Tecaliman is a French organization created in 1981 to provide technical support to the feed industry. It conducts individual and collaborative studies on feed production issues to increase technological knowledge and promote information sharing. Tecaliman has a scientific and technical team that uses pilot-scale equipment and a laboratory to research ways to optimize feed processes, improve product quality, increase energy efficiency, and enhance operator safety. Current research topics include thermal treatment methods, raw material carryover rates, dryer optimization, and risk assessment. Tecaliman aims to improve handling processes in terms of energy use, product quality, and workplace safety.

1. Technical knowledge
and new perspectives
on French feed
industry issues

2. PRESENTATION OF TECALIMAN
2

3. History and general operation
Created in June 1981  32 years old
By the French feed industry and its partners
With the support of the French National
Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) –
Nantes (France)
Association : members = industrial firms
Managed as a SME
3

4. Localization
Nantes : center of the main feed production area in France
Statistiques Année 2011 (SNIA – CdFNA)
60%
75 %
21.4 Mt
4
Nantes

5. Members : 5 groups
• Foreigners premix, mineral feedingstuffs and feed producers
 Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, QuebecForeigners
Honorary
members
• Premix / mineral feedingstuffs / feed producers
• More than 90 % of the French feed production
 Contribution according to their production (tonnage)
French
producers
• Manufacturers of resources or products used for feed development
and distribution :
raw materials, additives, veterinary products, handling equipment…
 Contribution according their turnover in feed industry
Partners
• Organization which may provide services to the association
(unions, universities …)
Social
partners

6. Professional position
Interface between different stakeholders
Profession
Sciences
Unions
Administration
6

7. Missions and expertise fields
Missions
Individual and collaborative studies on technical issues
Increasing the technological know-how
Knowledge dissemination in the French feed industry
Promote exchanges between stakeholders in feed production
Technical support for the profession and unions
Expertise fields
Manufacturing feed technology
Precompetitive studies
7

8. Operating
Headed by industrials as a SME
Management board composed by industrials
3 Industrial and Technical Committees (working groups)
 Technical coordination of studies
 Process / Product / Environment and Security
2 observatory
Energy  since 2000
Operator safety  2014
Scientific and Technical Council
Scientific follow-up of studies
Scientific and technical team
4 engineers / 4 technicians / 2 secretaries 8

9. Technical means
Pilot (instrumented)
2 Grinders
3 Mixers (rubons, paddles, socks)
 liquids incorporation
 thermal treatment
1 Transfer line
archimedian screw + bucket elevator
2 pelleting press
3 and 20 kW (30 to 300 kg/h)
3 “individual” coolers
1 Sieve
1 Bench to evaluate powder caking
under constraint 9

10. Technical means
Laboratory
Mass sieving
Apparent and tapped density
Angle of repose
Pellets cohesion (durability and hardness)
Water content
UV-visible spectrometry
In situ measurements
Air velocity (hot wire, pitot tubes)
Air flow measurement
Pressure manometer
Air characterization
(temperature, humidity,…)
Energy analyzer 10

11. TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE
AND
NEW PERSPECTIVES
11

12. 4 lines of research
PROCESS
 process optimization
(technical and energetic
performances)
PRODUCT
 Improve product quality
ENERGY
Improve energy efficiency
Sustainable development
SAFETY
 Operator safety in feed
plants

13. PRODUCT
Sanitary constraints management
Synergy between thermal treatment and acidifiers for enterobacteriaceae
elimination  SYTTAC program : 2008 – 2011
Thermal treatment and pelleting temperature for pathogenic flora elimination
Studies of feed contamination with new germs (Listeria, E.Coli, Clostridium, …)
 ECOLMIUS program (finished)
Method for residence time distribution evaluation
Carry over
Raw material carry over (GMO, Bio products, mycotoxins,…)
Research for new tracers (micro-ingredient and raw materials)
 in progress
Influence of matrix and micro-ingredients characteristics on carry-over rate
 upcomming project : 2014
Technological impact of new raw material from agro industry
co-products

14. PROCESS
Method for shrinkage investigation in feedstuff
plants
 DIAFRAA program (under way) : 2010 - 2013
Optimization of technical and energetic
performances of handling and transfer equipment
Storage
Grinders upcoming project : 2014
Mixing
Pelleting  future project
Dryer/Cooler  OPSERA program (under way) : 2011 – 2014
Bucket elevators  POUSSALIM program (finished) : 2009 – 2012
Timing diagram optimization

15. SAFETY
Operator safety
Chemical risk
Allergens
Dust inhalation
Equipment security
Fire / explosion hazard
 Explosion Program 2010-2012
Risk assessment document
 published in 2012
Safety Observatory in the feed sector
 2014

16. ENERGY
Energy observatory in the feed sector
 since 1990
Good practice guide in energy efficiency
 European diffusion program (TESLA) : 2013 - 2016
4 agrifood sectors : winery, fruits and vegetables, olive oil extraction and feed
Energetic audits methods development
Heat balance of boiler houses
Use of databases from automation

17. CONCLUSION
Improving handling
processes in terms of :
energy performances
product quality
operator safety

18. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION !
18