With the tightening of environmental regulations and the rapid development of the bio-based materials industry, succinic acid has seen explosive growth in demand across various sectors, including biodegradable plastics (PBS), pharmaceuticals, and food additives. However, during the production of succinic acid, whether through chemical synthesis or bio-fermentation, the extraction and purification stages often account for 50%–60% of the total production cost. Achieving efficient and cost-effective purification of succinic acid has therefore become a critical challenge for many manufacturers.

Three Major Challenges in Traditional Succinic Acid Purification

1.Severe emulsification and entrainment: The complex composition of fermentation broth makes phase separation difficult, resulting in low recovery rates.
2.High solvent consumption: Uncontrolled mixing intensity leads to solvent loss, significantly increasing operating costs.
3.Lack of continuous production capability: Batch operation requires high labor input and often results in unstable product quality.

Core Solution: Technological Breakthrough of the CWL-M Centrifugal Extractor

In response to the specific characteristics of succinic acid systems, Zhengzhou Tiei Extraction—drawing on years of experience in liquid-liquid extraction—has developed the CWL-M series centrifugal extractor. Through an innovative integrated design that combines mixing, mass transfer, and separation, it provides a new and efficient solution for succinic acid purification.

1.Powerful Separation for Easily Emulsified Systems
In succinic acid extraction, commonly used extractants (such as tertiary amines and ester-based solvents) have low interfacial tension with fermentation broth, making emulsification very likely.
The CWL-M centrifugal extractor utilizes a centrifugal force field of up to 500–1000 times gravitational acceleration to achieve phase separation, completely overcoming the limitations of gravity settling. Even in succinic acid systems with small density differences and a strong tendency to emulsify, the equipment can achieve clear separation of the aqueous phase, interface, and organic phase, effectively eliminating the “emulsion layer” accumulation common in traditional processes.

2.High Mass Transfer Efficiency for Improved Extraction Rate
The centrifugal extractor adopts interstage mixing and high-speed shear. By adjusting the rotational speed and mixing intensity, the droplet size can be precisely controlled. This significantly increases the contact area between the two phases while preventing emulsification. As a result, the mass transfer rate of succinic acid from the fermentation broth to the extraction phase is greatly enhanced, and the single-stage extraction efficiency is far superior to that of conventional mixer-settlers.

3.Energy Saving and Reduced Solvent Loss
In traditional processes, large amounts of additives are often required to suppress emulsification. The CWL-M centrifugal extractor relies on physical centrifugal force to break emulsions, reducing the need for additives.
At the same time, due to its highly efficient separation, the amount of solvent entrained in the raffinate phase is extremely low, which significantly reduces solvent recovery costs. For relatively expensive extractants, this translates into a substantial return on investment.

4.Closed Continuous Operation with High Automation
The centrifugal extractor features a fully enclosed design, preventing the volatilization of organic solvents and minimizing risks to both the environment and personnel, meeting the requirements of green chemical processing. The equipment offers fast start-up, convenient shutdown, and 24-hour continuous operation. It can also automatically adjust operating conditions according to fluctuations in the feed concentration of succinic acid, ensuring stable and consistent product quality.

Application Case: Transformation from Fermentation Broth to High-Purity Succinic Acid

In a bio-based succinic acid production project, the original production line used a conventional extraction column process. Due to the presence of small amounts of microbial proteins in the fermentation broth, the column frequently became clogged, requiring short cleaning and shutdown cycles. After implementing Zhengzhou Tiei Extraction’s three-stage counter-current CWL-M centrifugal extraction process:

Separation Performance: The organic phase entrained in the heavy phase (aqueous phase) was reduced from 5% to below 0.3%.
Production Efficiency: Processing throughput increased by 40%, and residence time was shortened from several hours to just tens of seconds.
Product Quality: The raffinate after stripping showed significantly improved succinic acid purity, producing white crystalline product with impurity levels meeting the requirements for polymer-grade PBS raw materials.

In the field of succinic acid purification, the choice of equipment directly determines both product cost and quality. Zhengzhou Tiei Extraction offers not just the CWL-M centrifugal extractor, but a complete process solution tailored to your material characteristics.
If you are struggling with low yields, high energy consumption, or easy emulsification in succinic acid purification, welcome to contact Tiei Extraction for more details.
Email: sales@tieiextraction.com
Whatsapp: +86 19069612820