Tecniplas supplies composite silos for manufacture of pectin

Cargill's (Wayzata, Minn., U.S.) soon-to-be-inaugurated pectin factory in Bebedouro, Brazil, has composite silos manufactured by Tecniplas (Cabreúva, São Paulo, Brazil). Pectin is a texturizing agent based on citrus fruits, and the silos supplied by Tecniplas will receive the orange peels that will be part of the production process of this raw material for the food industry.

At other Cargill plants around the world, silos of this type are made of duplex steel, a type of noble metal alloy. Tecniplas’ composite silos are said to have proved to Cargill the adequacy of composites, not only in terms of design versatility but also in chemical and mechanical resistance.

Of the four largest silos supplied to Cargill, two have a diameter of 4,500 millimeters and two at 5,000 millimeters. “The manufacture of the rectangular bottom was unprecedented for Tecniplas and the biggest challenge of this project. As it is a unique piece, we developed all the molds from scratch,” Luís Gustavo Rossi, director of Tecniplas, explains. Tecniplas reportedly produced 18 different “special equipments” for this project, including the silos.