4. Development and implementation of clean technology
From analysis of the starch production processes, various options
of clean technology were postulated and have been potentially
implemented to reduce the production cost and to improve
production efficiency in the selected plants. There are two groups of
clean technology options proposed according to their cost of investment.
In the first option, companies can adopt to modify their
existing processes immediately since there are no additional investment
costs. The other group involves technology modification,
which requires detailed economic analysis prior to making a decision.
Shown in Table 3 is a summary of clean technology options
that have been implemented to the selected plants and their cost
savings. Details for each option are presented as follows.
4.1. Water conservation
4.1.1. Improved housekeeping
Good housekeeping measures can often be implemented at little
or no cost. The following steps have been adopted in all eight
plants.
Management of water consumption such as installation of flow
meters and recording water usage per ton of product.
Use of high-pressure pumps that are used for cleaning floors,
machines, and extractor’s filter cloth.
Regular check and reparation of piping leakages.
Take up all product spills from the floor before cleanup once
a day in the morning. This helps to reduce the amount of
wastes flushed down the drains.
Collecting leftover starch from machines after shutting down.
The dried starch can be sold as the second grade starch.