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Our core product line engineered for biofuel, ethanol dehydration, and heat-sensitive liquid concentration applications.
A Single Effect Falling Film Evaporator (SEFFE) is a highly specialized thermal separation device in which liquid feed flows downward as a thin film along the inner surface of vertical heat-exchange tubes, allowing rapid, gentle evaporation driven by the temperature differential between steam (on the shell side) and the process liquid (inside the tubes). Unlike forced-circulation or submerged evaporators, the falling film design ensures extremely short liquid residence time, minimal thermal degradation, and outstanding energy efficiency — qualities that are indispensable in biofuel refining and ethanol dehydration.
In the context of biofuel and ethanol production, the SEFFE plays a critical role in concentrating thin stillage, removing water from fermentation broths, recovering solvents, and purifying distillate streams. Its ability to operate under reduced pressure (vacuum conditions) makes it especially suitable for heat-sensitive bio-based liquids, which can degrade or caramelize at elevated temperatures.
The single-effect configuration — using steam energy in one evaporation stage — offers simplicity, compact footprint, lower capital investment, and superior operational flexibility compared to multi-effect systems, making it the preferred choice for small-to-medium biofuel plants or as a supplemental polishing evaporator in larger integrated refinery lines.
The biofuel and fuel ethanol industries face increasing pressure to reduce freshwater consumption, lower carbon intensity, minimize waste streams, and recover valuable co-products from fermentation and distillation residues. Traditional evaporation methods are often too energy-intensive, too slow, or too damaging to thermolabile molecules. The falling film design elegantly addresses all of these constraints.
In a typical corn-to-ethanol or sugarcane-to-ethanol facility, the post-distillation liquid — known as "whole stillage" or "thin stillage" — contains a complex mixture of dissolved organic solids, residual ethanol, suspended yeast cells, and water. Concentrating this stream via the SEFFE not only recovers water for process reuse (dramatically cutting freshwater demand) but also produces a high-solids syrup that can be blended with wet distillers grains (WDG) to create DDGS (Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles), a globally traded, high-protein animal feed co-product that substantially improves plant economics.
For advanced biofuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass (agricultural residues, wood chips, energy crops), falling film evaporators are equally vital in concentrating hydrolysate streams, removing inhibitory compounds, and recycling dilute process acids or bases — enabling circular process chemistry.
Engineering excellence designed specifically for the demands of renewable fuel processing.
Single-effect falling film operation achieves high evaporation rates per unit of steam input. When integrated with waste heat recovery systems or MVR technology, steam economy can be optimized to suit plant-wide energy balance, reducing utility costs by up to 30% compared to conventional evaporators.
Vacuum-assisted design allows evaporation temperatures as low as 40–65°C, protecting thermolabile compounds including enzymes, vitamins, and organic acids present in fermentation broths — critical for maintaining the quality of ethanol co-products such as corn oil, yeast biomass, and syrup concentrates.
The falling film principle ensures that process liquid spends only seconds on the heated tube surface, dramatically reducing fouling, scaling, and thermal degradation. This translates directly into longer continuous operation cycles, lower cleaning frequency, and higher product quality in ethanol syrup concentration.
Vertical tube configuration with top liquid distribution achieves high heat transfer efficiency in a compact footprint. Units can be scaled from pilot capacity to full industrial-scale installations handling tens of thousands of liters per hour, accommodating the wide range of biofuel plant sizes globally.
Stainless steel (304/316L), titanium, or duplex alloy materials of construction are available to resist the corrosive organic acids, ethanol vapors, sulfur compounds, and caustic cleaning agents common in biofuel and ethanol production environments, ensuring long service life exceeding 15 years.
Designed for seamless PLC/SCADA integration with real-time monitoring of temperature, pressure, flow rate, and product density. Automated CIP (Clean-in-Place) systems ensure sanitary operation with minimal manual intervention — essential for modern biofuel plants targeting Industry 4.0 standards.
Global megatrends are accelerating demand for high-performance falling film evaporators in renewable energy production.
Over 65 countries now enforce blending mandates requiring 5–27% ethanol content in transportation fuels. The United States E15/E85 expansion, Brazil's RenovaBio program, India's Ethanol Blending Programme targeting 20% by 2025, and the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) are collectively driving billions of dollars in new biorefinery capital expenditure. Every new ethanol plant or capacity expansion represents a direct market opportunity for single effect falling film evaporators in stillage concentration and water recovery.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) produced via alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) pathways requires concentrated, high-purity ethanol as feedstock. The evaporation stage becomes even more critical in these high-value supply chains. Market analysts project the global SAF market to grow at over 50% CAGR through 2030, with falling film evaporators integral to both upstream ethanol dehydration and downstream product purification steps.
Tightening environmental regulations and water scarcity pressures are compelling biofuel plants worldwide to implement ZLD (Zero Liquid Discharge) strategies. Single effect falling film evaporators serve as the first concentration stage in ZLD trains, reducing wastewater volume by 70–85% before crystallization or spray drying, enabling complete water recycling and regulatory compliance.
The growing adoption of Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) and Thermal Vapor Recompression (TVR) hybrid configurations — where single-effect units serve as polishing or pre-concentration stages — is reshaping plant energy economics. Pairing SEFFE with waste heat from distillation columns or biogas CHP systems reduces net steam consumption to near-zero in well-optimized biofuel plants, a trend strongly embraced by leading Asian and European producers.
DDGS (Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles) global trade exceeded 12 million metric tons in 2024, with prices strongly correlated to syrup solid content and quality. Higher-value DDGS commands premium pricing in global feed markets (Southeast Asia, EU, Middle East). Precise evaporation control via single effect falling film units directly enables ethanol producers to maximize syrup Brix concentration, boosting DDGS energy density and market value — a commercially compelling driver for equipment upgrade cycles.
The trend toward modular biorefinery construction — particularly for distributed, farm-scale, or stranded-feedstock facilities — is creating demand for compact, skid-mounted single effect falling film evaporator packages that can be rapidly deployed, relocated, or expanded. Chinese manufacturers like Jiangsu Zongheng are well-positioned to serve this market with pre-engineered, factory-tested modules that reduce on-site installation time by 40–60%.
Precisely engineered for every critical separation and concentration challenge across the bioenergy value chain.
Post-centrifuge thin stillage (5–8% solids) is concentrated to 25–35% solids syrup via the SEFFE. This syrup is recycled to the dryer alongside wet distillers grains, producing premium DDGS. The evaporator's gentle heat ensures preservation of corn oil, which is subsequently extracted at high value — adding $8–15 per ton of corn processed.
Brazilian and Indian sugarcane distilleries generate massive volumes of vinasse (stillage) — up to 12–15 liters per liter of ethanol produced. Single effect falling film evaporators concentrate vinasse for fertigation (fertilizer-irrigation), biogas generation, or potassium salt recovery, transforming an environmental liability into revenue-generating co-products.
In second-generation (2G) biorefineries processing lignocellulosic biomass, dilute acid or enzymatic hydrolysates (sugar concentration 5–12%) require concentration before fermentation or downstream processing. The SEFFE's low-temperature vacuum operation prevents sugar degradation (HMF formation) while efficiently removing water, improving fermentation yields and reducing fermentation vessel capital costs.
ATJ (Alcohol-to-Jet) SAF pathways require high-purity ethanol (99.5%+). The falling film evaporator serves as a pre-concentration unit before molecular sieve dehydration, reducing the load on the molecular sieve and improving overall SAF production efficiency. With global SAF investment accelerating, this represents one of the highest-growth segments for biofuel evaporation equipment.
Post-fermentation broths containing dissolved vitamins, amino acids, and yeast metabolites are concentrated for animal nutrition or industrial enzyme applications. The SEFFE's gentle thermal profile — operating at 45–60°C under vacuum — preserves biological activity while achieving concentration factors of 4–8x, unlocking high-margin co-product streams from what would otherwise be waste.
Single effect falling film evaporators serve as the workhorses of closed-loop water management in modern biofuel facilities. Evaporated condensate (clean water) is recovered and recycled for fermentation, cooking, or CIP purposes, cutting freshwater intake by 60–80% in well-designed plants. This directly reduces operating costs, improves sustainability credentials, and supports ESG compliance reporting.
As global decarbonization accelerates, the single effect falling film evaporator stands at the nexus of efficiency, sustainability, and industrial scalability. Whether processing corn, sugarcane, cellulosic biomass, or advanced feedstocks, our technology enables biofuel and ethanol producers to maximize output, minimize waste, reduce energy intensity, and unlock co-product value — all while meeting increasingly stringent environmental standards. Jiangsu Zongheng's proven engineering, ASME-certified manufacturing, and decades of domain expertise make us the trusted partner for bioenergy producers across China, Asia, and global markets.
Jiangsu Zongheng Concentration & Drying Equipment Co., Ltd.
Jiangsu Zongheng Concentration & Drying Equipment Co., Ltd. (formerly Yixing Yangxi Light Industry Machinery Factory), founded in 1992, is located in Zhoutie Town, Yixing City, on the shores of the beautiful Taihu Lake. The company covers an area of over 54,000 square meters, with a production workshop area of over 22,000 square meters.
Jiangsu Zongheng is a modern high-tech enterprise specializing in the manufacturing of concentration, drying, starch industry, alcohol DDGS, and Category III medium & low-pressure vessel equipment. It is currently a member enterprise of the China Starch and Alcohol Association. Its products are widely used in industries such as food fermentation, alcohol, chemical, pharmaceutical, environmental protection, and petrochemical.
Jiangsu Zongheng is always committed to exploration and innovation. Through years of sincere effort and user support, it has achieved sustained development. Main products include evaporation plants, comprising Multi-Effect Evaporators, Thermal Vapor Recompressors (TVR), Waste Heat Evaporators, and Mechanical Vapor Recompressors (MVR, achieving minimal unit energy consumption). These are widely used for liquid concentration, including distillates, alcohol stillage, ammonium sulfate, corn steep liquor, itaconic acid, threonine, starch sugar, sorbitol, glucose, fructose, trehalose, erythritol, organic wastewater, high-salinity wastewater, etc., making the company one of the domestic manufacturers with the most extensive product variety.
The company's other main products include Tube Bundle Dryers, with design and manufacturing capabilities reaching 1600m² (making it a primary manufacturer of large tube bundle dryers). Other main products such as Single Screw Fiber & Germ Dehydrators and Wash Cyclones are recognized as high-quality products by starch manufacturers and the industry. High-quality products and a sincere service attitude have won consistent praise and trust from numerous users at home and abroad, fully demonstrating the company's first-class technical advantages and manufacturing capabilities for large-scale equipment.
While meeting domestic market demand, the company's DDGS alcohol equipment and tube bundle dryer series products have been exported to Russia and Southeast Asian markets, establishing Jiangsu Zongheng as a recognized international supplier of biofuel and ethanol processing equipment.
We are capable of providing professional technical support and after-sales service nationwide for our vast user base. High-quality products and their unique solutions not only enhance our corporate economic benefits but also bring us satisfaction by solving processing challenges for our clients. We warmly welcome friends from various industries, both domestic and international, to visit us for cooperation and mutual development!
In March 2002, the company took the lead in obtaining ISO9001:2015 international quality system certification (Certificate No.: 45021), establishing a complete quality assurance system aligned with international standards. In July 2007, it became a Jiangsu Provincial High-Tech Enterprise. In April 2009, the company obtained the Special Equipment Manufacturing License of the People's Republic of China (License No.: TS2232C42). In August 2012, it acquired the ASME "U" Stamp authorization, marking the company's entry into a new phase of development. The company possesses strong R&D capabilities and advanced manufacturing processes, currently employing over 3 senior engineers and more than 20 engineers and assistant engineers. Multiple innovative technologies have been patented, and many products hold leading positions domestically.
The company currently holds an absolutely leading position in evaporation technology and has extensive cooperation with many renowned large domestic group companies, including Zhuofeng Biology, Meihua Group, Yufeng Group, Yihai Kerry, North China Pharmaceutical Group, Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, Shouguang Juneng, Qilu Pharmaceutical, Qiyuan Pharmaceutical, Xiwang Group, Shengtai Biology, Zhejiang Huakang, Kelun Pharmaceutical (Yili), and Shandong Tianli.
Explore our full range of falling film evaporation and dewatering equipment for renewable energy and fermentation industries.
