Leaves - Tea / Sumac
Leaves - Tea / Sumac
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey natural colour extraction plants for tea leaves and sumac leaves. In the Mechotech catalogue, Leaves - Tea / Sumac is listed in the Brown Colour group alongside Bark - Oak Bark / Birch, Hulls - Walnut, Roots - Dandelion, Grinds - Coffee, Plant - Yellow Dock, Woody Stems - Ivy and Shoots - Golden Rod. Mechotech’s article on sumac leaves describes sumac as one of the richest natural sources of gallotannins, giving only a pale tan to light brown on its own. No Mechotech colour article covers tea leaves, although the grey-to-black article lists tea among tannin-rich materials, so the tea type and the target brown shade are confirmed with the client. The plant is configured around the raw material and the target colour extract.
Mechotech’s Leaves - Tea / Sumac 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. For the sumac leaf the article describes a hot-water extraction of the dried, ground leaf followed by filtration, vacuum concentration and drying, with the extract standardised on tannin content. The line is configured for aqueous or food-grade alcohol / aqueous extraction, filtration, vacuum concentration and standardisation. The catalogue lists the two leaves in one entry, so whether they are processed separately or together is confirmed with the client. Final parameters are established during process development and pilot validation.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Leaves - Tea / Sumac Natural Colour Extraction Plant |
|---|---|
| Raw Material | Tea leaves and sumac leaves (catalogue name: Leaves - Tea / Sumac) |
| Botanical Name | Sumac: Rhus spp. (the sumac genus, per Mechotech’s sumac article). Tea: the species and type (for example green or black) are not stated for this listing and are confirmed with the client; Mechotech’s Green Tea Extract page names Camellia sinensis for its own raw material |
| Plant Part / Feed Form | Leaves of both plants; sumac leaf is dried and ground (per the article); the tea leaf form and the exact feed form are confirmed with the client |
| Colour Group | Brown Colour (see the Brown Colour page) |
| Colour-forming Components | Sumac leaves: gallotannins, which give a pale tan to light brown on their own (per the article). Tea leaves: not stated in any Mechotech colour article (the grey-to-black article lists tea among tannin-rich materials); confirmed with the client |
| 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 water (the sumac article’s reference range is typically 70 to 95 °C) or food-grade alcohol / aqueous solvent; the route is confirmed during process development |
| Standardisation Basis | Colour strength and shade and, for the tannin-rich sumac leaf, tannin content (per the article); the target is agreed with the client |
| 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 where a solvent is used |
| 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 (brown 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
Tea leaves and sumac leaves are authenticated, tested for moisture, dried where required and milled to increase the surface area exposed to the solvent; the article notes that dried and milled sumac leaf releases its tannins most efficiently. The particle size and the handling of the two leaves are set during process development.
Extraction
The prepared leaves are extracted in closed jacketed SS 316L vessels at controlled temperature over several cycles, with hot water (the sumac article’s reference range is typically 70 to 95 °C, as sumac tannins are water-soluble and heat-stable) or food-grade alcohol / aqueous solvent. The route and conditions are set during process development.
Filtration
The extract is separated from the spent leaves and clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters.
Concentration & Solvent Recovery
The dilute extract is concentrated under vacuum in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator, 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 and, for the sumac leaf, tannin content.
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 (where a solvent is used), heavy-metal, microbial and moisture testing.
Major Plant Equipment
- Raw material cleaning, authentication and moisture testing
- Leaf drying and size-reduction system
- Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction vessels
- 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 brown colour and dye ingredient supply (Brown Colour group)
- Natural dyeing of textile fibres, where tannin-rich extracts respond to mordants (per the sumac article)
- Vegetable-tanning agent supply from the sumac leaf tannin (per the sumac article)
- Cosmetic and personal-care colour applications
Key Features
SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces with CIP operation between batches.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Where a solvent route is used, integrated condenser-return recovery reuses solvent between batches and reduces solvent loss.
Standardised to Specification
In-process and batch-release assay are used to check the finished extract against the agreed target specification, such as shade, colour strength and tannin content.
Tannin-Rich Leaf Route
The sumac article describes a water-based extraction of a high-tannin leaf, standardised on tannin content, which the line is configured to follow; tea leaf conditions are established during process development.
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 Leaves - Tea / Sumac?
What specification can the Leaves - Tea / Sumac plant achieve?
What production capacities are available for the Leaves - Tea / Sumac plant?
Which industries use the Leaves - Tea / Sumac plant?
Which raw materials are processed in the Leaves - Tea / Sumac plant?
What colour do sumac leaves give, and why is the page in the Brown Colour group?
What does Mechotech say about tea leaves as a colour source?
How does the Leaves - Tea / Sumac extraction process work?
How does this page differ from Leaves - Sumac and the other tea and sumac pages?
Where does this page sit in the brown colour range?
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