Design and construction of high-pressure systems for supercritical CO2 extraction, fractionation, powder production and impregnation
NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH
Ternitz (AT)New on Amplifa
About NATEX Prozesstechnologie
NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH, based in Ternitz, Austria, designs and manufactures systems for high-pressure processes using supercritical CO2. The portfolio includes R&D and pilot systems (2L/550 bar to 10L/1000 bar), semi-continuous extraction systems for solid raw materials, packed and thin-film columns for the fractionation of liquid raw materials, powder production systems (PGSS, CPF, RESS, GAS/SAS/SEDS) as well as CO2 impregnation and cork cleaning. Delivered industrial systems process several 10,000 tonnes of raw material per year, including decaffeination systems for coffee and tea, hop extraction systems and a large pharmaceutical system with extraction vessels up to 20 m³. The company was created in 1993 through a management buyout from Schoeller-Bleckmann Prozesstechnologie, where the first pilot system had already been built in 1980. In addition to plant engineering, NATEX offers process development, scale-up, in-house test runs and after-sales service including training, spare parts and SIL safety checks. Customers come from the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, hop, oil and wood industries worldwide.
- Site
- Ternitz
- Processes
- Supercritical CO2 extraction of solid raw materials, CO2 fractionation of liquid raw materials (packed column), CO2 fractionation with thin-film columns (wiped film), Particle/powder production PGSS and CPF, Powder production RESS, Powder production GAS/SAS (SEDS), Supercritical CO2 impregnation, Cork cleaning with supercritical CO2
- Materials
- Carbon dioxide (CO2), Hops, Coffee, Tea, Paprika, Chilli, Black and white pepper, Ginger
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1993
- Industries
- Food and beverage industry, Pharmaceutical industry, Cosmetics industry, Brewing industry (hops), Oil and fat industry (edible oils, omega-3), Nutraceuticals
- 01
Process development and in-house test runs on own pilot systems
- 02
Scale-up and system planning
- 03
Manufacture of systems and components (together with Innoweld
- 04
On-site assembly and commissioning
- 05
Training, spare parts supply and after-sales service
Materials and Processes
Supercritical CO2 (extraction of solid raw materials)
Solvent for the extraction of hops, coffee, tea, spices, herbs and cork; solvent-free and physiologically safe.
Supercritical CO2 (fractionation of liquid raw materials)
Fractionation of edible oils, fish oils, essential oils, pastes and polymer melts in packed or thin-film columns.
Powder production with CO2 (PGSS, CPF)
Production of powders and composites from waxes, fats, vitamins and polymers with adjustable morphology and particle size.
Powder production RESS
The product is dissolved in CO2 and precipitated as a fine powder by pressure reduction.
Powder production GAS/SAS (SEDS)
Precipitation of the product dissolved in a solvent using CO2 as an anti-solvent.
Supercritical CO2 impregnation
Uniform incorporation of active ingredients into wood, textiles, dressings and pharmaceutical carrier materials.
CO2 cork cleaning
Removal of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) from contaminated cork for the wine industry.
Locations
Ternitz
ATHeadquarters, engineering and pilot systems
- Materials
- CO2 as process fluid
- R&D CO2 extraction system 2 L / 550 bar
- R&D CO2 extraction systems 5 L and 10 L / 1000 bar
- Pilot packed column
- Pilot thin-film column
- CO2 system with thin-film extractor and packed column
Systems and System Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supercritical CO2 extraction of solid raw materialsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Coffee, Tea, Hops, Spices (paprika, chilli, pepper, ginger, cardamom, clove), Herbs, Cork, Cannabis/hemp, Sesame, Rice |
| CO2 fractionation of liquid raw materials (packed column)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Edible oils and fats, Essential oils, Pharmaceutical active ingredients, Polymers, Natural substances |
| CO2 fractionation with thin-film columns (wiped film)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Pastes, highly viscous oils, polymer melts, dispersions and emulsions |
| Particle/powder production PGSS and CPFEngineering | – | – | – | – | Emulsifiers, Vitamins, Fats and fat derivatives, Pharmaceuticals, Polymers |
| Powder production RESSEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Powder production GAS/SAS (SEDS)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Supercritical CO2 impregnationSurface | – | – | – | – | Wood, Dressings/medical devices, Textiles, Pharmaceutical carrier materials, Polymers |
| Cork cleaning with supercritical CO2Surface | – | – | – | – | Cork |
| Decaffeination of coffee and teaEngineering | – | – | – | – | Green coffee, fermented tea |
| Process development and scale-up (R&D services)Engineering | – | – | – | – | CO2, pathogen-free raw materials |
| Delivery of systems (R&D, pilot, industrial scale)Engineering | – | – | – | – | High-pressure vessels, CO2 |
| After-sales service (training, spare parts, SIL safety checks)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
14 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D CO2 extraction system | NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH 2L / 550 bar | – | 2 L effective volume, design pressure 550 bar, operating pressure ~500 bar | – | Ternitz, Austria |
| R&D CO2 extraction system (premium) | NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH 5L / 1000 bar | – | 5 L, up to ~900 bar | – | customer-specific |
| R&D CO2 extraction system (premium) | NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH 10L / 1000 bar | – | 10 L, up to ~900 bar | – | customer-specific |
| Research system with thin-film column/packed column | NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH | – | CO2 system with thin-film extractor and/or packed column | – | Ternitz, Austria |
| Pilot packed column | NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH | – | – | – | Ternitz, Austria |
| Pilot thin-film column | NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH | – | – | – | Ternitz, Austria |
| Historic pilot system | 30 L / 325 bar | 1 | 30 L | 1980 | – |
| Historic pilot system (expansion) | 4×30 L | 1 | 4×30 L | 1983 | – |
| Industrial CO2 high-pressure extraction system | NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH | – | up to 20 m³ vessels; systems for several 10,000 tonnes of raw material per year | – | worldwide |
| Hop extraction system (largest in the world) | NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH | 1 | ~10,000 t raw material/year | 2021 | Germany |
| Tea decaffeination system | – | 1 | 3,000 t/year | 1987 | – |
| Coffee decaffeination system | – | 1 | 10,000 t/year | 1989 | – |
| Continuous liquid/liquid column | – | 1 | – | 1989 | – |
| Pharmaceutical CO2 extraction system (largest in the world) | NATEX Prozesstechnologie GesmbH | 1 | – | 2020 | England |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
R&D systems are designed for at least 15,000 pressure cycles, feature SIL-certified safety instrumentation, multi-stage alarm management, GMP-compliant process control systems and are fully tested before delivery. NATEX industrial systems have been operating cumulatively for over 350 operating years without incident.
| Evidence | Ternitz |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 1980
First pilot system 30 L / 325 bar (Schoeller-Bleckmann Prozesstechnologie)
- 1983
Expansion to 4×30 L for the development of a decaffeination process
- 1987
First industrial-scale tea decaffeination system (3,000 t/year)
- 1989
First continuous liquid/liquid column; first industrial-scale coffee decaffeination system (10,000 t/year)
- 1993
Management buyout from the Schoeller-Bleckmann Prozesstechnologie division; extraction of spices and herbs
- 1997
Processing of rice
- 1999
Hop and specialty oil production
- 2000
Wood impregnation
- 2004
Edible oil extraction
- 2005
Cork cleaning (until 2015)
- 2020
Largest pharmaceutical extraction system in the world (England)
- 2021
Largest hop extraction system in the world built and commissioned in Germany (~10,000 t raw material/year)
- 2022
Further hop extraction system on the largest scale