Patent ID: 6562615
Filing Date: 2003-05-13
Classification: A23K,C12P,Y10S

Abstract:
An apparatus for the production of chlortetracycline-containing animal feed premix, said animal feed premix formulated from complexing fermentation-derived chlortetracycline with a complexing agent to obtain a wet filter cake, dried and admixed with an edible feed material, a mineral product, and an oil in ratios of sufficient quantity to produce the desired potency, the apparatus comprising:a fermentation tank holding a fermentation broth, comprising a fermentation medium and an inoculum with chlortetracycline-producing organism spores, said fermentation tank having an inlet to introduce an appropriate amount of fermentation medium, carbon, and nitrogen source materials, and oxygen for aeration; said fermentation tank further equipped with a mechanical impeller located within the tank for agitation to promote fermentation; and an outlet; a complexing tank comprising an inlet for receiving a first quantity of the fermentation broth from the outlet of said fermentation tank, said complexing tank further comprising an agitation system, an inlet for supplying controlled quantities of one or more chlortetracycline-complexing compounds and one or more bases to said first quantity of fermentation broth to produce a complexed fermentation broth, and an outlet; an acidification tank comprising an inlet for receiving a second quantity of the fermentation broth from the outlet of said fermentation tank, said acidification tank further comprising an agitation system, an inlet for supplying controlled quantities of one or more predetermined acids to said second quantity to produce acidified fermentation broth, and an outlet; a solid separation device for removing solids from the acidified fermentation broth, said solid separation device comprising an inlet for receiving the acidified fermentation broth from the acidification tank outlet, and an outlet for discharging a liquid containing dissolved chlortetracycline; a filtration pool tank comprising an inlet for receiving said liquid containing dissolved chlortetracycline from the outlet of said solid separation device, and an outlet; a first pump for directing said acidified fermentation broth from the outlet of said filtration pool tank to the inlet of said solid separation device; a precipitation tank, said precipitation tank having an inlet connected to the outlet of said filtration pool tank and an outlet, said liquid containing dissolved chlortetracycline is treated to precipitate the chlortetracycline, the outlet of the precipitation tank is connected to the inlet of the complexing tank to create a mixture of complexed fermentation broth and precipitated chlortetracycline; a second pump for directing liquid from the outlet of said filtration pool tank to the inlet of the precipitation tank; a liquid separation device for removing liquid from said mixture of complexed fermentation broth and precipitated chlortetracycline to produce a wet filter cake comprising complexed chlortetracycline, said liquid separation device comprising an inlet for receiving the mixture of complexed fermentation broth and precipitated chlortetracycline; and outlet for discharging the liquid and an outlet for the wet filter cake; a third pump for directing said mixture of complexed fermentation broth and precipitated chlortetracycline from the outlet of said complexing tank to the inlet of said liquid separation device; a transporter of said wet filter cake connected to the outlet of said liquid separation device; a dryer with an inlet for receiving said wet filter cake from said transporter, for drying said wet filter cake into a moist filter cake, said moist filter cake having moisture content suitable for sizing said moist filter cake into particles, and an outlet for discharging said moist filter cake; and a sizer for producing solid particles from said moist filter cake, with an inlet for receiving said moist filter cake from the outlet of the dryer, said solid particles from the moist filter cake having a predetermined size or range of sizes.