Banana Waste Processing with Lyure Screw Presses

Banana Waste Processing with Lyure Screw Presses

Introduction

Lyure Screw Press specializes in screw press technology to address waste management challenges in banana plantations and processing facilities. Banana waste, including peels, stems, and trunks, poses environmental and logistical issues. Lyure’s equipment offers solutions to convert this waste into valuable by-products like animal feed, mulch, or biofuel feedstocks.

Types of Banana Waste

Banana waste is categorized into:

Ripe Banana Peel: Yellow peels with high moisture content (around 88%).

Green Banana Peel: Sticky, enzyme-rich peels from unripe bananas, hard to process.

Banana Stems: Fibrous stems (18” long, 3” diameter) cut during harvesting.

Banana Trunks: Large, fibrous plant trunks left after fruit harvest.

Challenges in Banana Waste Processing

High Moisture Content: Ripe peels at 88% moisture and stems remain wet post-pressing (84% moisture).

Stickiness: Green peels contain enzymes that make them sticky, complicating handling.

Volume: Large quantities of waste require significant landfill space or disposal efforts.

Environmental Impact: Improper disposal leads to methane emissions and insect breeding in wet climates.

Lyure Screw Press Solutions

Lyure Screw Press provides tailored solutions for banana waste:

Ripe Banana Peel: Pressing reduces moisture, though press cake remains at 84% moisture. Adding press aids like lime, gypsum, or wood fiber improves dewatering.

Green Banana Peel: A comb-style shredder paired with the press reduces volume for landfill disposal.

Banana Stems: Lyure’s presses dewater stems after shredding, producing a fibrous press cake for mulch or drying.

Banana Trunks: Shredding and pressing trunks create a cellulose-rich material suitable for paper production or mulch.

Process Overview

Collection: Waste is gathered from plantations or processing plants.

Shredding: A pre-breaker or shredder reduces particle size for efficient pressing.

Pressing: Lyure screw presses separate liquid (press liquor) from solids (press cake).

Output Utilization:

Press Cake: Used as mulch, animal feed, or dried for boiler fuel.

Press Liquor: High in sugars (7 Brix for ripe peels), suitable for ethanol fermentation or wastewater treatment.

Applications

Animal Feed: Pressed ripe peels, though high in moisture, can be processed further for feed if dried.

Ethanol Production: In Ecuador, banana waste ferments readily due to its sugar content, supporting alcohol production.

Mulch: Pressed stems and trunks produce mulch, though insect breeding in wet climates can be an issue.

Paper Production: Cellulose-rich trunks offer potential as a year-round feedstock for paper mills.

Benefits of Lyure Screw Presses

Cost-Effective: The ED Series presses are affordable for mulch production compared to twin screw presses.

Volume Reduction: Shredding and pressing significantly reduce waste volume for disposal.

Versatility: Handles diverse banana waste types with customizable configurations.

Sustainability: Converts waste into valuable by-products, reducing landfill use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Case Studies

 Lyure presses dewatered banana stems for mulch, though projects were abandoned due to insect issues in humid conditions.

 Green banana peel volume was reduced using shredder-press combinations, easing landfill burdens.

 A major alcohol producer uses banana waste for ethanol, leveraging Lyure presses for efficient processing.

Limitations

Moisture Content: Press cake from ripe peels and stems remains too wet (84%) for direct drying into animal feed without additional processing.

Mulch Issues: In wet climates, mulch from pressed waste can attract insects, limiting its use.

Scale: Paper production from trunks requires large-scale investment, which may not suit smaller operations.

Conclusion

Lyure Screw Press offers practical solutions for managing banana waste, turning environmental challenges into opportunities for animal feed, ethanol, mulch, or paper production. While limitations like high moisture content and regional climate issues persist, Lyure’s technology supports sustainable waste management in the banana industry.