Tea Saponin Low-Energy Membrane Concentration Equipment

Tea Saponin Extraction Low-Energy Membrane Concentration Equipment—Efficient Guardian of Natural Active Ingredients

Tea saponin is a natural glycoside compound extracted from oil tea seeds and tea leaves, possessing excellent emulsifying, foaming, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. It is widely used in daily chemical detergents, pesticide synergism, food processing, biomedicine, and other fields. However, traditional tea saponin extraction processes (such as solvent extraction + thermal evaporation concentration) face challenges such as easy inactivation of active ingredients, high energy consumption, low purity, and difficult wastewater treatment, which hinder product upgrades and green transformation for enterprises. As one of the core products of Henan Xihe Fluid Technology Co., Ltd., the tea saponin extraction low-energy membrane concentration equipment, centered on innovative technologies like ceramic membranes, nanofiltration membranes, and reverse osmosis membranes, provides enterprises with integrated solutions for low-temperature extraction, efficient concentration, energy saving, and clean production, helping the tea saponin industry advance toward high value-added and sustainable development.

I. Industry Pain Points in Tea Saponin Extraction: Constraints of Traditional Processes
1. Loss of active ingredients: High-temperature evaporation causes thermal decomposition of heat-sensitive tea saponin, reducing product activity (yield typically below 80%);
2. High energy consumption costs: Multi-stage evaporation concentration accounts for over 40% of total production costs;
3. Insufficient purity: Residual impurities (polysaccharides, pigments, colloids) affect product stability and market competitiveness;
4. Significant environmental pressure: High COD wastewater is difficult to treat, and environmental costs are rising year by year.

How to solve the challenge of "high activity, low energy consumption, and zero pollution" in tea saponin production? Xihe Fluid provides a perfect answer with membrane separation technology.

II. Xihe Membrane Technology Solution: Four-Step Process Chain, Reshaping Tea Saponin Production
Xihe Fluid's tea saponin extraction low-energy membrane concentration equipment adopts a four-step process chain: "pretreatment for impurity removal—targeted separation—low-temperature concentration—resource recycling." Combining the advantages of ceramic membranes, ultrafiltration membranes, nanofiltration membranes, and reverse osmosis membranes, it achieves efficient tea saponin extraction and green production.

1. Pretreatment stage: Efficient impurity removal to protect core equipment
- Ceramic membrane equipment: High temperature and organic solvent resistance adapt to tea saponin extract (containing ethanol/water mixed systems), quickly retaining suspended particles, colloids, and macromolecular impurities, replacing traditional plate and frame filtration and reducing filter aid usage;
- Tubular membrane equipment: Suitable for high-viscosity feed liquids, with strong anti-fouling properties, stable flux, and a 50% extension in cleaning cycles.

2. Targeted separation stage: Precise purification, activity retention >98%
- Ultrafiltration membrane (UF): Retains molecules with a molecular weight of 5kDa-30kDa, removing residual proteins, polysaccharides, and pigments while preserving tea saponin active molecules;
- Nanofiltration membrane (NF): Selectively separates small-molecule impurities (such as inorganic salts and tannic acid), with a desalination rate >85%, increasing tea saponin purity to ≥90%.

3. Low-temperature concentration stage: Energy consumption reduced by 60%, zero loss of activity
- Reverse osmosis membrane (RO): Concentrates tea saponin solution to a solid content of 20%-30% at room temperature, saving 60%-70% energy compared to traditional evaporation processes, avoiding decomposition of heat-sensitive components;
- Hollow fiber membrane: Designed for high-concentration feed liquids with cross-flow filtration, strong anti-fouling properties, and a flux decay rate <8%.

4. Resource recycling stage: Turning waste into treasure, reducing costs and improving efficiency
- The membrane system can recover extraction solvents (such as ethanol) and process water, with a solvent reuse rate >85% and water resource recycling rate >90%, reducing comprehensive costs by 30%.

III. Xihe Technical Advantages: Data-Driven, Quality Proven
✅ Activity retention rate >98%: Low-temperature membrane process avoids thermal decomposition of tea saponin, significantly enhancing product bioactivity;
✅ Purity breakthrough of 90%: Impurity residue <0.5%, meeting the demands of high-end daily chemical and pharmaceutical markets;
✅ Energy consumption reduced by 60%: Electricity consumption per ton of water in the concentration stage is only one-third of traditional processes, saving over one million yuan annually;
✅ Wastewater reduction of 80%: COD emissions <100mg/L, easily meeting environmental discharge standards;
✅ Intelligent control: PLC + IoT remote monitoring, real-time adjustment of pressure, flow, and temperature, improving production stability by 40%.

IV. Success Stories: Xihe Solutions Empower Customers with Multiplied Value
Case 1: Process upgrade for a tea saponin production enterprise in Jiangxi
The original process used ethanol extraction + triple-effect evaporation, with a tea saponin yield of only 78%, and the product had deep color and many impurities. After introducing Xihe's ceramic membrane pretreatment + nanofiltration membrane decolorization + reverse osmosis membrane concentration system:
- Tea saponin purity increased from 82% to 93%, with activity retention >99%;
- Concentration energy consumption reduced by 65%, saving 1.2 million yuan in electricity costs annually;
- Wastewater treatment costs decreased by 70%, earning the title of provincial green factory.

Case 2: Resource utilization project for an oil tea processing enterprise in Guangxi
The customer needed to extract tea saponin from oil tea meal, but traditional processes were inefficient and costly. Xihe customized a solution with tubular membrane impurity removal + ultrafiltration membrane refinement + RO membrane concentration:
- Tea saponin extraction rate increased from 75% to 96%, with an annual production increase of 150 tons of high-purity tea saponin;
- Solvent recycling system reduced ethanol procurement costs by 40%, with an investment payback period of only 1.2 years.

V. Six Reasons to Choose Xihe Fluid
1. Full membrane technology coverage: Independently developed ceramic membranes, tubular membranes, hollow fiber membranes, and other full-range products, adaptable to different process scenarios;
2. Customized process packages: Design optimal membrane combinations and operating parameters based on raw material characteristics (oil tea seeds, tea residue, etc.);
3. Energy-saving certified equipment: Complies with national first-level energy efficiency standards, assisting enterprises in applying for green manufacturing systems;
4. Intelligent operation and maintenance system: Supports remote fault diagnosis and process optimization, reducing manual intervention;
5. Local advantages in Henan: Rapid response, low-cost after-sales service, providing full-process services including equipment installation, debugging, and training;
6. Industry-academia-research collaboration: Jointly established membrane technology laboratories with multiple universities, continuously iterating process solutions.

VI. Partner with Xihe to Usher in a New Era of Green Intelligent Manufacturing for Tea Saponin
Whether for new production lines or traditional process upgrades, Xihe Fluid's tea saponin membrane concentration equipment will help you: