A Study on the Liquid-solid Separation Properties of Citrus Pomace

The high water content of citrus pomace and the high contents of fine particles and soluble materials result in the limited usability of the citrus pomace such as the low-value feed for cow. In order to use citrus pomace as a valuable organic material for various industrial applications, the proper liquid-solid separation process is necessarily required. In this study, the efficient solid-liquid separation methods to solve this problem were investigated. The compression press device and the centrifugal device showed lower separation efficiency than that of the screw press device. The low separation yield of the screw press device was increased by the addition of biomass particles as bulking agents. Fibrous biomass bulking agents made with BKP, ONP, and OCC resulted in the higher efficiency of the solid-liquid separation and lower concentration of the liquid extract. Some flocculants were applied to increase the separation efficiency of the fine solid particles from the liquid extract. The addition of cationic PAM resulted in the coagulation of fine particles and the effective removal of fines in the liquid extract.