Soya Oil Solvent Extraction Process Guide

Soybean oil, as one of the vegetable oils with the largest production in the world, its gross oil is widely used in food, medicine, chemical industry and other fields. It is divided into oil pressing method and leaching method according to different production processes.

ABC Machinery Solvent Extraction Plant

ABC Machinery Soybean Oil Solvent Extraction Plant

In soybean oil processing, choosing the right production process is crucial to ensure the quality of the oil and improve the production efficiency. Among them, the oil solvent extraction method is more suitable for large-scale commercial soybean oil  production plants, as well as investors who require high quality of edible oil product.

Interested in learning more about the solvent extraction process for soybean oil production, equipment details, and associated pricing? Contact us now!

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Soybean Oil Leaching Process: Oilseed Extrusion First 

Compared with the leaching of raw embryo, soybean leaching process can improve leaching efficiency, reduce steam consumption, improve the refining rate, the output of the finished meal quality is also better. Here is a detailed description of the three steps of soybean oil leaching:

Step1: Enhanced Efficie​ncy: Masting Soybean Extruding Process

Soybean extruding process is the use of extrusion puffing equipment will go through the process of raw, broken oilseed or whole oilseed seeds into porous puffed pellets. Oilseed extrusion technique is mainly adopted to soybean expansion leaching process, in addition, rapeseed, cottonseed and rice bran expansion leaching production has also been applied!

Scientific Soybean Puffing Process Prerequisite: Precise Control Parameters

For good expansion of soybean oilseeds, it is usually necessary to adjust their moisture and temperature before extrusion expansion to meet the conditions of the expansion process to ensure that the desired expansion effect is achieved.

The expanded material particles discharged from the expander are usually high in temperature and humidity, showing a soft and friable state, so they must be dried and cooled to make their temperature, moisture and hardness meet the requirements of solvent leaching for oil extraction.

Soybean Puffing Production Process Conditions
Stages encountered in the test Moisture content Temperature Steam pressure
Soya meal into the extruder 10% ~ 11% 60 ~ 65 ℃  
Soya meal out of the extruder 12% ~ 13% 105 ~ 110 ℃  
Soya meal after drying and cooling 8% ~ 10% about 50 ℃ 0.65~0.75MPa

Step2: S​oybean oil solvent extraction process

The leached material after the zapping and puffing process enters the soybean oil leaching mchine and comes into contact with the solvent (e.g. "No. 6" or "n-hexane") in a counter-current flow to realize the dissolution and extraction of the oil product.

Key Factors Influencing Soybean Oil Solvent Leaching

The leaching process of soybean oil is one of the core steps in the production of soybean crude oil. Through scientific and reasonable leaching process, the oil in soybean can be effectively extracted. In this stage, it is necessary to accurately control the water content, temperature, time and other key parameters to ensure the efficient extraction of edible oil and quality assurance.

  • Accurate control of leaching temperature 

 

The appropriate leaching temperature usually determined by the boiling point of the mixture of soybean oil and solvent, which can improve the fluidity of the oil and promote the leaching efficiency. Studies have shown that for every 1°C increase in temperature, the extraction rate of fats and oils can be increased by about 0.5%. However, it should be noted that at too high a temperature, the oils are susceptible to oxidation, which reduces the quality of the product.

  • Advanced Soybean Oil Leaching Machines

Commonly used in soybean oil extraction, the rotary extractor is known for its simple structure and lower energy consumption. However, it comes with a relatively longer extraction time. To address cost concerns, ABC Machinery offers three extractor options tailored to your processing needs and actual requirements: rotary extractor, loop extractor, and drag chain extractor

Our goal is to provide efficient solutions that align with your production volume and optimize your operational efficiency. Contact us for more details on these versatile extractor options and discover the best fit for your processing needs.

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  • Influence of Moisture in Soymeal

When leaching soybeans, the optimum amount of moisture should be maintained. The amount of moisture depends on the characteristics of the raw material to be processed as well as the leaching method and equipment.

For example, using flat rotary extruders to leach soybeans, the moisture of expanded soybeans is generally controlled at 8% to 9%. The moisture of pre-pressed cake is generally controlled at about 4%. While the suitable moisture for soybean leaching using belt leachers is generally 9%~9.5%, and the suitable moisture for ring type leachers is 10%~12%.

 

Step3: Post-leaching treatment - evaporation and vapor extraction 

After leaching, the oil and solvent mixture is evaporated twice by the evaporator, and then carried out vapor extraction through the vapor extraction tower to fully remove the internal solvent and get the vapor extracted crude oil.

Mixed oil treatment after leaching

The mixed oil obtained by leaching contains soybean oil, impurities and a certain amount of solvent. The goal of the mixed oil treatment is to separate these components and obtain high purity soybean crude oil.

  • Oil-water separation: removal of water and impurities

Through appropriate precipitation and filtration processes, the effective separation of water and impurities in the mixed oil is realized, and the adverse effect of water on the quality of crude oil is reduced.

  • Solvent Removal: Improve the purity of crude oil

Utilize evaporation equipment to evaporate the residual solvents in the oil blend. This step effectively removes volatile solvents from the oil, improving the high purity and safety of the crude oil.

Treatment of wet meal after leaching

The wet meal remaining in the leaching process contains a certain amount of oil and solvent, which requires further treatment to fully utilize the resources.

  • Wet meal desolventization - resourc​e recovery and environmental protection

Wet meal collection: Ensure that the wet meal in the collection process to minimize the mixing of external impurities, in order to improve the effectiveness of the subsequent desolventization. After collection, the wet meal should be processed immediately to avoid loss of solvent through volatilization.

Desolventization process: Depending on the actual situation, the temperature in the evaporation and recovery process can be controlled in the range of 45 ° C to 60 ° C, in order to balance the effect of desolventization and energy consumption. In professional desolventization equipment, solvent recovery of more than 98% can usually be achieved.

Environmental considerations: During the desolventization process, a closed system is recommended to prevent environmental contamination from volatile organic compounds. The use of efficient desolventization equipment reduces emissions and meets environmental standards.

  • Wet meal de-oiled - the recycling of fats and oils

Preparation of wet meal before treatment: Before de-oiling, wet meal can be treated by steam or drying to reduce the humidity and improve the de-oiling effect. The degree of fineness of the wet meal will also affect the de-oiling efficiency, can be controlled in the range of 40 mesh to 60 mesh.

De-oiling process: When using centrifuges or presses, the de-oiling temperature is generally controlled at 60°C to 80°C to ensure the fluidity of the oil. The speed and pressure of the de-oiling equipment should be adjusted according to the characteristics of the wet meal, in order to improve the separation effect of the soybean oil.

Subsequent utilization of fats and oils: The fats and oils obtained after de-oiling can be further refined for the production of high-quality products such as edible oils, food additives and feeds. This helps to maximize the comprehensive utilization of resources and improve economic efficiency.

Leaching solvent recovery of Soybean Oil

Solvents are extracted from the oil in soybeans during the leaching process. In order to reduce production costs and minimize environmental pollution, efficient recovery of solvents is required.

  • Distillation recovery - efficient separation and condensation

Mixed oil pretreatment: It is recommended that in the mixed oil pretreatment process, the solvent and other components of the mixture in the mixed oil are finely filtered in order to remove solid impurities and large particles of precipitation, and to improve the effect of subsequent distillation.

Distillation Process: Distillation temperatures are generally controlled in the range of 70°C to 90°C, and distillation pressures can range from 0.5 to 1.0 atm. Optimizing distillation conditions can help to increase recoveries while reducing energy consumption.

Solvent condensation: The temperature and flow rate of the condenser cooling water needs to be adjusted to ensure that the distilled solvent can be quickly cooled to liquid, improving condensation efficiency.

  • Solvent purification - decontamination and recycling

Purification process: Select the appropriate purification means, such as activated carbon adsorption, filters, etc., in order to remove residual oil and grease and other impurities. Maintenance and replacement cycles of purification equipment also need to be carried out regularly to maintain the purification effect.

Solvent quality testing: Regular solvent quality testing is carried out to keep an eye on the concentration of residual substances in the solvent and to ensure that the recovered solvent meets the requirements for leaching production.

Through in-depth analysis of the whole process of soybean crude oil production by leaching method in soybean oil plants, it not only deepens our understanding of each key step, but also highlights the importance of oil solvent extracting equipment

The importance of safety in the production of soybean crude oil by leaching in soybean oil plants.

Safe production is a vital part of the process of soybean crude oil production by leaching in soybean oil plants, for which it is necessary to establish strict safety operating procedures to protect the personal safety of production personnel and prevent potential production safety risks.

Equipment Safety Maintenance

Regular Inspection and Maintenance: It is recommended that a comprehensive equipment inspection be performed quarterly, including lubricant replacement, seal inspection, sensor calibration, etc. Regular maintenance helps to improve equipment reliability and reduce downtime.

Replacement and upgrading of equipment: Establish a replacement program based on the actual working life of the equipment. Timely adoption of new technologies and materials improves equipment performance and safety.

Solvent safety management

Storage management: Solvent storage area should be equipped with a temperature monitoring system to ensure that the storage temperature is within the safe range. For flammable and toxic solvents, special storage cabinets should be used and temperature and humidity monitors should be set up.

Use safety measures: Production personnel should wear appropriate protective equipment such as protective glasses, gloves and clothing when working with solvents. Ensure that the area around the operating table and equipment is well ventilated to reduce the concentration of solvents.

Waste Disposal: Waste should be collected separately, and waste that meets environmental standards can be sent to a professional disposal unit. Establish a waste disposal file to ensure the tracking of each batch of waste.

Technical training for personnel

Provide safety training for production personnel to improve their safety awareness and ability to deal with emergencies and reduce the probability of production accidents.

Contact us today to share your specific needs, and one of ABC Machinery's vegetable oil project engineers will customize a soybean oil production plan to help you achieve your business goals. Make the smart choice for your organization's success by choosing ABC Machinery!


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