Decanter PondCtrl upgrade maximises separation efficiency to supercharge ethanol production
The focus on the clean energy transition has set higher demands on ethanol production plants. As plants face solid-liquid separation challenges, fluctuating feedstock conditions, as well as tighter profit margins, producers must continually adapt to maintain profitability and operational efficiency during the energy transition.
DATE 2026-05-12
At EverGrain’s Missouri plant, corn is converted into renewable ethanol fuel. A critical phase in this process is solid-liquid separation, where Alfa Laval decanter centrifuges recover distiller's grains (wet cake) from thin stillage, ensuring efficient and profitable production even under fluctuating feed conditions
Challenge
Operators at EverGrain struggled daily with unpredictable feed conditions, sudden shifts in flow rates, solids concentration, and viscosity constantly disrupted the separation process. Manual decanter pond depth regulation became a guessing game, leading to inefficiencies, inconsistent cake dryness, and variable centrate quality.
These ongoing challenges not only increased energy consumption and operational costs but also limited the plant’s ability to respond quickly to changing demands, putting both yield and equipment longevity at risk.
Solution
Alfa Laval PondCtrl is an automated system upgrade for real time control of the pond depth in your decanter centrifuge during operation. Unlike traditional fixed weir plates, the system uses an adjustable paring disc to dynamically alter pond depth during operation without stopping the machine.
This system allows:
- Real-time finetuning of pond depth from the control system, based on process needs, eliminating any manual changes
- Preventing liquid overflow in solids discharge, facilitating smoother starts and stops
- Adapting to changing feedstock conditions for flexible, optimized operation
Results
EverGrain achieved significant improvements in decanter centrifuge pond depth management, leading to enhanced process outcomes:
- Up to 2% higher total solids in cake dryness, reducing dryer load
- 15–20% lower solids carryover, improving centrate clarity
- 5–10% reduction in power consumption, lowering operational costs
These results translated to greater uptime, reduced wear and tear, less manual interventions, and the ability to optimise for yield, energy, or product quality as needed.
Outlook
Alfa Laval’s PondCtrl upgrade brings intelligent control to ethanol decanters, improving separation, reducing costs and boosting plant flexibility. It’s a smart upgrade for forward thinking ethanol producers, like EverGrain, who want to get the most from their existing equipment without replacing their decanter.
Customer's benefits
Optimize
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We help you boost the productivity, energy efficiency, lifespan, and cost-effectiveness of your existing equipment. This may involve adding features, replacing components or optimizing equipment functions to get more from what you already have.