SEEPEX – Turning Whole Oranges into Effortless Flow
SEEPEX presents FlowShred, a solid conditioning system that reliably shreds food waste and converts it into a pumpable medium. The solution integrates a twin-shaft grinder and a progressive cavity pump in a compact unit, enabling smooth and controlled removal of organic residues from food production. FlowShred is designed for operations that need to handle heterogeneous food waste efficiently.
In food production, large volumes of organic by-products are generated, including fruit and vegetable peels, residues from meat and fish processing, dough scraps, and frozen products that can no longer be used. These materials vary widely in size, moisture content, and consistency, creating challenges for conveyors, pumps, and disposal systems. Large or fibrous components can block conveyors, clog augers, or cause pump failures. Such disruptions lead to downtime, higher maintenance requirements, and increased operational costs.
FlowShred takes a system-oriented approach. Food waste is fed through a hopper and initially reduced to a particle size of 10–20 mm by the twin-shaft grinder. Directly below, a progressive cavity pump continuously transports the shredded material to silos, collection containers, or tanks, for example for pickup by external disposal providers or further processing in biogas plants. The result is a homogeneous, pumpable suspension that can be conveyed reliably with stable process control.
“With FlowShred, we offer the first fully integrated system combining shredding and conveying of food waste,” explains Bernd-Guntram Schulz, Product and Market Manager at SEEPEX. “The aim is to process heterogeneous organic residues so they can be transported in a controlled and stable manner.”
Uniform Particle Size for Stable Conveying
The twin-shaft grinder features two counter-rotating shafts with hardened cutting tools, producing a uniform particle size that ensures reliable pumpability.
SEEPEX applies a special snail geometry in the grinder: spiral-arranged cutting segments with varying radii and tooth profiles reduce bulky or fibrous materials step by step. Food waste such as pressed oranges, mango pits, whole melons, or bones is continuously drawn in, preventing bridging and reducing load peaks. This design improves operational reliability, reduces strain on pumps, and prepares the waste optimally for downstream processes such as separation, storage, or energy recovery.
The cutting tools are made from martensitic stainless steel, offering high hardness and corrosion resistance for long service life, even with abrasive or fibrous media. Robust construction reduces maintenance needs and increases system reliability.
High Throughput at Low Speed
FlowShred operates at high torque and low speed, delivering effective size reduction even for bulky or fibrous residues. This reduces mechanical wear, lowers energy consumption, and minimizes noise, ensuring efficient and economical operation.
Integrated Conveying with Progressive Cavity Pump
Beneath the twin-shaft grinder, the progressive cavity pump handles continuous transport. Designed for media with high solids content, it provides a stable, low-pulsation flow.
For long-distance transport, optional SEEPEX Smart Air Injection (SAI) further enhances efficiency.
Clean Operation and Compact Design
FlowShred’s enclosed system minimizes odor emissions and keeps the working environment clean. The compact, pre-assembled unit integrates easily into existing production lines or waste handling systems without requiring additional space.
Applications in the Food Industry
FlowShred is highly flexible and suitable for both continuous and intermittent waste streams. Typical applications include:
- Food production facilities of all sizes
- Slaughterhouses and meat processing
- Fish processing
- Frozen food industry
- Facilities with on-site biogas plants
Shredding reduces waste volume, lowering storage, transport, and disposal costs, while increasing material surface area, which accelerates degradation in biogas fermentation. Stable material flow prevents blockages and allows adaptation to variable production batches and waste streams.
Compact, Coordinated Solution for Smooth Processes
FlowShred integrates shredding and pumping in a single, precisely coordinated system. The twin-shaft grinder and progressive cavity pump work together to ensure stable, controlled transport from the start, improving reliability and operational efficiency.
“FlowShred efficiently shreds food waste and converts it into a pumpable medium,” adds Bernd-Guntram Schulz. “It delivers higher process reliability, fewer downtimes, and reduced planning and installation effort, as shredding and pumping are perfectly matched.”
