Research on the innovative use of pulp will be carried out by scientists from our University, under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Eng. Piotr Dziugan TUL Prof, thanks to the financial resources from the AGROTECH competition. This is part of a larger project worth 40 million PLN.
The most important issue is the development of a new method of drying wet pulp, which is a sugar beet residue after sugar extraction. An innovative belt dryer will be designed and built, using the excess heat that accompanies sugar production. Our role will be to develop biocomponents which will serve to enrich the dried pulp used for feed purposes, explains Assoc. Prof. Eng. Joanna Berłowska, TUL Prof.
The undertaking is so important for the Krajowa Spółka Cukrowa that it was decided to engage its own funds in the amount of 21 million PLN. The objective of the project is to develop an innovative technology for the production of functional feed biocomponents, using semi-finished products and by-products of the sugar industry.
Research tasks in the project include work on the laboratory, quarter-technical and industrial scale. The project requires the construction of a prototype line to verify the feasibility of implementing the technology on an industrial scale. This scale is determined by the volume of sugar beet processing during the sugar campaign, explains Professor Dziugan.
The innovative technology will be implemented in the Krasnystaw sugar factory and will make it possible to utilise waste heat from the sugar and pulp production process. The project is planned to take 32 months to complete.
Tangible results of the implementation of the technology developed by TUL researchers will include: the delivery of a product with a lower level of contamination and improved parameters of roughage, through the introduction of bio-components enriched in protein and other nutrients in the production process. An important aspect of the project is the efficient use of products originating from domestic GMO-free crops.
The AGROTECH project fits in very well with the sustainable development policy. Thanks to the innovative technology, emissions of CO2 and other compounds into the atmosphere will be reduced, and the use of fossil fuels will be reduced.