise the cleanability of equipments and premises
- Control dust and pulverulent powders emissions
Safety
- Ensure installations safety : adapt strategy to product-specific risks (Atex compliance)
- Control the handling of micro and nano powders
- Take the “Process” into account in the Atex strategy
- Use industrial gases as a preventive barrier against explosions (safety inerting)
- Control dust and pulverulent powders emissions
- Control the inerting processes for installations
Environment
- Recycle materials
- Reduce energy consumption of production lines or the whole plant
- Sort, separate, reuse materials (recycling and circular economy)
Industrial gases : an asset for Agro-industry
POUDRES DURABLES can offer its recognised expertise in the use of industrial gases. Depending on your product, we can help you make the most of cryogenic fluid applications.
- Temperature-controlled grinding : Compensate for the supply of heat due to grinding energy
- Cryogenic grinding : Pre-cooling the product to preserve its qualities
- Quality inerting : Protecting the product from oxidation
- Safety inerting : Preventing explosions by creating a protective barrier
Our Missions
Audit of « powder » process
Based on its experience in the field of divided solids, POUDRES DURABLES offers its expertise in the implementation of specific solutions. Below are some examples of projects carried ou in the food and animal feed industry :
- Grinding, mixing, granulation and pelletization : optimisation of the process diagram
- Optimisation of protein separation
- Liquid milling and nano-milling : controlling suspensions
- Formulation and blending of dry powders : improving flow properties
- Selection of the grinder and other production equipment : scale up
- Revamping/refurbishment of a grinder installation
- Plant audit : enhance productivity
- Reduce nitrogen consumption on a cryogenic or inerted installation
- Improving the cleanability of installations
- How to control the powderiness of the products
- Optimise mixing time with an in-situ probe
- Granulation and on-line particle size measurement
- Moving towards Industry 4.0
Wherever granules, powders, or colloids are involved, we can assist with the characterisation of divided solids (either in your laboratory or online) and with the processes for powder production and shaping (such as atomisers, grinders, micronisers, granulators, fluidised bed dryers, nano-mills, dispersers, etc.).
On-Line Sampling and Measurement, using an Insitec and Parsum probes
Our Trainings
Poudres Durables can provide you and your team with unique training courses, designed to address your specific needs within the Agro-Industry.
Find out more on our training courses in the field of divided solids :
Process and Production
Innovation, strategy and R&D
Powder analysis, control and characterization
Quality Hygiene Safety and the environment of powders
Overview of the world of powders
