Use of Centrifuges for Rendering

If your business operations involve converting animal waste into value-added materials like lard or tallow, a centrifuge is essential. Whether you are searching for a new, reconditioned, or used centrifuge to replace your current one, or you are new to rendering, this primer aims to simplify the purchasing process.

One important consideration is whether the tallow you are rendering is edible or inedible. While regulations differ for edible byproducts, the available rendering system options remain the same.

Here are the three general types of centrifuges used in both edible and inedible rendering:

Method #1: Autoclaves – A strong, heated container used for chemical reactions and processes involving high pressure and temperature. Although largely replaced by other rendering systems, autoclaves are still useful in specific cases. Aaron Equipment maintains a stock of nearly two dozen autoclaves for reconditioned or used equipment needs.

Method #2: Dry Rendering – This method cooks animal tissues without water to extract fat. Dry rendering centrifuges are commonly used today and have two subsets: batch dry rendering and continuous dry rendering. Tallow is typically removed by hydraulic or screw pressing.

Dry rendering centrifuges offer several advantages: they are more energy-efficient, provide better protein yield, process faster, and reduce odors associated with tallowing. Super helix centrifuges are designed for continuous dry rendering, while basket centrifuges are used for batch processing.

Method #3: Continuous Wet Rendering – Used primarily for edible tallow and meat fractions, this process involves brief contact between water and raw materials to preserve fat quality. Centrifuges for continuous wet rendering include decanter and disc types. Decanter centrifuges first separate the liquid phase and remove meat fractions, followed by disc centrifuges to remove remaining water and fines, yielding up to 99.7% edible fat.

Aaron Equipment’s centrifuge expert, Whitney Craig, can guide you through your options, from decanter centrifuges to bottom dump centrifuges, as well as disc and filtering centrifuges.

Connect with Whitney on his Centrifuge Specialist Facebook page or on LinkedIn.