Enhanced gravity settler for cocoa bean fraction separation

Overview

The enhanced gravity settler offers a breakthrough in the separation of cocoa bean fractions, specifically targeting the efficient division of nibs from shells and powder. Traditional methods suffer from issues like electrostatic attraction and clumping, but this novel approach leverages air flow and gravity to deliver a cleaner separation process. The prototype has demonstrated an ability to produce a nib stream with less than 3% shell content, and a shell/powder stream, with further refinement possible through additional processing stages.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Baffle-enhanced design: Increases downward momentum, improving separation efficiency.
• Gravity-based operation: Offers low maintenance with no internal moving parts.
• Multi-stage capability: Allows for additional separation stages for misshaped beans.
• Scalable design: Suitable for larger scale, semi-batch process integration.

The process starts with a gravity settler that uses air flow to separate components by size and mass. The enhanced baffling design ensures faster and more effective separation, allowing for high purity nib extraction and effective handling of challenging components like flat and stick-shaped beans.

Technology readiness level

This technology is currently at TRL 4, having been validated at a bench scale with promising results. Future validation efforts will focus on scaling the process with collaboration from experts in particle technology and mineral processing. The development will involve systematic experimentation to optimize conditions for maximum efficiency and purity in semi-batch operations.