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Curcumin Extraction Plant
Herbal, Botanical & Nutraceutical Extraction

Curcumin Extraction Plant

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Rows of stainless-steel extraction vessels with piping in a curcumin extraction plant

Curcumin Extraction Plant

This plant suits processors who hold, or can secure, turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome and want to sell a curcuminoid ingredient instead of fingers or ground spice. The first things to settle are the form of the rhizome you will receive (whole, sliced or milled), its moisture, and the end market for the extract. A food-colour buyer, a nutraceutical brand and a pharmaceutical manufacturer ask for different solvents and residue limits, and that choice shapes the whole plant. The second decision is the product: crystallised curcuminoid powder is the line described here, while nano curcumin, tetrahydrocurcumin and turmeric oil are neighbouring routes that each have their own page.

The curcuminoid line is listed as a closed-loop sequence. Rhizome is cleaned and hammer-milled, then extracted in jacketed SS 316L tanks. The extract is clarified on a plate-and-frame filter press and centrifugal separator with cartridge polish filters, concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum concentrator, and the solvent is recovered. A purification step precedes crystallisation, the crystals are separated in industrial centrifuges, and a spray or vacuum dryer, pulveriser and blender finish the powder. CIP and PLC-SCADA automation complete the scope. Curcuminoids are chemically unstable and sensitive to pH, temperature and light, and curcumin also undergoes autoxidation, so extraction and concentration are held at controlled temperature and the extract stays in closed handling. Ethanol, acetone or hydro-alcoholic blends are selected against the target grade, because the solvent also decides how well the crystallisation step works. Configuration follows raw material, product target and capacity.

Indicative Capacity Range

  • 100–5,000 kg feed/day

Key Specification Inputs

Extraction solvent/water, extraction stages, batch time, filtration and recovery.

Technical Specifications

Plant typeSolvent extraction of curcuminoids from turmeric, completed by crystallisation
FeedstockTurmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome; form and moisture agreed per project
Target compoundsCurcuminoids and turmerones
Grade rangeA configurable range is listed on the product page and reaches up to 95% Curcuminoids by HPLC; other specifications can be discussed
Solvents and vesselsEthanol, acetone or hydro-alcoholic blends handled in a closed loop, in jacketed SS 316L tanks
Technologies screenedSeven candidates are screened on the product page: counter-current, supercritical CO2, subcritical water, ultrasound-assisted, enzyme-assisted, hybrid and microwave-assisted
Clarification and concentrationFilter press, centrifugal separator and cartridge polish filters, then a falling-film / vacuum concentrator that sends solvent to recovery
IsolationPurification, then crystallisers and industrial centrifuges
DryingSpray dryer or vacuum dryer, chosen to suit the product
Contact surfacesSS 316L, electropolished and cleaned in place
ControlsManual, semi-automatic or full PLC-SCADA, set per project
Plant capacitySet per project from feed supply, target product

Typical Process Route

1

Intake and Preparation

Incoming rhizome is authenticated by curcuminoid assay, cleaned, then milled to an even particle size so that solvent can reach the pigment-bearing tissue.

2

Extraction

Milled turmeric is held in sealed, jacketed SS 316L tanks with controlled temperature and stirring. The solvent is picked for the target grade (ethanol, acetone or a hydro-alcoholic blend), since food and pharmaceutical specifications set different solvent and residue limits.

3

Clarification

The miscella passes through a filter press and centrifugal separator, then cartridge polish filters, which strip out fines and fibre.

4

Concentration and Solvent Return

A falling-film / vacuum concentrator removes most of the solvent. Condensed solvent goes back through the recovery circuit for reuse.

5

Purification

Colour bodies, resin and unwanted plant constituents are reduced before the concentrate is sent on to crystallisation.

6

Crystallisation and Separation

Crystallisers run at a controlled temperature, cooling rate and residence time. Industrial centrifuges lift the crystals out, and the mother liquor returns to solvent recovery.

7

Assay and Standardisation

Crystals are assayed by HPLC and brought to the declared curcuminoid specification before drying. Release depends on assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial and moisture results.

8

Drying and Finishing

The standardised extract is spray- or vacuum-dried to a free-flowing powder, then pulverised and blended for encapsulation, formulation or bulk packing.

Major Plant Equipment

  • Cleaning line and hammer mill for the rhizome
  • Jacketed stainless-steel extraction tanks
  • Solvent storage tanks and extraction pumps
  • Pressure leaf filters and plate-and-frame filter press
  • Centrifugal separator
  • Falling-film / vacuum evaporator
  • Multi-stage condensers
  • Crystallisers
  • Industrial centrifuges
  • Spray dryer or vacuum tray dryer
  • Pulveriser and blending system
  • Solvent recovery unit
  • Clean-in-place (CIP) skid
  • PLC-SCADA controls, electrical MCC and instruments

Plant Output

Standardised curcumin extract powder, within the configurable range on the product page (up to 95% Curcuminoids by HPLC)Nano curcumin powder at 20-100 nm, made by a second nanoformulation stage (separate plant page)Tetrahydrocurcumin powder, made by an added catalytic hydrogenation stage (separate plant page)Turmeric essential oil from steam distillation, with hydrosol as a co-product (separate plant page)Turmeric oil as a CO2 extract (separate plant page)

Applications

  • Standardised curcuminoid ingredient for pharmaceutical manufacturers
  • Capsule, tablet and supplement production for nutraceutical brands
  • Natural colour and flavour uses in food
  • Active ingredient for cosmetic and personal care formulators
  • Herbal and traditional-medicine preparations
  • Feed material for nano curcumin and tetrahydrocurcumin ingredients (separate plant pages)

Key Features

  • Route Choice Made Explicit

    Curcuminoids by solvent extraction and crystallisation, nano curcumin by an added particle-size stage, tetrahydrocurcumin by catalytic hydrogenation and turmeric oil by distillation or CO2 are kept as separate routes, so the plant matches the product you intend to sell.

  • Crystallisation Stage

    Purpose-built crystallisers and centrifuges isolate curcumin crystals, and the mother liquor is returned to the solvent-recovery circuit.

  • Closed Solvent Loop

    Condensers and a recovery unit return solvent to the process. How much is recovered is settled during process development.

  • Assay-Led Release

    HPLC assay is used in process and at batch release to compare the extract with the declared curcuminoid specification.

  • Other Extraction Methods Can Be Scoped

    Where a project calls for supercritical CO2, ultrasound or microwave extraction, these can be assessed at the design stage.

Related Products

Frequently Asked Questions

Which turmeric product should a processor make first?
Start from the molecule your buyers want. Curcuminoid powder is the line on this page. Turmeric essential oil, rich in turmerones, is a different route by steam or hydro distillation, and a CO2-extracted oil has a page of its own. Nano curcumin and tetrahydrocurcumin both begin with a standardised curcuminoid extract and add another stage, so they only make sense once the base line is running. The turmeric processing and extraction plants page compares the whole family.
How do nano curcumin and tetrahydrocurcumin differ from standard curcumin?
Both are second-stage products. Nano curcumin takes a standardised curcuminoid extract through particle-size reduction into the 20-100 nm range, and is judged by particle size as well as by assay. Tetrahydrocurcumin is a chemically different, hydrogenated derivative made from that extract, with catalyst removal and purification added. Each needs equipment beyond the standard curcumin line.
How do I choose between ethanol, acetone and a hydro-alcoholic blend?
The choice follows the end market and the grade. Residual-solvent limits differ between food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical uses, and between countries, so confirm which limits your buyers apply before the solvent is fixed. Ethanol and acetone are both highly flammable and their vapour/air mixtures are explosive, so the plant needs explosion-protected electrics, good ventilation and closed transfer, and a solvent recovery system affects how much fresh solvent you buy. Solvent also affects crystallisation: a 95% pure curcuminoid product has been crystallised from an ethyl acetate extract of turmeric oleoresin, while the ethanol extract gave no suitable crystallisation, so crystallisation trials belong in process development. See solvent recovery and distillation plants for that side of the design.
How should turmeric be prepared and stored in hot, humid conditions?
Rhizome should reach the plant dry to a stable moisture level, free of soil and stones, and be kept in clean, ventilated, pest-proof storage off the floor. Damp rhizome is prone to mould, so moisture and contamination checks at intake matter. Fingers are hard, so the mill must be rated for them. Agree an incoming specification (moisture, foreign matter, assay) with your suppliers before commissioning.
What drives solvent and energy use in a curcumin plant?
Three things dominate: the solvent-to-feed ratio and number of extraction cycles, the amount of solvent that has to be evaporated from the miscella, and drying. A concentrator fed with a stronger extract and an efficient recovery loop reduce evaporation duty and solvent make-up. Steam, chilled or cooling water and power are the main utilities, and the figures depend on grade, feed and layout, so they are set out in the proposal rather than assumed.
What should I prepare before extraction trials?
Prepare a representative rhizome sample with moisture and, if available, a curcuminoid assay, and a written target specification: grade, assay method, residual-solvent and heavy-metal limits. Ask in your enquiry whether trials on your own material can be arranged.
Can extraction use CO2, ultrasound or microwave instead of solvent?
Seven candidate technologies are screened on the curcumin product page: counter-current, supercritical CO2, subcritical water, ultrasound-assisted, enzyme-assisted, hybrid and microwave-assisted. The standard route remains closed-loop solvent extraction followed by crystallisation. If a project needs one of the alternatives, it can be scoped during design, and the final technology is fixed only after process development and pilot validation.
What decides the price of a curcumin plant?
The biggest factors are the target grade, because a high grade needs the purification and crystallisation stages, the solvent, since flammable solvents need explosion-protected design, the dryer and finishing section, the automation level and the rhizome volume per day. The wider turnkey extraction plant solutions page explains how projects are structured.
What should I include when I ask for a curcumin plant proposal?
Include the rhizome form and moisture, the volume you can source, the target product (curcuminoid powder, nano curcumin, tetrahydrocurcumin or oil), the grade and assay method, solvent preference, automation level and site utilities. Capacity follows from the raw material and the process. You can request a proposal with these details.

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