Application > Agroindustry
Fertilizers, compost and seeds
The spray drying technique can be used to produce powdered fertilizers and compost from countless organic and inorganic raw materials. The spray drying technique is commonly used to preserve the characteristics of fertilizers and liquid compost, increasing their shelf life and reducing their weight and volume for transportation. Another advantage of producing powdered fertilizers is the possibility of adding additives to the formulation, performing controlled release in the plant and soil and also protecting these products from bad weather such as leaching, oxidation, solar degradation, etc.
Drying, granulation and fluidized bed coating processes also have numerous applications for the agroindustry, such as coating seeds. Applying a coating layer with nutrients and/or protective agents on seeds can be a game changer for germination efficiency and plant growth quality. It is also possible to coat and agglomerate/granulate solid forms to increase properties of interest such as solubility. Drying seeds, manure and fertilizers in solids or pastes can also be carried out quickly using a fluidized bed, reducing the operating time when compared to greenhouse or solar dryers.
Zootechnical Additives and Feed
Additives such as plant extracts, flavorings, prebiotics, probiotics, dietary ingredients, flora balancers, digestives, acidifiers, among others, are substances used to positively influence the improvement of animal performance and are commonly manufactured using the spray drying technique, opening up endless possibilities to create formulations. Additives that are also considered technological are classified in functional groups such as mycotoxin adsorbents and silage inoculants.
Other processes can also be used to manufacture and develop these raw materials, such as fluidized bed drying or spouted bed drying, granulation, coating and extrusion.
Concentration of residues and agro-industrial by-products
The increase in operational efficiency and sustainable reuse of waste has become increasingly important in a world that increasingly values the sustainability of processes and preservation of the environment.
Any and all residues in liquid form or that can be transformed into liquid form by pre-processing can be dehydrated using the spray drying process. Our team has already carried out numerous tests with residues such as waste from the brewing process, or waste from slaughterhouses (bovine blood and plasma). We have also dried fish farming water, waste from water treatment plants, manure and other products that are normally discarded and can have an added value tens or even thousands of times greater when transformed into powder for reuse.
The drying and extraction technique by fluidized bed or spouted bed can also be used to reuse wet solid waste from numerous agro-industrial processes such as waste from the treatment of fruits, legume, grain processing, among others.