In the edible oil extraction industry, investing in a solvent extraction plant is a strategic decision. The cost of a solvent extraction plant not only decides on your choice of the type of oilseed, but also decides on your capacity. So if you want to invest in a solvent extraction plant, you should read this post. This post will give you a guide. In this post, we will bring you to deeply learn the composition of the oil extraction plant, pay attention to the process of the solvent extraction plant, and learn the cost of the solvent extraction plant.
1.Raw material
Solvent extraction plant is used to extract oil from seeds, bran, or oil cakes with an oil content typically below 25%, using solvents such as hexane.
- Oil seeds: Soybean oil, cottonseed oil.
- Oil Cakes: Sunflower oil, canola oil
- Bran: Rice bran oil
2.Composition of the oil extraction plant
Oil seed preparation
The first step of the solvent oil plant is to pre-treat the raw materials. The oilseed machine includes a cleaning sieve and a shelling machine.
Solvent extraction unit
It is a important part of solvent extraction plant. In this unit, the oilseed is mixed with solvent, then the oil-solvent mixture was separated from the remaining solid seed materials.
Decomposition and Solidification Unit
After extraction, the remaining solvents in the oil and the meal need to be removed through the decanting process. Desolventization is removed by heating to evaporate it. It ensures solvent residues don’t remain in the extracted oil.
Refining unit
After extracting crude oil, the crude oil needs to be refined. The refining could remove impurities such as free fatty acids (FFA), phospholipids, pigments, and other contaminants. The crude oil becomes edible oil by degumming, neutralization, bleaching, and deodorization.
Solvent Recovery Unit
It makes used solvents processed and recycled for reuse, so that it reduces running costs and ensures compliance with safety requirements.
Storage and packaging unit
The edible oil is refined and then packaged for sale.
3.Why use solvent extraction
Solvent extraction vs. Physical pressing
Hydraulic oil extraction is a physical pressing. In the pressing oil process, it does not generate heat, and the organic components in the oil will not be damaged either. It is suitable for some seeds that are rich in oil (such as sesame, almonds, and peanuts).
Seeds with an oil content higher than 30% should be processed by pressing, while seeds with an oil content lower than 20% should be extracted, such as soybeans, rice bran, cottonseed, and corn germ. The pressing equipment is simple and efficiency is low, while the solvent extraction equipment is complex and suitable for large-scale production.
4.The factors influencing the costs of the solvent extraction plant
The cost of establishing a solvent extraction plant varies greatly due to various factors.
Land
The scale and capacity of the solvent extraction plant could influence the area of the solvent extraction plant. These costs include land cost, construction costs, and other infrastructure costs.
Equipment
The solvent extraction plant mainly includes cleaning sieve, crusher, extraction device, solvent circulation pump , etc. These machines work together to convert oil seed into the final product.
| key equipment | description |
| Cleaning sieve | It removes impurities of oil seed |
| Crusher | The oilseed is crushed small particle |
| Drying machine (optional) | Adjust the moisture content to below 10% to prevent the solvents from losing their effectiveness upon contact with water |
| Extraction device | Through counter-current contact, the solvent penetrates the oil material and dissolves the oil |
| Solvent circulation pump | It could maintain the flow of the solvent in the system |
| Evaporator | Separating crude oil and solvent by heating, recovering over 90% of the solvent |
| Stripping Tower | Uses steam to remove residual solvents, ensuring that the residual solvent content in the oil is less than 50 ppm |
| Condenser | Condense and recover gaseous solvents for recycling and reuse |
| Desolventizer | Steam and hot air are introduced to remove solvents from the meal |
| Water separator | Separates water from the solvent in the condensed liquid |
| Absorption tower | Absorbs the residual solvents in the tail gas |
Running cost
Once the oil mill plant is established, a series of running costs will be incurred, such as water costs, electricity costs, and fuel costs, etc. In addition, you need personnel with professional skills to operate equipment and manage production steps. So labor cost depends on land and the automatic degree. After purchasing equipment, you need to install and debug. Installation cost and debugging cost include transport, combination, and on-site and factory acceptance tests, etc This ensures the equipment can normally operate, and replace damaged parts in time.
Compliance and licensing
According to your location, you need to get various licenses and abide by regulations related to health, safety, and the environment. These costs include legal fees, inspection costs, and certification process expenses.
5.A estimate of the cost
The cost Cost is estimated based on production capacity. It is for reference only and is subject to specific requirements.
| Capacity（t/d) | Estimated cost |
| 1-10 | $30000-$80000 |
| 11-20 | $50000-$100000 |
| ＞20 | ＞$100000 |
6.Leading solvent extraction plant manufacturer-AGICO GROUP
At AGICO GROUP, we have outstanding professional skills and precise craftsmanship. our experts can take advantage of innovative design concepts to carry out precision manufacturing. This ensures maximizing the performance of the machine to the greatest extent and getting economic benefit.
Advanced technology: We adopt the newest delivery system, avoid unnecessary wear and tear, so that we can achieve a smoother material flow and reduce breakdown rate and maintenance cost.
High automation: A highly automatic system simplifies the operation process, reduces labor costs, and reduces running costs. In addition, it also improves accuracy and finally increases production capacity.
Customized service: We design specifically according to your raw materials, production requirements and operational demands.
No matter where you choose to establish a solvent extraction plant, it is a significant investment. You need to carry out careful research and planning. Through this post learn the component of solvent extraction plant and the relevant information for each cost item. Believe our AGICO GROUP’s suitable equipment could help you get long-term success. Welcome to choose us embark on a journey through a solvnt extraction plant.
