Separator's Digest - GEA Westfalia Separator Group

Separator’s Digest 

3 | 2008 

The Magazine of GEA Westfalia Separator 

Westfalia Separator profi 

Romaqua with Kieselguhr-Free Filtration 

Westfalia Separator vinex 

Second Installation in Badischer Winzerkeller 

Cold Milk Skimming 

in Czech Dairy

Contents 

3 preface 

3 Separation. Solution. Success. 

4 

Gea WeSTfaLIa SeparaTor 

4 New Structures 

8 SeparaTor´S NeWS 

8 Topical 

12 Gea WeSTfaLIa SeparaTor proceSS 

12 Westfalia Separator profi at romaqua 

14 cold Milk Skimmer for czech Dairy 

16 Westfalia Separator vinex in Badischer Winzerkeller 

20 Smoothies are en Vogue 

22 Biodiesel continues to be an alternative 

25 The (dark) Sweet Side of Life 

28 New olive oil extraction Installation in australia 

30 Demand for Metals and raw Materials Has Never Been as Strong 

32 Gea WeSTfaLIa SeparaTor SYSTeMS 

32 effective ocean protection 

34 

Gea WeSTfaLIa SeparaTor 

DeUTScHLaND 

34 Looking Behind the Scenes 

36 New Training centre in oelde 

38 LIfeSTYLe 

38 The rediscovery of The Motorcars 

Imprint 

The information contained in this brochure merely serves as a 

non-binding description of our products and is without guarantee. 

Binding information, in particular relating to capacity data and 

suitability for specific applications, can only be provided within the 

framework of concrete inquiries. 

Publisher: 

Gea Westfalia Separator GmbH 

project management: peter arens 

Editors: 

peter arens (person responsible 

according to the German press Law), 

Dr. Jörg Bückle, Manfred Kaiser 

Photography: 

Michael Dannenmann, Tim Luhmann, 

archive Gea Westfalia Separator GmbH 

Conception and Layout: 

Kabutz communication GmbH 

feldstraße 5 · 59423 Unna 

info@kabutz.de · www.kabutz.de

THe Gea MecHaNIcaL SeparaTIoN 

TecHNoLoGY DIVISIoN IS BeING GIVeN 

NoT oNLY a More MoDerN IMaGe; IT IS 

aLSo BeING GIVeN a NeW orGaNISaTIoN 

WHIcH BeTTer MeeTS THe STrINGeNT 

reqUIreMeNTS of WorLDWIDe MarKeT 

MaNaGeMeNT. 

Separation. Solution. Success. 

Gea Westfalia Separator has been carrying 

out extensive restructuring measures for 

this purpose since the spring of 2008. The 

aim is to combine existing components of 

success together with streamlining of 

inflexible organisational structures. our 

parent company, Gea Group aktiengesellschaft, 

is supporting our efforts with 

an investment programme of approx. eUr 

160 million, covering a period of three 

years in europe and asia. 

The key aspects of this 

programme are as follows: 

To boost efficiency at the German 

location in oelde by way of 

modernising and focusing production 

To restructure the french location 

château-Thierry and ensure that it 

becomes a worldwide service and 

maintenance centre with spare part 

production 

To establish a new production facility 

in china for complete separators and 

decanters 

To expand the existing assembly plant 

in India into a complete production 

plant for decanters and simple separators 

In order to support this programme, our 

market companies have also been given 

a new structure. We take account of the 

complexity on the world market by 

concentrating on two market companies 

and one production company. 

The new Gea Westfalia Separator process 

GmbH, consisting of the business units of 

the former Westfalia Separator food Tec 

GmbH and individual business units of 

Westfalia Separator Industry GmbH, will 

handle complex processes and individual 

process solutions, irrespective of whether 

this involves separators, decanters, process 

units or membrane technology. 

The other market company, namely 

Gea Westfalia Separator Systems GmbH, is 

being created out of the former business 

units of Westfalia Separator Mineraloil 

Systems GmbH and Westfalia Separator 

Umwelttechnik GmbH, and will mainly deal 

with volume-oriented applications, e.g. the 

mineral oil separators for the marine 

industry, as well as with environmental 

decanters and, in future, environmental 

separators. 

a further key restructuring measure 

comprises the creation of a production 

company which is independent from the 

sales companies. Gea Westfalia Separator 

production GmbH is now responsible for 

the worldwide production of separators, 

decanters and process installations. 

The aim of this restructuring process is to 

ensure that production is more modern, 

more rapid and more cost-effective and 

that it is placed as close as possible to our 

customers. In future, we will be represented 

GEA Westfalia Separator 3 

Separator’s Digest 3 | 2008 

Holger Heinrich 

Division president 

Preface 

not only in all major markets by our more 

than 50 subsidiaries and service companies; 

in future, we will also have local manufacturing 

operations. This will provide you 

and us with a further crucial advantage over 

the competition. 

This commitment is also reflected in a new 

image:

GEA Westfalia Separator 

New Structures 

INtervIew wIth holger heINrIch, the New DIvISIoN PreSIDeNt 

of the geA MechANIcAl SePArAtIoN techNology DIvISIoN. 

As the responsible Division President of the geA Mechanical Separation 

technology Division, holger heinrich initiated an extensive restructuring 

process at geA westfalia Separator at the beginning of April 2008. he has 

set himself the target of combining existing components of success and 

streamlining inflexible organisational structures. 

that this objective is supported by the 

parent company, geA group Aktiengesellschaft, 

and that holger heinrich enjoys 

complete confidence in this respect, is 

demonstrated by the fact that the group is 

prepared to invest considerable sums in 

the Mechanical technology Division of 

geA westfalia Separator in the course of 

the next three years. Separator‘s Digest 

spoke with the new Division President about 

his objectives and their implementation. 

Separator‘s Digest: Mr. Heinrich, you 

have assumed office with the aim 

of turning a good company into an 

even better company. What specific 

measures do you intend to take in 

order to achieve this objective? 

Quite simple, by concentrating on what is 

essential, by occupying market niches and 

focusing to an even greater extent on 

innovations. this will also have to be 

achieved on a global scale. only with this 

strategy will we be able to be competitive 

on the global market. 

As complex as necessary, 

as simple as possible 

Separator‘s Digest: What do “innovations“ 

mean for you? 

holger heinrich: An innovation is not only 

the brilliant idea; an innovation can also 

involve a cost reduction or a simplification 

of complex processes. however, precisely 

that is very difficult, and requires free 

thinking and visionary ideas. only in this 

way can we for instance achieve a reduction 

in the number of parts or a product simplification 

combined with higher complexity in 

the processes. 

for the customer, a system must be as 

simple as possible. however, in terms of its 

function, it must be as complex and perfect 

as necessary. 

Separator‘s Digest: Does that require a 

stronger modular structure? 

without doubt, a machine in production 

must be as simple as possible, and it must 

be possible for the machine to be manufactured 

with a maximum reduction of 

components. Modular design is one of the 

features which we use for this purpose. 

however, the most important aspect is 

always that we are able to offer the 

customer a perfect individual solution. 

High eight-digit investment 

in Oelde 

Separator‘s Digest: Are you planning 

high levels of investment in the location 

in Oelde? 

holger heinrich: yes, we will invest heavily 

in production, and particularly in networked 

machine technology at the location for safe 



guarding jobs and also for boosting competitiveness. 

this is applicable particularly 

for the production of our knowhow parts. 

Separator‘s Digest: This is not only a 

clear “yes“ to the location in Oelde; it is 

also an opportunity to take a major 

step in the direction of innovation. 

holger heinrich: we need production which 

is so flexible that it is able to implement the 

innovative ideas for our key components 

such as bowls, centripetal pumps and 

distributors, simply by programming the 

machine tools. 

Separator‘s Digest: Will the two other 

locations in Niederahr and Château- 

Thierry also see investments 

holger heinrich: compared with oelde, we 

have already invested considerable sums in 

châteauthierry and in Niederahr. In Niederahr, 

there are for instance 14 new machine 

tools, and two new cNc machining centres 

have just been commissioned in châteauthierry. 

this means that there is not the 

same high backlog of investments at those 

locations as in oelde. 

the investments amount to a very high 

eightdigit figure at the location; one third 

of the investment will consist of building 

investments and two thirds will consist of 

investments in machines and a test bay – 

as well as measures designed to optimise

our material flow. we are very confident 

that work will be able to start before the 

end of the year and that the work will be 

completed during the next three years. 

Concentration on two 

market companies 

Separator‘s Digest: Parallel to the 

above, you are also introducing a new 

company structure with the “Columbus“ 

project. You will thus change the 

structure of the sales companies. 

holger heinrich: the key aspect is that we 

intend to use only two sales companies 

to take account of the complexity and 

concentration on the world market. 

one sales company, consisting of food tec 

and elements of Industry, will be responsible 

for complex processes and individual process 

solutions in food and industry, irrespective 

of whether a separator or decanter is 

involved. the other sales company will 

consist of the former Mineraloil Systems 

and environmental technology, and will 

be responsible for volumeoriented appli 

cations, such as the mineral oil separators, 

as well as environmental decanters and, in 

future, environmental separators. In these 

cases, the volumes are generally higher than 

is the case with the first company mentioned 

above. however, the main difference 

compared with the previous organisation is 

that production will be concentrated. An independent 

company will now be responsible 

for worldwide production of separators and 

decanters. 

Closer to the customer 

Separator‘s Digest: What effects will 

this have on the customers? 

holger heinrich: the concentration on two 

sales companies with logically linked 

business units will produce clear synergy 

effects. At the same time, production will 

be located closer to the customer. for instance, 

we will also invest in china in order 

to take greater account of the Asian market. 

this means that we will be very close to the 

customer, from design and production right 

through to sales and service, and we are 

always able to act globally. 



Separator‘s Digest: Development and 

design will thus continue to be the 

responsibility of the individual sales 

companies for the time being? 

holger heinrich: this solution also makes 

sense because they have the necessary 

proximity to the business units and are thus 

able to act quickly. however, there will 

be very close links between the two 

development departments of the new sales 

companies. this is also applicable for our 

service, where there will also be very close 

links. 

Separator‘s Digest: What other changes 

will affect management of the 

GEA Mechanical Separation Technology 

Division? 

holger heinrich: our new management 

structure is designed in such a way that 

every manager is able to act and take 

decisions on his own responsibility as an 

entrepreneur in his own specific area. this 

means that we are doing everything to 

ensure that we enable our employees to 

carry out the duties of their job. for this 

purpose, we will devote a great deal of

attention to new hr development programmes 

and use this as the basis for 

creating individual programmes. we will 

also focus to an even greater extent on hr 

development, which already enjoys a very 

high level. And then everything will become 

intertwined. 

Markets of the future 

Separator‘s Digest: As a result of the 

global production facilities, the concept 

of “Made in Germany“ is being increasingly 

abandoned; in your market 

segment, is this still the concept which 

it once was? 

holger heinrich: No. “Made in germany“ is 

not the point. the point is rather that we 

are a company with german management. 

In many countries, this has a touch which is 

similar to “Made in germany“. At our company, 

the focus is on the quality image. If 

we as a german company supply from India 

or china, this is accompanied by our 

engineering and our brand. 

Separator‘s Digest: Are the markets of 

the future for GEA Westfalia Separator 

in India and China? 

holger heinrich: In the immediate future, 

the strongest growth market will probably 

be still to be found in Asia, but europe will 

also continue to be a very good market. the 

market in the USA is interesting, as are the 

markets in central and South America. the 

political structure of various South American 

countries is becoming increasingly stable. 

In particular, Brazil has very good opportunities 

in this respect. Potential has also 

been identified in Africa for the medium 

term. this is an area in which we will also 

have to prepare ourselves. however, it is 

still necessary for numerous political and 

economic conditions to be created in 

Africa. 

Separator‘s Digest: And with regard to 

technology? Where are the main future 

prospects to be found in this respect? 

holger heinrich: our products are integrated 

in extremely modern processes. for instance, 

the shelf life of fresh milk used to be perhaps 

three or four days, and it was otherwise 

necessary to use homogenised milk. with 

the use of the latest bacteria removing 

separators, milk nowadays remains as 

natural as it is for around three weeks, but 

without bacteria which have a negative 

impact on the product. It used not to be 

possible for such processes to be carried out 

with the previous separator series, although 

they were perfect in themselves. further 

technical development was necessary in this 

respect. 

A further example is the production of 

insulin in the pharmaceutical industry. when 

a new production process with a higher 

yield is found, this will also require a different 

separator. or take the wine industry. If we 

succeed in reducing the loss in the yeast 

sludge from between 10 and 15 percent to 

between one and two percent, it is easy to 

calculate how quickly such an investment 

will pay for itself. 

for our product development, the primary 

consideration is technological progress in 

the production processes of our customers 

and not a quantum leap in the functional 

principle of our separators. 

Giving life to the philosophy 

of preventive service 

Separator‘s Digest: Stringent requirements 

with regard to product integration 

also entail stringent requirements 

regarding the availability of 

your products. 24 / 7 is a practised or 

desired objective in many areas. Will 

you further strengthen and improve 

your service for this purpose? 

holger heinrich: yes, we will strengthen our 

service. And we will of course also give life 

to the philosophy that we perceive service 

to be preventive service. Production 

processes have to run permanently (24 / 7). 

In order to ensure that this is possible, the 

machines have to be regularly maintained 

and spare parts have to be replaced on 

time. we also offer our customers the 

possibility of modernising their production 

process with product upgrades and of 

achieving greater efficiency in this way. As 

you can see, the focus is always on the 

benefit for the customer, that is clear. In 

order to ensure that this is the case, we 

have set up a comprehensive programme of 

initial and further training specifically for 

our service engineers. 

Strengthening the 

training situation 

Separator‘s Digest: As far as training is 

concerned. GEA Westfalia Separator is 

well-known for excellent training and a 



high percentage of trainees. In Oelde, 

this is currently running at approx. 

10 percent of the overall work force. 

A huge figure. Do you intend to continue 

this line? 

holger heinrich: we intend to improve 

the quality even further. we intend to go 

into schools and present ourselves as an 

extremely attractive company. we want the 

best to apply to our company. we have to 

obtain a sound mix by ensuring that 

approximately one third of our trainees can 

find optimum deployment in production. 

the second third must have the potential of 

becoming master craftsmen, whereas the 

final third should go on to higher education. 

If we are to be able to sign up these young 

people, we have to communicate the 

attractiveness of our company. And for this 

purpose, we will establish a very strong 

presence in various schools, including the 

technical high schools. 

Synergy effects 

Separator‘s Digest: How do you 

perceive the synergy effects within the 

GEA Group? 

holger heinrich: Synergy effects do not 

result only from a new and uniform image; 

they result from a common quality philosophy. 

on the one hand, we are able to 

operate with the backing of a large group 

known throughout the world, whereas on 

the other hand the local work of the 

individual division is wanted and encouraged. 

however, this does not mean that we 

are not able to work closely together in 

purchasing and in production processes. 

there are teams responsible for all divisions 

who ensure that this happens. 

we also utilise synergy effects in the infrastructure, 

in the geA presence worldwide. 

At present for instance, we have established 

a geA base in Dubai; one division will be 

responsible for management – in this case 

the Mechanical Separation technology 

Division – whereas the other companies are 

able to use the infrastructures. 

The fly-wheel is rolling 

Separator‘s Digest: What does the 

immediate future of GEA Westfalia 

Separator look like, and how steep is 

the slope? 

holger heinrich: very positive. we have very 

good product developments. Specifically in

the field of decanters, we will come with a 

new dimension which will make us more 

competitive and which will enable us to 

considerably improve our market shares in 

this segment. As a result of the variety of 

our applications, the constant growth in the 

world population as well as the necessary 

transport, I consider that there is a good 

future for our company and I believe that 

we will also be able to demonstrate very 

respectable growth in terms of revenues 

and results. 

Separator‘s Digest: Despite the current 

signs of recession in the global 

economy? 

holger heinrich: we are not experiencing 

any signs of recession at present. It is also 

true that a recession can be talked up 

quickly. however, because we work in an 

industry where, fortunately, an investment 

plan is not changed every month, the effects 

of the current global economic climate are 

not being felt so significantly. when a 

pharmaceutical company has tested a 

product for many years, production has 

to follow. this is also applicable for the 

shipbuilding industry, where shipyard order 

books are full for many years. It is a large 

flywheel which is rolling. 

Culture of openness 

Separator‘s Digest: … and to which 

you will give a further boost with the 

new structures. 

holger heinrich: geA westfalia Separator 

has been and will continue to be a reliable 

partner for its customers. If we see a 

possibility of improving ourselves, we 

will immediately take advantage of this 

opportunity. we are not a rigid body, in 

sales or in production. Although we are a 

company with a very long tradition, we 

have one of the most modern management 

structures. I am convinced that we will have 

an extremely optimum structure on the 

market after the restructuring process. from 

my point of view, the best structure is 

always to be found when decisionmaking 

channels are short, and when responsibility 

has a clear structure. Under these circumstances, 

the management body can be 

managed in an optimum manner although 

it is so large. Indeed, we have almost 

3000 employees, and we operate worldwide 

New Division President in the Mechanical Separation 

technology Division 

Since 1 April, holger heinrich has been the new Division President of the geA Mechanical 

Separation technology Division. he has now spent a decade in positions of the highest 

responsibility in the company. In 1998, he joined the Mechanical Separation technology 

Division as chairman of westfalia Separator Mineraloil Systems. In that position, he was 

very successful in expanding and refocusing international business. the combination of the 

product portfolio in machine generations ctype and westfalia Separator dtype which was 

initiated under his leadership has also proved to be forwardlooking. holger heinrich was 

appointed to the executive Board of westfalia Separator Ag on 1 october 2002. As chief 

operating officer, he was responsible for sales, marketing, technology and production. In 

this position, he not only successfully continued the international focus of the division; with 

the structuring of production as well as the introduction of a new service strategy, he also 

created the basis for sustainable success of the company. 

holger heinrich was appointed to the Division Board of the geA Division Dairy farm Systems 

on 1 November 2004 – in conjunction with management of westfaliaSurge gmbh in Bönen. 

he subsequently provided the company with a new organisational structure and identity. 

Under his leadership, he developed Dairy farm Systems to a successful organisational entity 

within geA group Aktiengesellschaft. returning to geA westfalia Separator, he is now 

introducing a comprehensive restructuring process in the division. holger heinrich has set 

himself the aim of combining existing components of success and streamlining inflexible 

organisational structures. this objective is actively supported by the parent company 

geA group Aktiengesellschaft. this is demonstrated not least by the fact that the group 

will invest considerable sums in the Mechanical Separation technology Division of 

geA westfalia Separator in the course of the next few years. 



in more than 100 countries with subsidiaries 

and agents. Nevertheless, decisions of the 

executive Board reach the sales representative 

within hours. we are accordingly able 

to identify trends at a very early stage. this 

results in a culture of openness which we 

are now experiencing and which we intend 

to maintain. And in the final analysis, this 

guarantees that we will continue to exist 

in the long term. this corporate structure 

will be strengthened and maintained 

everywhere – top down und bottom up. 

Separator‘s Digest: Are there any 

specific sales targets? 

holger heinrich: when I came to geA 

westfalia Separator in 1998, the aim was to 

generate sales of one billion DM. At that 

time, this aim was still a long way off and 

was considered to be very ambitious. today, 

we are able to report the highest level of 

order intake in our history. we are moving 

towards a new record. Accordingly, we are 

rapidly approaching a round figure which in 

turn is as desirable as it is ambitious. 

Separator‘s Digest: Thank you for this 

interview.

Separator‘s News 

Complete Biodiesel Installations 

Successfully Commissioned 

The production of fuels from sustainable raw 

materials is becoming more and more 

important throughout the world. The 

associated stronger demand for complete 

process technology, and in particular with 

separators for biodiesel installations using the 

tried-and-tested CD method (Connemann 

ADM system) was the absolute challenge and 

also a story of success for the Business Unit 

Oils and Fats Processing last year. In South 

Korea, for instance, a biodiesel installation 

with an annual capacity of 35,000 tonnes of 

biodiesel was commissioned by Dansuk 

Industrial Co. Ltd in Kyonggi-Do. In addition 

to the main components for pre-treatment, 

transesterification, alcohol rectification and 

glycerine concentration, GEA Westfalia 

Separator also supplied the entire project 

engineering right through to commissioning. 

In Spain, a biodiesel installation with a similar 

scope of supply was successfully installed 

at BCCLM – Biocarburantes Castilla La 

Mancha in Ocaña, near Toledo, with an 

annual capacity of 110,000 tonnes. A further 

biodiesel installation has been commissioned 

at BIOCOM Energia S. L. in Algemesi, 

near Valencia, with an annual capacity of 

75,000 tonnes. All installations have been 

designed in such a way that other oil types 

apart from soy oil can also be processed. 

New Branch 

in Dubai for the Middle East 

Since mid-October 2008, GEA Westfalia 

Separator has been officially representing 

the Middle East with a branch in Dubai. GEA 

Middle East FZE was granted approval to 

trade in the Jebel Ali free-trade zone and 

can now serve the markets in the Middle 

East in a targeted manner as an independent 

subsidiary. GEA Middle East FZE, under 

the management of Managing Director 

Steffen Bersch, now attends to the needs of 

the countries Syria, Jordan, Irak, Iran, Afghanistan, 

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, 

Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and 

Yemen. Over the past months, GEA Middle 

East FZE has doubled the team in Dubai and 

the region to more than 20 service and sales 

personnel. Personnel has also been increased 

in the offices in Teheran, Jeddah and 


8 


Bagdad. The expansion of the presence in 

the growth markets in the Middle East is 

planned to move forward at a fast pace in 

the future too. This ensures a fast spare 

parts supply and a high level of maintenance 

readiness for the separators and decanters 

used as well as market-oriented sales of new 

machines in the countries mentioned.

Biodiesel Success Story 

With the commissioning and handover of the biodiesel installation 

for the Spanish customer BIOCOM Energía S. L., the third biodiesel 

complete installation using the CD method (Connemann-ADM 

system) from the Business Unit Oils and Fats Processing was 

successfully completed in December 2007. Based on the raw 

materials soy oil, rapeseed oil and other oil mixtures, this installation 

produces a total of 75,000 tonnes of biodiesel every year. The 

scope of supply to be implemented by the project team comprised 

the “pre-treatment“ of the raw oil (degumming and alcoholic 

neutralisation), the transesterification process as well as the “posttreatment“ 

of the biodiesel (washing and clarifying / polishing). 

These process stages were equipped with four RSE 120 separators 

for pre-treatment and transesterification, an RTC 150 for washing, 

a CRA 160 for clarification as well as a CE 205 decanter for solids 

separation in effluent treatment. 

Three further orders signed 

Three further orders for complete biodiesel installations have since 

been signed in Spain. An installation in Andujar with 200,000 

tonnes annual capacity and an installation in Calahorra with 

250,000 tonnes annual capacity. The third order is a follow-up 

order for a company in Los Santos de Maimona for constructing a 

complete installation with an annual output of 110,000 tonnes of 

biodiesel. 

Entry into the 

Saudi Arabian Market 

with the Decanter UCF 466 

Saudi Arabia with its population of 

27 million spread across an area 

of 21.15 million square kilometres 

is in the process of expanding its 

infrastructure. The Saudi government 

is investing billions of dollars in the 

energy, crude oil and water industries. 

As regards waste water treatment, 

Saudi Arabia was hitherto a market 

which favoured the band filter press. 

However, the decanter type UCF 466 

has now succeeded in convincing the 

responsible persons of the advantages 

of centrifugal technology. 

The UCF 466 is capable of processing 

large volumes of sludge while at the 

same time consuming less energy 

and requiring less maintenance and 

operating cost input. Two UCF 466 

machines complete with auxiliary 

equipment are now scheduled to 

be delivered to the waste water 

treatment plant Buraidah in 2009. 

This project will play a pioneering 

role for future projects on the very 

promising Saudi Arabian market.

Distillation Residue 

Decanter and Nozzle-Type 

Separators for Producing 

Ethanol 

The percentage of renewable energy 

media such as ethanol and biodiesel as 

admixtures to fossil fuels is increasing. 

World-wide, it is currently running at 

around 3.5 percent, which is equivalent 

to approximately 50 billion litres p. a.. 

This volume is expected to double in the 

course of the next five to ten years. 

Wherever grain is processed into ethanol, 

the powerful DG 400 distillation residue 

decanter of the Business Unit Starch 

Technology and Industrial Biotechnology 

has been operating successfully for many 

years in order to dewater the fibrous 

residue from the distillation columns. 

The first new 13 DG 300 machines have 

now also been commissioned in Europe 

and North America. 

In the sugar-processing ethanol industry, 

where the fermentation broth does not 

have any fibre content, considerably 

more than 100 nozzle-type separators 

from GEA Westfalia Separator have been 

reliably operating throughout the world 

in order to remove the yeast from the 

alcohol mash, which is then recycled 

back into the fermentation process or 

which can then be further processed. 

The demand for more and more powerful 

separators has recently been successfully 

satisfied with the HDE 200, which 

is used for feed capacities of up to 

180 m³ / h alcohol mash, and which was 

presented at this year‘s sugar and alcohol 

exhibition Fenasucro at the beginning 

of September in Sao Paulo. The type 

RSE separators attracted particular 

attention, because there is increasing 

interest in separating the seed oil from 

the corn distillation residue with regard 

to improving the productivity of ethanol 

installations. 

10 


GEA Westfalia Separator

GSC Separators 

for the South African Wine Industry 

South Africa is known throughout the world 

for its top quality wine. The country‘s wine 

making operations are currently modernising 

their production process. In order to present 

the latest technical developments for separators 

and decanters, the South African subsidiary of 

GEA Westfalia Separator invited customers to 

attend a best practice seminar in the wine industry 

in Paarl in the middle of the wine growing region 

in April 2008. 

Having lasted for four days, the 23 rd SMM 2008 

(shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology) 

in Hamburg set a new record, with more than 

50,000 trade visitors from throughout the world. 

With numerous innovative products, the global 

shipbuilding exhibition was the main forum for 

decision makers in the maritime industries. A wide 

range of new developments, particularly with 

regard to the subjects of reduced consumption, 

reduced toxic emissions and environmental 

compatibility of products and technologies were 

presented at SMM. This of course also included 

the new GEA Westfalia Separator eagleclass. 

A direct comparison of the previous D-Generation 

with the Westfalia Separator eagleclass demonstrates 

the advantages: compared with an 

equivalent OSD 6 separator with the same 12,000 

revolutions per minute, a new OSE 5 separator 



A wine separator GSC 150 was installed last year 

at the wine making operation KWV, the number 

two on the South African wine market. The 

head of wine making operations reported on the 

very satisfactory results of the centrifuge and the 

considerable improvement in productivity since 

the point at which this machine was installed. As 

a result of the seminar, further orders were placed 

by the wine making operations Robertson 

Wineries, Botha Wine Cellars and Waboomsrivier 

Co-op for separators in the GSC type series (e. g. 

the newly developed GSC 200). 

The Eagle has Landed 

THE NEW WESTFALIA 

SEPARATOR eagleclass 

AT SMM 2008 

requires approximately 20 percent less drive 

energy, weighs 25 percent less and its space 

requirement is approximately halved. 

There has been no talk of economic weakness 

in the world shipbuilding industry and at SMM. 

On the contrary: the order book record set at the 

end of 2007 was exceeded in mid-2008. Whereas 

Lloyd`s Register - Fairplay (LRF) reported 10,055 

orders for new vessels with 329.7 million gross 

tons (GT) in the order books of the shipyards at 

the beginning of 2008, the shipbuilding market 

experts recorded orders for more than 11,200 

new vessels with 363 million GT at the beginning 

of July; this is equivalent to growth of more than 

ten percent, and is a new record.

Process 


at Romaqua 

GReenfield bReWeRy pRoject in Rumania With the 

lateSt kieSelGuhR-fRee filtRation technoloGy 

The greenfield project of the Rumanian 

Romaqua brewery uses the very latest 

technology, and consequently employs 

the kieselguhr-free Westfalia Separator 

profi system for filtration of its beers. An 

exclusive solution – Westfalia Separator 

profi is the only filtration system in the 

new one million hl brewery. And the 

persons responsible are very satisfied with 

their decisions. The brewery and Westfalia 

Separator profi have been producing beer 

since the spring of 2008. 

Extremely quality conscious 

The Romaqua Group is based in Borsec in 

the Transylvanian province of Harghita; it 

is a very successful beverage company, 

and is wholly-owned by Rumanian private 

investors. In the past, the group had 

focused on mineral water and soft drinks. 

The well-known mineral water Borsec is 

the market leader with around 20 percent 

of the market; the beverage portfolio also 

includes the soft drink brands Giusto and 

Brifcor, the juice range Giusto Natura, 

a further mineral water Stanceni, the 

coffee brand Metropolitan Caffe and the 

cola brand Quick Cola. In 2007, the 

Romaqua Group generated annual sales 

of around EUR 130 million. There are 

plans for consolidated sales to be increased 

by no less than 50 percent to approximately 

EUR 200 million in 2008, and there are 

good signs that this objective will be 

achieved. Not least thanks to the decision 

to break into the premium beer market. 

The Romaqua Group has been extremely 

quality conscious right from the very

eginning, and has always used the latest 

technology for this purpose. the borsec 

brewery was also the first Rumanian bottling 

plant which was certified in accordance 

with iSo 9001, haccp and ifS and which 

introduced a tQm system. in this way, the 

group was able to meet the expectations 

of customers, employees, suppliers and 

partners at all times during the past eight 

years. 

Transferring the success 

on the water market to the 

beer market 

the Romaqua Group is now consistently 

transferring the success on the market 

for mineral water and soft drinks to the 

beer market. in 2007, around 15 million hl 

of beer were sold in Rumania, generating 

sales of around euR 1 billion. four major 

international brewery groups accounted for 

approximately 80 percent of this market. in 

the first year of breaking into the market, 

the Romaqua Group aims to obtain a share 

of between four and five percent in this 

field. and it appears to be having success in 

this respect. at the end of the summer 

season 2008, the output was around half a 

million hl. at the beginning of 2007, the 

Romaqua Group started planning the 

brewery in Sebes with an initial capacity for 

one million hl. in april 2008, the brewery 

commenced production on a 27 ha site with 

a total investment of euR 40 million. the 

albacher brand will initially be available 

exclusively in pet bottles and cans. “the 

success of albacher is due to the quality of 

the beer and the technological innovations, 

the strong presence in the sales markets 

and the attractive equipment“, says head of 

pR mihaela draghici. 

Forward-looking decision 

kieselguhr-free filtration of the beers with 

the Westfalia Separator profi system is 

one of these technological innovations. 

Within the context of increasing discussions 

regarding the impact of manufacturing 

processes on the environment, the so-called 

“carbon footprint“, water consumption, 

effluent and disposal problems, the Romaqua 

Group used this new environmentally-friendly 

installation technology for planning the 

new brewery. the decision regarding the 

specific filtration technology was taken 

although the company did not have any of 

its own experience in terms of making beer. 

the decision for Westfalia Separator profi 

was future-oriented and forward-looking 

Fully automatic and consistent filtration process as a result of optimum 

pre-clarification with the special centrifugal pollisher from GEA Westfalia Separator. 

on the basis of the existing reference 

installations and the convincing advantages. 

a capacity of 300 hl / h was installed, with 

potential uninterrupted operation of 

22 hours a day; this is equivalent to 6600 hl 

per day or an annual capacity of more than 

1.5 million hl. 

Consistent filtration process 

with Westfalia Separator profi 

Westfalia Separator profi guarantees a 

completely automatic and consistent 

filtration process as a result of optimum 

pre-clarification with the special centrifugal 

polisher from Gea Westfalia Separator. 

compared with other kieselguhr-free 

filtration systems, the compact separation 

of more than 99 percent of solids in 

the separator results in very low losses. 

With Westfalia Separator profi, there is no 

retentate cycle and no retentate processing. 

this also means that there is no retentate 

cycle cooling, which in turn results in a good 

energy performance compared with other 

systems. the overflow velocity is also lower 

than is the case with conventional crossflow 

membrane filtration. the beer flows 

through the entire installation in only one 

direction. non-aggressive cleaning media 

which are typical for breweries are adequate 

for cleaning the membranes. the design 

of membrane cleaning also requires high 

cleaning temperatures. the continuous 

method of operation ensures consistently 

high product quality of the filtered beer. 

the Romaqua Group was aware of all these 

factors when it took its decision in favour of 

Westfalia Separator profi. the concept of 

GEA Westfalia Separator Process 13 


pre-clarification via the Westfalia Separator 

profi centrifuge with a genuine polishing 

effect was particularly convincing; this 

arrangement means that the green beer 

is clarified extremely well to very low solid 

contents. this is achieved in combination 

with membrane filtration, which however 

does not have to be operated as a 

typical cross-flow filtration solution with 

the disadvantages of the occurrence of 

retentate. Since april 2008, the operation 

of the Westfalia Separator profi system at 

the Romaqua Group has been very 

satisfactory, stable and reliable with high 

operating times. 

Filtered with 


the Romaqua Group will not rest on its 

laurels with the success which it has 

achieved with albacher. in 2009, albacher 

will be available not only in pet bottles and 

cans; it will also be available in glass bottles, 

and sales are to be extended to include 

restaurants, hotels and cafés. there are 

plans for the introduction of additional beer 

brands in 2010. filtered with Westfalia 

Separator profi.

CoMplete pre-aSSeMbly 

Cold 

Milk Skimmer 

for Czech 

Dairy 

the eastern expansion of 

the european Union has 

brought together many 

countries which, as 

recently as a few years ago, 

operated under completely 

different political and 

economic systems. one of 

the largest dairy companies in 

Germany, the theo Müller 

GmbH & Co KG Group in aretsried, 

better known as Müllermilch, has 

taken advantage of the opportunities on offer and, 

in 2005, acquired a majority stake in the Czech dairy 

Mlekárna pragolactos a.s.

Central processing 

of raw milk 

Müllermilch decided to change over the 

operations with a daily milk processing 

quantity of approx. 400 t raw milk 

completely to the production of H-milk. 

because the plan involves the use of several 

UHt heating installations, the most costeffective 

solution for purifying and 

standardizing the milk was to use a cold 

milk skimmer including a standardizing 

system with sufficiently large capacity 

for central processing of the raw milk. In 

order to be able to produce skim milk 

with a minimum fat content, the plan was 

also for a milk pre-heater installation to 

be integrated, because the residual fat 

content in skim milk is very temperaturedependent. 

the order for a milk treatment installation 

with a cold milk separator type MSe 500 

with a capacity of max. 35,000 l / h raw milk 

and a Gea Westfalia Separator standomat 

MC for milk and cream standardization was 

placed by Müllermilch, following extensive 

preparations, with Gea Westfalia Separator 

in oelde via the agent Gea Westfalia 

Separator CZ s . r .o. because the intention 

was to minimise the installation and 

commissioning time, the focus was on 

complete pre-assembly in the oelde 

plant. tried-and-tested components from 

companies of the Gea Group were used 

almost exclusively for the design of the 

installation. accordingly, the pumps and 

valves come from Gea tuchenhagen, and 

the heat exchangers come from Gea 

ecoflex. 

Cold milk machine with 

a fully hermetic bowl 

the installation consists of a buffer tank 

with a regulated feed. the milk which 

comes from the raw milk tank is conveyed 

by the feed pump through a plate 

heat exchanger in which it can initially be 

pre-heated in a regenerative section and 

subsequently heated up to 15 °C in the 

heating section with warm water. the warm 

water is generated in a warm water circuit 

by means of steam. of course, it is also 

possible for the steam feed to be shut off 

entirely and for the milk to be processed 

cold. 

the milk is fed into the separator, where it 

is treated by means of centrifugal force and 

separated into skim milk and cream. the 

WeStFalIa Separator standomat MC aND MSe 500 

The milk treatment plant incorporates, among other things, an MSE 500 

cold milk separator and a Westfalia Separator standomat MC. 

MSe 500 cold milk machine is a version with 

a fully hermetic bowl. the slide-ring packings 

in the feed and discharge are cooled with 

water during the start-up and shut-down 

phases; this extends the service life of the 

packings. the density and temperature of 

the cream are measured in the Gea Westfalia 

Separator standomat MC; these data are 

used to determine the fat content, and a 

hygienic regulating valve is used to set the 

desired concentration. a cream fat content 

of up to 42 percent is possible. the process 

control calculates the quantity of cream 

required to achieve the defined milk fat 

content. the excess cream is discharged via 

a further regulating valve, and is fed into a 

collecting tank; the remaining cream is 

recycled back into the skim milk. 

the excess cream is pumped from the 

collecting tank by means of a cream 

pump into the raw cream tank for 

further processing. the temperature of the 

standardised milk is lowered to less than 

4 °C in the regenerative and the ice-water 

cooling section of the plate heat exchanger. 

the milk is then fed into the finished milk 

tank, from where it is distributed to the UHt 

installations. 

Fully automatic cleaning 

During the production process, which can 

take 12 hours, fat may become deposited 

on the disks. this fat is removed from 

the separator by means of hot water 

intermediate flushing. For this purpose, 

product is displaced from the installation 

with water, and the buffer tank is filled with 

water. the temperature of the water in 



the circuit is raised to 60 °C; the design of 

the installation means that this process 

takes only a few minutes. the hot water 

circulates, and two partial ejections of the 

bowl are carried out in order to remove all 

remaining traces of fat. after this procedure 

has been completed, the contents of 

the installation are returned to production 

temperature with ice-water, and milk 

processing recommences. after the end of 

production, a completely automatic cleaning 

process is carried out by the central CIp 

station of the dairy. 

the entire installation is automated by 

means of a C 7 automation unit from 

Siemens with a local graphic display and 

a keyboard. the installation control is 

linked to the central control facility of the 

dairy via a profibus, and communicates all 

readings as well as valve and motor statuses 

to the central control facility. the command 

centre is responsible for operation and 

visualisation. 

the installation has been operating since 

the end of 2007; the technical acceptance 

procedure has already been completed, and 

the installation is operating to the complete 

satisfaction of the dairy.

Badische Winzerkeller is 

the second German winery to 

introduce the Westfalia Separator 

vinex process for recovering must with 

decanters. a large and modern winery 

was established in 1952 with Badischer 

Winzerkeller in Breisach; over the years, this 

has developed into one of the most powerful 

operations in the state. 

CareSSed By the Sun 

Westfalia Separator vinex 

in Badischer Winzerkeller 

Interview with Wilfried dörr 

Badischer Winzerkeller also acted as the 

central winery in Baden. 37 fully supplying 

wine-growing cooperatives with a growing 

area of around 2500 ha are affiliated to 

Badischer Winzerkeller; these wine growers 

deliver their entire harvest of grapes to the 

central winery for pressing. In addition, further 

partially supplying cooperatives deliver a contractually 

defined percentage of their harvest 

in the form of must to Breisach. Overall, 

around 6000 wine growing operations are 

included in this cooperative. the catchment 

area of the affiliated operations stretches 

from Lake Constance right up to tauberbischofsheim, 

the Badisches Frankenland. 

Wilfried dörr, director for Oenology / Production 

in Badischer Winzerkeller, has been 

working in the wine industry since 1978 as 

a graduate engineer of oenology, and 

throughout his entire work has been very 

committed with regard to new processes, 

16 


GEA Westfalia Separator Process 

Photos: Mike Goldwater 

and primarily processes featuring centrifugal 

separation technology, starting with the 

high-performance centrifuge and tartrate 

stabilisation and ending with solid / 

liquid separation of the grape mash. In the 

mid-90‘s, he commenced trials for juicing 

the grape mash with decanters. the 

Württembergische Weingärtner-Zentralgenossenschaft 

(WZG) in Möglingen, at that 

time under his leadership, introduced the 

Westfalia Separator vinex process into in-

WeStFaLIa SeParatOr vinex – the advantaGeS at a GLanCe 

Continuous method of 

operation 

Procedure reduces the process 

times, the amount of labour 

input and thus the variable 

unit production costs 

No longer necessary to allow 

mash to stand for up to twelve 

hours, and the corresponding 

mash tanks are also no longer 

necessary 

Very gentle technology 

dustrial practise with its entire harvest for the first 

time in 2003. the Fachhochschule Wädenswil, 

Switzerland, had previously carried out a comprehensive 

oenological process comparison between 

a press and a decanter. Separator‘s digest spoke 

with Wilfried dörr about Westfalia Separator 

vinex. 

Only a continuous system can be 

used for operations of this order 

of magnitude 

Separator‘s Digest: Mr. Dörr, how was the 

Westfalia Separator vinex process installed 

in Badischer Winzerkeller? 

as a large operation, we receive all grape types 

and all quality stages from all wine growing 

regions in the area. We receive approximately 

60 to 80 different batches every day. Badischer 

Winzerkeller had previously used a continuous 

process in pressing technology, with scroll-type 

presses which had been installed during the 

1970‘s and which now meant that a reinvestment 

was necessary. It was clear that only a continuous 

system could again be applicable for an operation 

of this order of magnitude. If a company such as 

Badischer Winzerkeller wanted to operate on a 

discontinuous basis with pneumatic tank presses, 

which is actually common practise in the pressing 

industry, an installation featuring around 25 tank 

presses would have been necessary. this also 

does not take account of the manpower necessary 

for operating such a installation. a further 

possibility of continuous operation, apart from 

the scroll-type press, would have been the band 

press, which is used in many applications in the 

fruit juice field, although it involves microbiological 

problems in the trub. the only meaningful 

alternative was the decanter. 


Closed and thus hygienic 

juicing 

Easy to clean 

Low coarse trub content 

Short pay-back times 

Sensory quality fully 

comparable with that of 

the traditional methods 

Suitable for all sizes of 

operation 

Can be used for red grapes as 

well as white grapes 

Gentle juicing system 

Separator‘s Digest: What are the main 

quality advantages of Westfalia Separator 

vinex in your opinion? 

decanters were tested at the beginning of the 

1990‘s in the wine industry, although unsatisfactory 

results were achieved at that time. the 

problem with the grape mash is that it is not a 

homogeneous material. Sometimes it contains 

more grapes, sometimes more seeds, and sometimes 

more skin. Only after certain aspects had 

been adapted was the decanter able to cope with 

this inhomogeneous mash. For instance, the drive 

of the scroll had to be regulated, in other words, 

the power consumption had to adjust to the 

solids content, depending on the consistency of 

the mash. 

Or an additional aspect: when the mash is pumped 

into the machine through a stationary stainless 

steel tube when the bowl is rotating at 2500 

revolutions per minute, this results in high 

mechanical strain. It was possible to eliminate this 

problem by ensuring that the inlet tube rotated 

together with the bowl. the mash is accelerated 

in the feed tube, and enters the machine with 

approximately the same speed as the bowl. this 

results in a gentle juicing process. In the analysis, 

it can be established that a decanter does not 

expose the product to any mechanical strain. We 

do not have any increase in tannin. an increase in 

tannin would mean that seeds had somehow 

been crushed. We do not want to have this bitter 

seed tannin in the wine. We want to have the 

polyphenols from the skin of the grapes and 

therefore require a juicing system which is as 

gentle as possible. this is guaranteed because the 

seeds are immediately conveyed to the periphery 

Separator’s Digest 3 | 2008

OFFerInG a FuLL ranGe In a GrOWInG MarKet 

via the machine, and are then discharged via the 

scroll. 

this means that it has for the first time been 

possible to use a fully continuous process in order 

to turn the grape mash into a fermentable must 

without the need for additional treatment for the 

must. today, we obtain must qualities which 

normally correspond to a grape must which has 

been treated in a centrifuge. the nephelometric 

turbidity unit ntu is around 250 to 300 ntu, 

which means that this process produces a grape 

juice which is directly suitable for the fermentation 

process. 

Also for thermovinification 

of red wine 

Separator‘s Digest: Approximately 70 percent 

of grapes in Baden are of the Burgunder 

variety, for red wine this is of course the 

Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) variety. In Baden, 

the ratio between white wine and red 

wine is approximately 60 to 40. Does the 

Westfalia Separator vinex process also work 

with red wine? 

It can be used not only with white grapes; it can 

also be used with red grapes, namely in the case 

of thermovinification of red wine using heat 

treatment in the wine-making process. the mash 

is heated briefly; as a result of this temperature, 

Sales of wine in the German food retail sector including 

discounters are expanding; in this field, sales of German 

wine in 2007 increased at an above-average rate, namely 

5 percent. the market share of German wines is also increasing, 

and in 2007 amounted to 38.7 percent. With this consumption 

potential among consumers, Badischer Winzerkeller is 

basing its strategy on stable demand and higher quality. 

the slogan “Wine from Baden – Caressed by the Sun“ is still 

applicable. as a company offering a full range of products, 

Badischer Winzerkeller is able to meet all requirements of 

the trade. three clearly distinguished umbrella brands – 

Badischer Winzerkeller, Graf von Kageneck and Weinmanufaktur 

am Münsterberg – reliably serve the market in the 

food and specialist trade sector and also in the discount 

sector without any competing overlap and with the desired 

qualities. Badischer Winzerkeller is equipped with the 

latest technology for this purpose, including Westfalia 

Separator vinex.

we extract the colour from the skin of the 

grape and can go directly to the machine in 

a continuous process. We juice and 

immediately obtain the fermentable must 

from the decanter; it is initially hot. In a heat 

exchange process with cold mash, energy is 

recovered, and we can then lower the 

temperature of the must in a final stage so 

that we can go with a fermentation 

temperature of 18 °C directly with the red 

wine to the fermentation tank. 

Separator‘s Digest: How many employees 

do you need for operating the 

decanter line? 

In Badischer Winzerkeller, the decanter lines 

can be completely operated by two 

employees. In terms of manpower, we thus 

have an additional major advantage and, in 

terms of energy input, we also have major 

potential savings compared with our 

previous method of operation involving 

scroll type presses and various other work 

stages. 

Constantly better results 

than the scroll-type press 

Separator‘s Digest: How does the decanter 

perform compared with the 

scrolltype press and the tank press? 

When we saw what a decanter is capable of 

doing, we realised relatively quickly that it 

always provides better results than a scrolltype 

press. Some grape mashes may be 

juiced more easily with a tank press, and 

other grape mashes can be juiced more 

easily with a decanter. Overall, these two 

methods are of equal quality. however, the 

disadvantage of the tank press is that it 

requires a preclarification stage, either with 

a centrifuge or a flotation stage or a sedimentation 

stage. and with thermovinification, 

I cannot use continuous operation 

with a tank press because the mash first has 

to be heated and has to be kept in a tank 

for several hours in order to obtain a 

reaction time. 

Two thirds of production 

Separator‘s Digest: What volumes do 

you process in Badischer Winzerkeller 

with the Westfalia Separator vinex 

decanters? 

Wilfried dörr: today, decanters handle two 

thirds of our production. I am now in my 

fourth season at Badischer Winzerkeller, 

and we now have two production lines 

operating with decanters. everything which 

runs through the decanters lines is done 

without must preclarification. In the production 

process downstream of the decanter, 

we also have a flotation possibility 

which we can run directly after the process. 

and we also do this in certain cases, 

depending on the mash which we have. 

Otherwise, after the decanter, there are no 

more centrifuge operations. We still use 

centrifuges for must clarification for our 

tank press installation. We will continue to 

retain this process for the time being, 

particularly also for relatively small batches. 

and for absolute peak days, we also have a 

scroll-type press which will also continue to 

be used in order to cope with the peaks. 

Earning its spurs 

Separator‘s Digest: Is Westfalia 

Separator vinex now accepted and 

established in the wine industry? 

Wilfried dörr: the wine industry has now 

accepted that this technology works, but 

the level of acceptance is still not complete. 

Wine growers have been pressing grapes 

for 5000 years, irrespective of pressing system. 

now somebody comes along and says 

we no longer need to press. that is not 

easy. however, there were also difficulties 

experienced in the move away from the 

wooden cask to a stainless steel tank. Or in 

the move away from kieselguhr filtration to 

crossflow filtration. even the initial use of 

the centrifuge in the 1950‘s and 1960‘s did 

not take place overnight. technologies 

which are new always have to earn their 

spurs for many years before they are 

accepted. I make no exception for myself in 

this respect. 

Separator‘s Digest: In addition to 

the Westfalia Separator vinex process, 

Badischer Winzerkeller also uses centrifuges 

from GEA Westfalia Separator 

for clarifying the young wines. 

Wilfried dörr: We have several irons in the 

fire at our company in this respect. the 

traditional method is clarification using a 

centrifuge and subsequent kieselguhr 

filtration. alternatively, this can today also 

be achieved only with clarification via 

crossflow filtration installations. In general, 

we use the traditional method for the white 

wines and the crossflow method of 

Gea Westfalia Separator Process for the red 

wines. however, it is no longer possible to 

conceive of wine clarification without 

centrifuges. 

35 million bottles per year 

Separator‘s Digest: What quantities do 

you produce every year? 

Wilfried dörr: We produce around 35 million 

bottles per year. this year, we expect to 

receive around 30 million kg of grapes from 

our full suppliers and also several million 

litres of must which we source from our 

partial suppliers. as Badischer Winzerkeller, 

we offer a range of around 150 wines; 

however, for other cooperatives and winemaking 

operations, we produce up to 600 

different wines. It is true that we are a large 

operation; however, for us it is no problem 

at all to make 200 litres of a special harvest 

in the same way as 1.2 million litres of wine 

from Baden grapes. 

Separator‘s Digest: Thank you very 

much for the interview. 

Today, Westfalia 

Separator 

vinex decanters 

handle two thirds 

of the production.

Smoothies 

“Smoothies“ have been a permanent fixture 

in the fruit juice industry for quite some time. 

They are offered to consumers in the fresh 

fruit department and / or the refrigerated 

shelves of supermarkets in packaging sizes 

of approx. 250 ml. 

They can also be found in direct sales at airports 

and railway stations. They are sold as a snack, and 

compete directly with soft drinks as well as fast 

food and chocolate bars; they are advertised as a 

drink as well as a fruit substitute. 

Use of direct juices 

Smoothies feature ingredients consisting of a 

wide range of fruits. The main constituents are 

frequently apple and orange juice. They also 

contain fruit additives with an exotic 

image. The premium group products 

frequently come directly from fruit 

processing. Fruit concentrates are 

therefore not used in order to 

provide freshness and an 

excellent taste. Unlike normal 

concentrate production, the 

production of fresh direct 

juice products requires 

continuous operation, and 

is not dependent on the 

fruit season. This is the only 

way in which the consumer 

can be supplied with fresh 

products throughout the 

entire year. Direct juices from 

the commonly encountered 

types of fruit are already 

established. Other raw products 

come from deep-freeze or 

refrigerated stores; fresh fruit from 

other continents can also be an 

alternative.

are En Vogue 

FrUiT jUicE anD FrUiT pUrEE prODUcTiOn 

wiTh DEcanTErS 

however, a high-quality end product not 

only requires perfect raw materials: 

correspondingly high-quality processing is 

just as important. This means that lower 

quality and rotten constituents of the raw 

products have to be removed. crushing and 

mash treatment are mandatory and have to 

be used in accordance with the specific type 

of fruit. in many cases, peeling and stoning 

of the fruit are recommended for making 

quality products. 

Rapid juicing, short 

processing times 

an attempt is made to avoid the use of heat 

and enzymes. Long processing times have 

an even greater negative impact on quality. 

after fruit has been crushed, enzymes such 

as pectinases and oxydases are released; 

these result in a biochemical change in the 

juice. 

Lengthy exposure to atmospheric conditions 

results in a not necessarily desired change in 

aroma and colour. For instance, in the 

production of apple juice, the aroma is 

released after the apple has been crushed. 

in the initial phase, the concentration of key 

components increases, and the aroma 

becomes more intense. however, over a 

period of time, these components change 

or disappear. This process is normally 

stopped by means of pasteurisation 

involving heat treatment. ideally, the juice is 

heated ten minutes after it has been 

crushed. in order to be able to achieve this, 

it is essential for the fruit to be juiced quickly, 

for instance with a decanter. The very short 

processing time also has the major 

advantage that the microbic contamination 

time is minimised. This results in a low 

bacteria process. 

Decanters as the core 

element of process 

technology 

when a decanter is used, the mash is 

conveyed through a feed tube into the bowl 

which is rotating at high speed. The 

centrifugal force in the bowl results in the 

solids with a higher specific gravity being 

separated from the mash, and the solids 

then collect on the wall of the bowl. The 

lighter phase, the juice, collects above the 

solids. The solids scroll rotates at a slightly 

higher speed in the bowl of the horizontal 

scroll-type centrifuge. The solids are 

discharged out of the bowl by the scroll as a 

result of the slightly higher differential 

speed. The solids first enter the conical part 

of the decanter bowl, where they are further 

juiced before being discharged out of the 

bowl. This juicing process is based on the 

process of the solids being lifted out of the 

liquid layer and being subject to downstream 

press dewatering (in the case of compressible 

solids, such as most fruit mashes) or 

dewatering by means of capillary flow (in 

the case of incompressible solids). 

ideal processing conditions can be created 

by the choice of suitable technical parameters. 

This is achieved by ensuring that the 

technical parameters are consistent with 

the process environment. The mash processing, 

and in particular the crushing 

process, is vital in most cases. 

Adjustable consistency 

Because smoothies are a mixture of fruit 

juice and purees, it is important for the right 

solid content of the individual fruit 

components to be set. in certain cases, it is 

important to retain a “coarse“ consistency. 

a homogeneous structure, such as that 

achieved by means of a homogeniser, is 

desired only in exceptional cases. The 

concentration of the solid phase in the liquid 

phase is controlled by the various machine 

parameters which can be adjusted during 

operation. The concentration can be 

increased or decreased depending on the 

phase in which the required substances 

occur in increased concentration. 

accordingly, the decanters should be fitted 

with devices for torque-dependent control 

of the differential speed, variable adjustment 

of pond depth in ongoing operation and 

product discharge under pressure by means 

of a centripetal pump. 

raTE capaciTy carEFULLy 

The market requires high quality fresh fruit juices and fruit 

purees, smoothies. This requires a processing line which meets 

the requirements of high quality processing. A processing 

capacity of 800 kg / h has proven to be a good scale.

Biodiesel Continues t 

EffECtivE produCtion is possiBlE

Jatropha nuts - they are a potential 

sustainable energy supplier of the 

future. They are also a source for the 

recovery of biodiesel. 

o be an Alternative 

the 150 th birthday of rudolf diesel fell in 

mid-March 2008. on 10 August 1893, in other 

words 150 years ago, the diesel engine which 

he developed ran on its own for the first time. 

diesel had not only invented an unusually 

effective engine; he had also considered the 

possibility of an organic fuel. 

today, his vision has become reality; mineral-based diesel fuels as well as 

vegetable-based biodiesel can both be used in the diesel engine. this is 

an engine which has been constantly improved throughout the decades, 

although it is in principle still “the old engine“, in which a virtually perfect 

combustion process takes place in a piston engine; extremely efficient use 

is thus made of the fuel, and resources are used efficiently. 

Efficient use of resources 

Efficient use of resources; this is a major topic nowadays. recovering 

energy from sustainable raw materials is thus a topical issue. in its 

organic fuel directive, the European union has specified a phased schedule: 

all member states were expected to cover two percent of their fuel 

consumption with organic fuels by the year 2005. the corresponding 

figures for 2010 and 2020 are 5.75 percent and 10 percent respectively. 

this can be achieved by using organic fuels in pure form or in the form 

of an admixture. Germany has gone one step further. in october 2006, 

the German Bundestag adopted the organic fuel Quota Act, which 

specifies a minimum quota of 6.75 percent by 2010 and a minimum quota 

of eight percent by the year 2015. indeed, a figure of up to 17 percent by 



the year 2020 is under discussion. taxes will 

also be raised in parallel. Mineral oil tax will 

be charged at the full rate for biodiesel and 

vegetable oil used as fuel starting in 2012. 

the original subsidies for organic fuels have 

thus been abolished. 

Long-standing 

process know-how 

in Germany, the corresponding biodiesel 

production capacities have already been 

expanded in recent years. GEA Westfalia 

separator has been very much involved in 

this process both as a supplier of standalone 

machines as well as a supplier for the 

entire core equipment of biodiesel factories. 

in the process of manufacturing biodiesel, 

vegetable oil is mixed with methanol and 

various reagents as catalysts; the ester 

compounds of the vegetable oil triglycerides 

are separated and the fatty acids which 

are generated are transesterified with the 

methanol. the glycerine obtained in this 

process is separated from the biodiesel. 

special separators are used for this stage. 

this main process is connected with the 

pre-treatment of the vegetable oil, also 

using separators. GEA Westfalia separator 

uses the familiar Cd process (Connemann 

AdM system) for recovering biodiesel; in 

the pre-treatment stage, GEA Westfalia 

separator has extended this method to 

include alcoholic neutralisation of the free 

fatty acids with the glycerine obtained from 

the transesterification process. 

the subsequent recovery of methanol 

by means of rectification and glycerine 

water concentration are purely thermal 

processes, which however have also been 

supplied by GEA Westfalia separator as 

part of the overall process support. thanks 

to its extensive know-how and long- 

standing involvement in biodiesel technology, 

GEA Westfalia separator was in many cases 

responsible for the entire engineering. this 

makes sense particularly in view of the fact 

that interface problems were circumvented 

with the closely linked process stages. 

GEA Westfalia separator generally worked 

with local companies for producing the 

peripheral equipment, for instance steam 

generation. 

Rapeseed, soy, 

palm and sunflower oil 

in Germany rapeseed oil is still the main 

primary substance used in the production 

of biodiesel, with an oil content in the seeds 

of 40 to 45 percent. the agricultural surface 

requirement is around 10 square metres 

for each litre of diesel equivalent. on the 

other hand, in other countries of Europe, 

soy oil and a mixture of soy oil and palm 

oil are now more prevalent. sunflower oil 

is however also used in countries such as 

romania and Bulgaria. there is still backlog 

demand for biodiesel installations in poland 

and Greece for instance. 

in addition, in south America, and 

particularly in Brazil and Argentina with their 

huge soy plantations, there is an increasing 

trend for biodiesel to be produced for 

export. in parallel, the capacities of the 

Jatropha is a further possible vegetable 

oil and thus sustainable energy supplier. 

This nut is very robust and frugal. Because 

it readily survives lengthy periods of 

drought and because it is hardly eaten by 

any animals at all because of its toxic 

juice, it is an ideal plant in tropical 

countries for the afforestation of desert 

areas or the re-afforestation of agricultural 

areas which have been abandoned as 

a result of drought or soil erosion. 

According to estimates, the potential 

area for cultivating the jatropha nut 

world-wide is between two and three 

million square metres. 

the World Bank supports the cultivation 

of jatropha, also in india, on condition 

biodiesel installations are expanding to 

new dimensions. Whereas a few years 

ago a production of 100,000 tonnes of 

biodiesel per annum with one installation 

was the upper limit, installations producing 

200,000 tonnes per annum are now 

standard. the newest projects are already 

considering capacities of 400 to 500,000 

tonnes per annum. the situation is similar 

in south-East Asia, Malaysia, indonesia 

and the philippines, where palm oil from 

plantations can be used as the raw material 

for biodiesel. 

BiodiEsEl froM thE jAtrophA nut 

24 



that no fertile land is used for such 

cultivation, that reasonable wages are 

paid, that low transport costs are incurred 

and that crude oil imports can be avoided. 

the nut, which grows on shrubs, is not 

suitable for human consumption; there is 

accordingly no ethical conflict of using 

food for generating energy. Without 

doubt, the use of sustainable raw materials 

as fuels or for heat production will result in 

competition with the cultivation of food. 

however, the world-wide energy problem 

also needs to be solved. it is not necessarily 

the case that large areas of virgin forest 

will have to be used for this purpose. in 

indonesia alone, several million hectares 

of agricultural land have already been 

laid waste. By way of cultivation and 

sustainable management of these “steppe 

landscapes“, biodiesel could create a 

meaningful and sustainable source of 

income for the population. however, even 

in the middle of Europe, in Germany, there 

is enough fallow land, in certain cases 

even subsidised as such by the Eu, which 

could be put to better use. 

Biodiesel continues to be an alternative 

to mineral oil based diesel fuel. And 

GEA Westfalia separator will continue to 

be a leader in the field of supplying 

centrifugal technology for producing 

biodiesel.

The 

(dark) Sweet 

Side of 

Life 

DECAnTErS in ThE 

ZoTTEr SChokoLADEn 

MAnufAkTur 

Chocolate is becoming a cult 

object. And in particular the 

demand for dark chocolate 

is increasing worldwide. 

And the Zotter Schokoladen 

Manufaktur has been using a 

decanter from GEA Westfalia 

Separator precisely for this 

purpose since early this year.

l 

iT hAS To bE DArk AnD biTTEr 

it is intended to control the fat content of 

the cocoa mass without having to add sugar. 

The result is a wide range of new recipes 

due to different production methods. 

Dark chocolate has a much higher cocoa 

content (min. 70 percent) than conventional 

milk chocolate. This content can rise to 100 

percent. This also has a positive effect on 

health. in cocoa powder, and only there, 

scientists have identified various substances 

which protect the heart and circulation. 

They are said to lower blood pressure and 

cholesterol levels and protect the cells 

against toxic substances, the free radicals. 

According to heart specialists, the existing 

flavinoids of cocoa reduce oxidative stress 

in the cells, strengthen blood vessels and 

support cardiac health. There were good 

reasons why chocolate was initially sold 

only in chemists at the beginning of its 

career in the 18 th century. it had to be dark 

and bitter, of course. The cocoa mass has 

to be defatted before refining and conching 

for making this dark type of chocolate. And 

this is precisely the task which is performed 

by a CD 305 decanter at Zotter. 

All about chocolate 

Since the 1990‘s, Josef Zotter has devoted 

his attention to the production and 

discovery of chocolate. he has expanded the 

chocolate horizon and has set new trends 

by composing chocolate to taste trends 

which were previously inconceivable. noble 

dark chocolate with tiger nuts, dark milk 

chocolate with tofu and sake or wine on 

quark droplets. his new production facility 

in riegersburg (Styria) was commissioned in 

August 2007: The SchokoladeWerk. from 

the process of roasting the cocoa beans 

and refining plants right through to the final 

finishing in the conche, Josef Zotter has all 

production processes involved in making 

chocolate on his own premises. This alone 

is unusual, because not every chocolate 

maker carries out all stages of the chocolate 

making process himself. With a production 

quantity of only 450 tonnes p. a., he is 

competing with the big players on the 

chocolate production market. 

Intensity instead of quantity 

Chocolate is extremely versatile. The 

substance which was initially traded as the 

“food of the gods“ constantly poses new 

challenges to leading chocolate makers. The 

company currently has 150 different 

chocolate types in its programme. in 

addition to the hand-made chocolates 

which have become a culinary cult object, 

Zotter also prepares hand-made drinking 

chocolate as a liquid game in a glass as well 

as chocolate-coated snacks. Zotter also 

places value on sustainability, and has been 

a fixed licence partner of fairtrade Austria 

since 2004. Zotter sources basic raw 

materials such as cocoa and cane sugar in 

organic quality via fair trade. The entire 

Zotter range is made organically. Josef 

Zotter: “Excellent chocolate is characterised 

by its intensity and not by the quantity“.

Transparent production 

in the SchokoladeWerk, Zotter Schokoladen 

Manufaktur allows the numerous visitors to get 

to know all production stages of chocolate 

production in a type of glass production, from 

roasting and refining right through to conching, 

and also allows them to taste intermediate 

products such as cocoa nips and refining 

powder. 

The cocoa beans are first roasted. in the roasting 

process, the cocoa develops its typical aroma, and 

the beans are then treated to remove bacteria. in 

the crusher, the shells of the freshly roasted hot 

beans are removed, and the beans are broken 

down into small pieces, known as cocoa nibs. The 

nibs are conveyed to the cocoa mill, where they 

are broken down into their components. The 

cocoa butter is extracted, and melts as a result of 

the friction heat. This results in a liquid mass 

which looks very much like chocolate although it 

is not yet chocolate. The downstream ball mill 

improves the consistency of this cocoa mass even 

further. 

The decanter as a key 

component in the production 

chain 

The GEA Westfalia Separator CD 305 decanter 

operates as one of the new key components in 

the centre of the production chain. The most 

important step in the process of creating the taste 

of chocolate is that of conching. The cocoa mass 

requires appropriate consistency in order to be 

able to ensure an optimum conching process. The 

fat content as well as the grain size distribution 

are key aspects in this respect. As a result of the 

centrifugal separating properties of a decanter, it 

is possible to obtain a high-fat phase with very 

fine particles on the liquid side and a low-fat 

phase with coarser particles which is as solid as 

possible on the solids‘ side. The CD 305 decanter 

reduces the fat content from between 50 and 

56 percent to between 40 and 44 percent. The 

fat phase, the cocoa butter, can be recycled back 

into the process subsequently during conching. 

Due to the two-gear regulating facility patented by 

GEA Westfalia Separator, with variable bowl and 

differential speed as well as a torque regulating 

facility, Zotter has maximum flexibility with regard 

to the machine settings. This results in a very large 

number of possible recipes which previously were 

not possible in this form. in the past, for instance, 

the consistency of the cocoa mass had to be 


27 

adjusted by adding sugar for binding fat; this 

generally had a limiting effect on the production 

of dark chocolate. 

This is followed by the mix. Enormous pressure 

in the refiner results in the ideal combination, the 

fine melt, and the aromas, until eventually only 

a trace of chocolate remains in the form of a 

fine powder. The refiner is a playing ground for 

creative persons and of course particularly for 

Josef Zotter. 

The decanter makes it possible 

The cocoa powder obtained is now processed in 

the conche. The chocolate in this way receives 

its final finish. The fine and dry powder is stirred 

for up to 20 hours in heatable conches. The fine 

aromas of the cocoa bean are completely released 

by these hours of treating the cocoa mass with 

various admixtures in very defined programme 

stages with precisely defined temperatures. The 

heat releases the aromas, any humidity and 

unwanted aroma constituents escape, and the 

cocoa butter liquefies again, thus permitting 

particularly fine distribution of the sugar and fat 

particles. The chocolate is finished. 

DECAnTEr CD 305 

Zotter was able to commence operation with 

the new production line in mid-2008: Dark 

chocolates with a very high cocoa content, 

for which demand is constantly increasing. 

The decanter makes it possible – and has also 

demonstrated this ability at other chocolate 

makers. 


New Olive Oil Extraction Installat 

in Australia 

AustrAlIA‘s OlIvE OIl busINEss Is stIll vEry rEcENt. 

ApprOxImAtEly 20,000 hA ArE plANtEd wIth OlIvE 

trEEs, ANd mOrE thAN 18,000 hA Of thIs fIgurE 

hAvE ONly bEEN plANtEd durINg thE pAst 

tEN yEArs. 

In spring 2008 Tatiara 

Olive Processing, one of 

the five biggest Australian 

olive oil producers, 

commissioned an olive oil 

extraction plant with an 

OSD 50 oil polisher. 

28 



Around one third of the olive plantations has 

fewer than 500 trees, and 90 percent of the 

plantations overall comprise no more than 

5000 trees. the plantations are scattered 

throughout the southern part of Australia. In 

terms of climate conditions, these regions are 

roughly equivalent to spain and greece. the 

production quantity of olive oil was approx. 

2800 tonnes in 2006, and approximately 

3500 tonnes of table olives were produced. 

Australia currently covers 95 percent of its 

olive oil and table olives requirement by 

means of imports. 

Difficult years 

recent years have been extremely difficult 

for the Australian olive producers. In 2004, a 

severe drought and major restrictions in terms 

of irrigation rights meant that the harvest 

was much lower than originally anticipated.

ion 

the 2006 season was characterized by 

severe frost directly after the blossoming 

time, which destroyed approximately 

60 percent of the fruits. further factors 

resulted in lower production quantities and 

lower yields in the harvests between 2005 

and 2007: Australia has been suffering for 

years from a severe drought with above 

average temperatures in high summer, 

affecting 60 percent of the country. this has 

resulted in a water supply crisis affecting 

all agricultural-oriented sectors in Australia; 

olive cultivation competes with other 

sectors – for instance the dairy industry, 

wine-growing, etc. – for water supplies. 

the olive growers were also affected by 

the second restricted harvest in two years 

in 2006. 

fIvE kIlOgrAms Of OlIvEs fOr ONE 

lItrE Of OIl 

Four to five kilograms of olives are required for producing one 

litre of olive oil. The age of the tree only has an effect on the 

volume of production – and not on the quality. An olive tree 

starts to bear fruit between its fifth and tenth year, and its yield 

starts to decline after 100 years. The colour of the olive does 

not depend on the type; instead, it depends on the degree of 

maturity. Olives are initially green, and become black as they 

mature. Unripe green olives produce only a small amount of oil 

or no oil at all. 

Extraction installation for 

Tatiara Olive Processing 

tatiara Olive processing is one of the five 

largest olive oil producers in Australia and 

is based in keith in the north-west of south 

Australia. this producer has so far been 

producing oil for numerous plantations in 

south Australia, victoria, New south wales 

and western Australia, with an installation 

of the competition (4 t / h). with their 

innovative team, they have now decided 

to use the better alternative, and have 

placed an order for an olive oil extraction 

installation from gEA westfalia separator 

with a capacity of 5 t / h. the scope of supply 

comprises hammer mills, vertical mixers, an 

rcc 495 decanter, an Osd 50 oil polisher as 

well as pumps and accessories. 



for this installation, gEA westfalia separator 

Australia supplied the complete control 

as a customer-oriented and customized 

solution. the installation was installed by 

the service team of gEA westfalia separator 

Australia together with regional suppliers. 

the installation was commissioned in early 

2008. particularly in view of the uncertainty 

due to the water shortage and the drought, 

an order of this magnitude demonstrates 

the major confidence of customers in 

gEA westfalia separator engineering.

30 Process Separator’s Digest 3 | 2008 


Crud removal with the new Crudmaster 20 

demand for metals 

and raw materials 

has never Been as strong 

in recent years, the world-wide mining industry has been 

experiencing an upswing which has been stronger than has been 

the case for a long time, mainly due to the much stronger demand 

for metal and energy raw materials from the Far east. 

in particular, the Chinese economy, with 

its above-average growth in demand, is 

resulting in a shortage of supply and the 

associated effect of rising prices. Because 

experts are assuming that this development 

will continue, the investment climate in the 

mining industry is now better than it has 

been for at least 20 years. in Chile, for 

instance, where approximately 20 percent 

of gross domestic product is generated in 

the mining industry, this statement is 

particularly applicable. Copper production 

is expected to rise to 6 million tonnes in 

2009, compared with a probable figure of 

5.7 million tonnes in 2008. By the year 

2011, investments in the Chilean copper 

sector are expected to amount to usd 22 

billion. 

Liquid extraction for copper, 

uranium, cobalt and zinc 

the liquid extraction process with acid has 

become established for recovering metals 

such as copper, uranium, cobalt and zinc. 

however, a problem encountered in this 

process is the formation of so-called “crud“ 

in the settling tanks – this is an emulsion 

layer consisting of acqueous and organic 

components, air and fine solids. Because 

this emulsion has a negative impact on the 

effectiveness of the extraction process, it 

has to be continuously removed from the 

recovery process, or its formation has to be 

prevented. 

3-phase decanter removes the 

crud in the extraction stage 

one possibility is for the crud to be removed 

from the process in the extraction stage. For 



this purpose, Gea westfalia separator 

provides special 3-phase decanters designed 

to cope with the extreme requirements of 

the product. in the first stage, the decanter 

separates the emulsion which has previously 

been drawn off from the tank into solids, 

aqueous phase and solvent. the water and 

solids are removed. the organic phase is 

enriched with alumina and is then passed 

through a 2-phase decanter. in this way, it 

is possible to recover the solvent with such 

high quality that it can be recycled back into 

the extraction process without having a 

negative impact on the effectiveness of the 

process. 

the “Crudmaster 20“ has been launched 

on the market for this purpose. this decanter 

is available as a two-phase as well as a 

3-phase version; it is also possible to choose

etween the materials duplex and super-duplex. the low ph value, 

the high operating temperatures and varying chloride concentrations 

in the process place strong demands on the material of the 

machines. the use of highly resistant stainless steels in the 

construction of the decanters is thus essential for ensuring economic 

and reliable operation. 

Alternative: PLS clarification with 

nozzle-type separators 

in addition to the traditional “crud and clay treatment“, 

Gea westfalia separator also offers an alternative method: namely 

Pls clarification with special nozzle-type separators (Pls: Pregnant 

liquid solution). Pls clarification takes place upstream of the 

extraction stage. the solution to be clarified contains insoluble 

solids such as mica or alumina, which is responsible for the formation 

of crud. the nozzle-type separator reliably and permanently removes 

these constituents from the process. 

Strong demand in the mining industry: 

For the removal of crud from the process in the extraction 

stage GEA Westfalia Separator provides special decanters 

designed to cope with the extreme requirements of the 

product. The “CrudMaster 20“ is available in a 2-phase as 

well as in a 3-phase version.

Systems 

effective ocean 

protection 

TransporT waTer TreaTmenT 

in fish meal insTallaTions wiTh 

decanTers 

an example of genuine sustainability. The fish industry is depen 

dent on the oceans, and also is dependent on the oceans being 

clean. accordingly, the fish meal industry has to be interested in 

ensuring that the oceans are kept clean in order to secure the basis 

of its very existence. protection of the world‘s oceans is high on 

the agenda.

in peru, a country with an important fish 

industry, the government has introduced 

new environmental legislation, including a 

requirement for all companies in the fish 

meal industry to employ better treatment 

for effluent which is generated. since this 

year, this has been practiced very successfully 

by the largest fish meal manufacturer in the 

world, namely Technología de alimentos 

s. a. (Tasa), using a special decanter from 

Gea westfalia separator systems. 

Processing transport water 

fishing vessels discharge their haul directly 

into the factory from the vessel via large 

pipelines. sea water is used as the transport 

medium. when it is pumped through the 

pipelines, this transport water becomes 

contaminated with fish particles and fish 

oils. in its 17 fish meal factories in peru with 

a total capacity of around 250,000 tonnes 

of fish p. a., Tasa produces between 80 and 

150 tonnes fish / h. approximately three 

times this quantity of water is required for 

conveying the fish from the fishing vessel to 

the factory. This is equivalent to a pump 

water quantity of around 250 to 450 m³ / h 

in the various production facilities. Until 

several years ago, this pump water which 

contained oils, fats and solids, was 

discharged untreated into the sea. at the 

end of 2007, Tasa then installed a processing 

stage at its location in piscoica with 

a capacity of 140 tonnes fish / day; the main 

aim of this installation was to recover the 

oils, fats as well as the solids contained in 

the water so that they could be further 

processed in the production process. for 

this purpose, the pump water is initially 

floated in a daf unit (dissolved air flotation), 

and is then processed via two threephase 

decanters type Ucc 458. These machines 

separate the transport water into oils and 

solids, which can be further processed, as 

well as effluent. 

Second treatment stage 

however, the water remaining from this 

initial flotation process still contains excessive 

levels of oils and fats (3000 to 5000 ppm) 

and solids (8000 to 10,000 ppm). however, 

in its new legislation, the peruvian government 

has specified values of 1500 ppm oils 

and fats and 2500 ppm solids specifically for 

the fish meal industry. But this is not enough: 

in four years, these figures will be reduced 

further to 350 ppm (oils and fats) and 

700 ppm (solids). further effluent treatment 

using a second flotation unit was necessary 

GEA Westfalia Separator Systems 33 


for this purpose, with subsequent effluent 

clarification using a twophase decanter. 

The focus is not on recovering the oils and 

fats; instead, the overriding objective is to 

ensure that the clarified phase has to be as 

clean as possible before being returned to 

the sea. for this purpose, Tasa employs 

type Ucd 755 decanters with new 

technology using polymer flocculants. 

New technology 

only with the introduction of the new 

technology was it possible for the 2phase 

decanter to be used for this application. 

with this technology, separation was 

increased from between 50 and 60 percent 

to between 95 and 98 percent. The solution 

functions as follows: the level of liquid in 

the decanter has an effect on the clarification 

performance. This socalled pond depth can 

be regulated by means of regulating rings 

in the discharge of the clarified liquid. if 

the aim is to achieve a high degree of 

clarification, the pond depth has to be 

changed. if an optimum pond depth is 

achieved, the turbulence in the settled solids 

is reduced, and there is an improvement in 

the caking of the oil which is still contained 

in the effluent to the solids as well as the 

settling behaviour of these solids. 

Legal requirements have 

been more than met 

with the installed decanter, Tasa is able to 

recycle a very clean centrate back into the 

second daf unit. in practice, the legal 

requirements are more than met. This 

extensive processing of the pump water in 

the peruvian fish meal factory can be 

transferred to the worldwide fish meal 

industry, specifically in south america and 

asia in order to minimise effluent discharge 

values and to protect the ocean, which is 

the basis for fishing and fish processing. in 

the next fishing season, there are plans for 

even more extensive trials with decanters in 

order to improve clarification even further. 

for a clean ocean.

Deutschland 

looking Behind 

Open doors in Oelde and Niederahr for 

the customer information days 

the first group consisted of production and plant 

managers from the meat and fat industry, who 

were permitted to look behind the scenes of 

decanter production. on a second occasion, 

Gea westfalia separator opened its doors in 

niederahr to customers from the chemical and 

pharmaceutical industries; two years later, it 

opened its doors in oelde. an information day for 

customers from the dairy industry and beverage 

industry was held last year in oelde. the basic 

idea of these events is to demonstrate the entire 

range of decanters and separators and particularly 

the complexity and variety, the individual nature 

of design and production, from individual and 

spare parts as well as modules right through to 

entire decanters and separators. 

the scenes 

Customers welComed in 

niederahr and oelde 

Five times during the past three years, Gea westfalia 

separator deutschland Gmbh has invited a selected 

group of customers to view the decanter production 

in niederahr and the separator production in oelde.

Why is a particular machine 

designed just like this? 

Precise answers were given to 

lots of questions during the 

information days. 

Imparting of background knowledge 

why and how are machines designed? Gea westfalia separator imparted detailed 

background information concerning design, demonstrated for instance the differences 

between grease and oil lubrication or the influence of the right choice of material on 

corrosion resistance on the one hand and abrasive strength on the other, and thus in 

the final analysis demonstrated the operating lives of components. the design of 

scrolls (for decanters), gears, the control unit or the bowl in separators or decanters 

has a major impact on the quality of a machine and always has consequences for 

the operating life, availability and the westfalia separator lifecyclebenefit of the 

operator. 

it also became clear that grey market reproducers of spare parts and service 

competitors cannot be able to provide even approximately equivalent quality in 

the absence of knowledge of the technical specification concerning material 

quality, geometry, surface quality, etc.; on the contrary, they are playing a risky 

game with operating reliability and availability. with regard to the design of 

a machine or a component, no third party can have as much knowledge as 

the manufacturer himself or as Gea westfalia separator with its 

experience gained over recent decades. 

Surprising variety 

the participants were particularly surprised by the variety of components 

and machines. during the past 40 years, Gea westfalia separator for 

instance has manufactured several hundred different bowl types for 

separators, and also several hundred scroll types for decanters; each 

type features a wide range of customised versions. all visitors realised 

that customised centrifuge construction at Gea westfalia separator is 

far removed from series production. But this is precisely the aspect 

which constitutes the quality and effectiveness for each specific 

application. 

the information days impressively communicated an understanding for the extent, 

quality and expense of decanter and separator production as well as decanter and 

separator repairs, with the realisation that there are still many manual processes in 

certain cases which require a high level of specialized know-how of the employees. 

the guests were very impressed by the applied production technology with extremely 

modern CnC machines, the quality process and detailed accuracy: seeing is 

believing – for all participants, these days with their personal impressions of the 

production and repairs of decanters and separators in the plant were a special 

experience; everybody who is involved with the machines in his daily working practice 

was glad not to have missed this experience. 

GEA Westfalia Separator Deutschland 35 


New 

training 

Centre in 

oelde 

MACHINE AND ProCEss 

ENgINEErINg kNow-How 

As fACtors of suCCEss 

the oelde plant has recently acquired 

its own training centre. It supports all 

technical training measures in the fields of 

machine engineering, process engineering, 

automation and machine diagnosis. this 

constitutes a further module in refocusing 

service – namely first class training for 

service employees and customers‘ staff. 

regular courses for employees of our customers 

have been held for many years. Existing results 

and feedback show that the courses create an 

important foundation for working with separators 

and decanters. 

Training courses 

for machine operators 

the training is targeted directly at operating and 

maintenance personnel working with the 

machines at present or in the future. this is 

because a machine operator should know how a 

centrifuge operates. Experience shows that 

operator personnel who carefully treat a separator 

or decanter and always keep an eye on the 

machine ensure reliability and less production 

downtime. 

Training for sales and 

service employees 

the purpose of providing training for the 

company‘s own sales and service employees 

worldwide is to communicate the process 

engineering know-how of gEA westfalia 

separator in more than 2500 different applications

from various sectors. sales and service will 

only be able to provide high quality work if 

they are familiar with the complete 

programme and the applications. this 

requires permanent further training, because 

more than half of all products of 

gEA westfalia separator is not more than 

three years old. New developments in 

machine and process engineering are 

progressing with tremendous momentum. 

Electronic measuring, control and regulating 

technology for instance becomes outdated 

on average every three years. And the 

requirements applicable for employee 

qualifications will become even more 

stringent in the course of the next few years. 

A four-stage qualification model and 

training concept exists for this purpose. this 

is because innovative technology also 

requires personnel and service engineers 

with training to current standards. 

Achieving seminar 

objectives with modern 

training methods 

In the customer training sessions which 

normally last for two days, the participants 

are expected to learn various aspects, 

including getting to know and following the 

safety-relevant aspects and the principles of 

centrifugal separating technology of the 

machines to the extent that these are 

necessary for operation and maintenance. 

these include physical principles, factors 

with an impact on performance, clarification 

and separation as well as dewatering. the 

training also covers the structure and 

function of the machines if they are 

important for the practical activities, e.g. in 

assembling the bowl. the participants are 

expected to be familiar with the functional 

procedures, e.g. starting and stopping the 

machine, the monitoring facilities of the 

machine or installation; they are also 

expected to identify and, where possible, 

remedy problems and should also be able to 

run and monitor the machine without 

GEA Westfalia Separator Deutschland 37 


supervision. the seminar contents are 

provided in modular form and are tailored 

to meet the requirements of the specific 

installation or customer specifications. 

trainings are provided exclusively by 

specialists with trainer qualifications. the 

latest training methods are used, with 

videos, discussions, demonstrations and 

self-managed checks of learning success. 

Additional practical demonstrations and 

exercises are carried out on the available 

machines / assemblies. Each participant of 

course receives a participation certificate for 

his newly required know-how. Because 

knowledge cannot be taken away from 

anybody.

Lifestyle 

GEA WEstfAliA sEpArAtor trAininG 

cEntrE fAcEs biG chAllEnGE 

the rediscovery of 

the Motorcars 

the training centre of GEA Westfalia separator 

in oelde is known as one of the most modern 

in the entire Münsterland region. being 

trained at GEA Westfalia separator is highly 

prized in the industry and trainee places are 

very sought after. some 40 youths are trained 

each year. With traineeships lasting four years, 

some 160 youths are trained by us at any one 

time. this corresponds to a training ratio 

of almost ten per cent of the entire staff at 

the oelde plant. this figure in itself is proof 

of the great attention given to training at 

GEA Westfalia separator. 

cEo holger heinrich also notes: “We wish to 

continually improve the quality of our training 

courses. in order to do so we will be actively 

participating at the various schools. Different 

interesting projects will always be initiated, 

which will give our training activities that little 

extra spark.“ 

Even today, the facility is managed as a “junior 

company“. real orders from the company are 

taken on and the manufactured products are 

offered in the permanent staff‘s sales program. 

real orders are processed jointly by both 

commercial and industrial trainees thus 

breaking down any possible borders that may 

somehow impede indispensable future 

cooperation with one another. 

38 



Motorcars from the Westfalia 

plants‘ production line 

in the year 1906 the company management 

of ramesohl & schmidt, later Westfalia 

separator, began participating in the supposedly 

lucrative manufacture of motorcars. 

At the start of the industrialization period 

Westfalia was not the only company looking 

for success in this area. in 1911, they even 

purchased a site in bielefeld as a larger 

workforce was available in this upcoming 

industrial city than in oelde. however, it 

was as early as December 1912 that 

production of Westfalia motorcars was 

discontinued. nonetheless, the ramesohl & 

schmidt company did produce a number of

the training centre at GEA Westfalia separator in oelde is facing quite 

a special challenge: the reconstruction of an original Westfalia motorcar, 

originally manufactured by the ramesohl & schmidt ohG company in 1911. 

initiated by holger heinrich, cEo of the MDivision, the project will run over 

a period of three years. in doing so, holger heinrich hopes to add another 

interesting factor to commercial training at GEA Westfalia separator. 

different models in that short period of 

time, some of them even being sold abroad. 

over ten models were documented ranging 

from twoseater sportsters to fourcylinder 

limousines with luxury interior and even luxury 

limousines with four interior seats and two 

outer seats. in total, probably somewhere 

around 120 vehicles exited the plant‘s doors. 

Unsuccessful search 

for an original 

in 1993, on the occasion of the company‘s 

onehundredth anniversary, an originally 

preserved Westfalia motorcar was sought, 

but without success. Until now, it wasn‘t even 

possible to find drawings. 

however, at the start of this project the team 

visited the archive of the German centrifuge 

Museum. there they discovered two photo 

albums containing pictures of a number of 

different Westfalia motorcar models, photos 

of various chassis as well as a list of models 

and calculations from 1910 to 1913. Using 

the prospectuses on purchased automobile 

parts, comparison lists of former manufacturers 

and old motorcar magazines, the technical 

draftsmen trainees were able to collect and 

extrapolate the corresponding measurements 

in order to make the first construction 

drawings. this created the basic design so 

that the trainee mechanics and electricians 

could set about starting up the project. 



Unbelievable: around 100 years ago, the 

predecessor company of GEA Westfalia 

Separator even built motorcars. 

holger heinrich is convinced that “the project 

will be a lot of fun for the trainees.“ if 

everything goes according to plan, the elegant 

twoseater sportster with four cylinders 

and six hp will be completed in 2011, exactly 

100 years after its original manufacture.

Tap Your Surplus Resources! 

Surplus yeast and tank bottoms have a beer content 

of up to 90 percent. If you don’t want to waste this 

potential, rely on beer recovery with GEA Westfalia 

Separator. Our high-performance separators, highperformance 

decanters and cross-flow filtration 

with ceramic elements assure efficient processing 

for every size of operation. No matter whether a 

one-stage or two-stage process is used: the recovered 

beer can be recycled back into production without 

a deterioration in quality. This means that the volume 

of saleable beer is increased considerably without 

additional use of raw materials. 

A sample calculation: given an output of one million 

hl per annum, a tank bottom volume of around 

Mechanical Separation 

GEA Westfalia Separator Process GmbH 

40,000 hl is produced from which 60 percent 

beer can be recovered. Given a figure of 5 to 

10 Euros per hl, it corresponds to an annual additional 

revenue of 120,000 to 240,000 Euros. 

Calculate and compare – we do it also and can 

advise you on all options. 

Werner-Habig-Straße 1 · 59302 Oelde (Germany) · Phone +49 2522 77-0 · Fax +49 2522 77-2089 

ws.process@geagroup.com · www.westfalia-separator.com 

9997-1386-000/1008 EN · Printed in Germany · Printed on chlorine-free, bleached paper 

Separation. Solution. Success. 

WSPC-2--11-002

Separator's Digest - GEA Westfalia Separator Group

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