Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange
Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey natural colour extraction plants for osage orange inner bark and wood shavings. In the Mechotech catalogue, Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange is listed in the Yellow Colour group alongside Leaves - Bay Leaves / Tea, Stamens - Saffron, Plant - St. John's Wort / Larkspur, Roots - Turmeric, Skins - Brown Onion, Seeds - Annotto and Flowers - MariGold / Queen Annes Lace / Golden Rod. According to Mechotech’s article on osage orange, its colour is carried chiefly by morin, a bright yellow flavonol concentrated in the heartwood and inner bark, together with the related compound maclurin. The plant is configured around the raw material and the target colour extract.
Mechotech’s Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange plant is configured around the raw material and the target colour extract. It is built in SS 316L with integrated solvent recovery, automation and full documentation, and is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system. The article notes that morin sits inside a dense, lignified wood matrix and dissolves better in hot or mildly alkaline liquor, so the line starts with fine size reduction of the shavings and bark before extraction in closed jacketed vessels. The solvent system, temperature and any alkali are set during process development, and final parameters are established during process development and pilot validation.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange Natural Colour Extraction Plant |
|---|---|
| Raw Material | Osage orange inner bark and wood shavings (catalogue name: Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange) |
| Botanical Name | Maclura pomifera (osage orange), as described in Mechotech’s colour-extraction article |
| Plant Part / Feed Form | Inner bark or wood shavings (sawmill shavings, chips and offcuts, and stripped inner bark, per the article); size-reduced before extraction; exact form confirmed with the client |
| Colour Group | Yellow Colour (see the Yellow Colour page) |
| Colour-forming Components | Morin, a yellow flavonol, with the related compound maclurin (per the article) |
| Pigment Class | Flavonoids (flavonol) |
| Process Category | Natural Colour Extraction Plants |
| Extract Type | Natural colour extract (liquid concentrate or dried powder, per specification) |
| Extraction Method | Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction at controlled temperature over several cycles: hot or mildly alkaline aqueous extraction (article reference) or food-grade alcohol / aqueous solvent; the route is confirmed during process development |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L |
| Filtration System | Plate-and-frame filter press with cartridge polish filters |
| Concentration System | Falling-film / vacuum evaporator with solvent recovery |
| Drying System | Spray or vacuum dryer, where a powder is required |
| Automation | PLC-based |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air and power (project-specific) |
| Compliance | GMP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification |
| Final Product Form | Natural colour extract (yellow colour group) |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Raw Material Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your feedstock and trial plan | Product development, parameter validation |
| Semi-Commercial | Configured between pilot and commercial scale | Scale-up trials, contract manufacturing |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume | Commercial production |
Capacity is configured to raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline; a pilot plant is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.
Manufacturing Process
Raw Material Preparation
Inner bark or wood shavings are authenticated, cleaned, tested for moisture and size-reduced to a uniform fine size, because the pigment sits in a dense woody matrix that releases it slowly; the particle size is set during process development.
Extraction
The prepared material is extracted in closed jacketed SS 316L vessels at controlled temperature over several cycles, with hot or mildly alkaline water as described in the article or with food-grade alcohol / aqueous solvent; the route and conditions are set during process development.
Filtration
The extract (miscella) is separated from the spent wood and clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters.
Concentration & Solvent Recovery
The extract is concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator under gentle vacuum, with solvent recovered through the condenser return system where a solvent is used.
Standardisation
The concentrate is assayed and adjusted to the declared target colour specification, such as shade and colour strength.
Drying & Quality Control
The standardised extract is supplied as a liquid concentrate or spray- or vacuum-dried to a powder, per specification, then released after assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial and moisture testing.
Major Plant Equipment
- Raw material cleaning, authentication and moisture testing
- Size-reduction system for wood shavings and bark
- Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction vessels with temperature and pH control
- Solvent storage tanks
- Plate-and-frame filter press
- Cartridge polish filtration
- Falling-film / vacuum evaporator
- Solvent recovery unit and condensers
- Standardisation / blending vessel
- Spray or vacuum dryer
- CIP system
- Automation and instrumentation
Plant Output
Applications
- Natural yellow colour and dye ingredient supply
- Natural dyeing of wool and silk, with the shade steered by the mordant (per the article)
- Cosmetic and personal-care colour applications
- Nutraceutical and Ayurvedic / herbal formulations
- Food and beverage colour applications (subject to approval of the specific colour in each market)
Key Features
SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces with CIP operation between batches.
Woody-Feedstock Preparation
Size reduction of shavings and inner bark exposes the pigment held in the dense wood matrix before extraction.
Hot or Mildly Alkaline Extraction
Jacketed vessels with temperature control, and pH control where an alkaline liquor is used, suit the extraction route described in the article.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated condenser-return recovery reuses solvent between batches where a solvent is used.
Standardised to Specification
In-process and batch-release assay are used to check the finished extract against the agreed target specification, such as shade and colour strength.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange?
What specification can the Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange plant achieve?
What production capacities are available for the Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange plant?
Which industries use the Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange plant?
Which raw material is processed in the Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange plant?
What pigment gives osage orange its yellow colour?
Why is osage orange extracted with hot or mildly alkaline liquor?
How does the Innerbark or Shavings - Osage Orange extraction process work?
What shades does osage orange give?
Where does this page sit in the yellow colour range?
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