Biochemicals
Fossil-friendly biochemicals
Biochemicals are produced from renewable material instead of fossil resources. Today, most common used raw materials are starch, sugar or vegetable oils, in the near future other forms of biomass like cellulose will gain importance.
Complete process technology
The conversion of natural raw materials into biochemicals is most commonly carried out by fermentation or enzymatic reaction, rather than by chemical reaction.
GEA offers a full range of process technologies for the biochemical production chain, including:
- Fermentation equipment
- Separation centrifuges
- Membrane filtration
- Distillation
- Melt crystallization
- Evaporation
- Crystallization
- Drying
Meeting the challenges of the bio-industries
People have been producing chemicals from biomass for many more years than they have been producing chemicals from fossil oils or coals. For centuries we have been producing many feed and food ingredients, such as citric acid or amino-acids, by fermentation, which has completely superseded chemical synthesis routes. Growing awareness of dwindling fossil resources has in addition led to the development of new products and processes for generating chemicals. As a result, the production of fuels, such as fuel-ethanol and biodiesel, from biomass has become an established industry.
GEA has significance experience and many examples of installations in the bio-industries sector. We also offer complete process plants for the production of modern fuels and biochemicals.
We are also actively engaged in research focused on the development of innovative biotech products in areas such as the production of bioplastics and substitutes for petrochemicals.
For example, petroleum-based oleochemicals have traditionally been used for applications in such as surfactants, personal care, soaps, detergents and food additives. This is now changing, as newly emerging technologies are allowing bio-oleochemicals to replace petroleum-based products. GEA offers complete process plants for the production of these modern fuels and biochemicals.
Commercial application of the latest advances in industrial biotechnology requires equally advanced capabilities and solutions in process technology. One major challenge is the successful upscaling of test processes to industrial scale. GEA provides development centers and pilot equipment to support such developments. We can also address challenges such as combining different process steps in plant design, and enabling reliable quality control on an industrial scale.
The expertise and experience of our highly experienced process technology specialists, combined with our range of state-of-the-art equipment and technology, make us the go-to partner for biochemicals production.
Applications
Products & Technologies
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Aseptic valves & components
Aseptic valves face exceptionally high demands within UltraClean and Aseptic processes. You can be assured that they all provide highest quality in terms of hygienic design and sustainability.
Batch Distillation Plants
Batch operated units allow the distillation and rectification of diverse products or multiple component mixtures in one unit. It´s the multi-tasking-master in distillation applications.
Centrifugal Separator
GEA separators are designed for liquid-based applications. Using centrifugal force, they are used for separating suspensions consisting of two or more phases of different densities, i.e. they can be used for liquid-liquid separation, for liquid-liquid-solid separation or for liquid-solid separation. They are equally as effective at separating liq...
Cooling, quenching & conditioning
The Rapid Cooling or Quenching of gas streams is used in several essential applications in the process industries.
From aspiration to profitability: producing biochemicals by biorefinery
Making bioplastics more mainstream
Downloads
GEA Insights
Shifts in food packaging: 4 trends
Thermoforming has long played a central role in food packaging. Now it is facing a major shift. As regulations tighten, materials evolve and costs rise, form fill seal lines must do more than run reliably – they now shape how food stays fresh, affordable and recyclable. Take a look at the key thermoforming trends informing the food packaging and delivery landscape.
Fruit storage at Betko: Control from peak harvest to global delivery
From the orchards of the Cape to store shelves across 40 countries, the South African packhouse Betko has built a business on freshness, timing and reliability. With GEA’s controlled atmosphere refrigeration technology, the company can now store apples and pears for up to 14 months and cut energy consumption by 20%, with a partnership of more than 30 years at the heart of it all.
