How to Choose the Best Process for Oil Extraction (Plant Sources)
Examine the characteristics of the source for the oil., Target a particular set of end products: Common edible oil Senior edible oil Special grease products Industrial oils Other classes analogous to petrochemicals , Realize that the process design...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Examine the characteristics of the source for the oil.
Proper choice of the oil pressing, extraction and refining process can greatly improve the quality and yield as well as the unit production cost.
The vast majority of oil seeds simply utilize oil-pressing method.
High oil content seeds adopt pre-pressing and extraction.
Low oil content seeds adopt direct oil extraction.
High acid content oil seeds use physical refining.
Some oil seeds (olive, palm fruit and rice bran) contain high level of lipase which can easily result in lipid rancidity. -
Step 2: Target a particular set of end products: Common edible oil Senior edible oil Special grease products Industrial oils Other classes analogous to petrochemicals
, Common edible oil uses a simple oil pressing and oil refining process and the equipment is fairly easy to design, maintain and clean.
High-grade edible oil requires complicated oil processing and requires a high quality standard.
Government and local oversight must be considered in the design and also properly accounted for as a production cost. , Cleaning Peeling Expansion or heat treatment technology (for high-grade cooking oils) , Oil refining processes utilize many sub-processes and technologies:
De-gumming De-colorization (clarification) De-odorizing De-acidification Steam distillation Special oil processing equipment may be needed to meet specific application requirements:
Hydrogenation (E.G. to prevent rancidity) Fractionation (dividing the process stream into components) Trans-esterification (catalyzed by an acid, base, or enzyme) ,, Often, the goal is to preserve the special flavor of the oil and the to retain the chemicals in a minimally altered form.
This allows retention of the oil protein which imbues the final product with the unique flavor loved by customers. , Sesame oil, fragrant peanut oil and cocoa oil cannot use solvent extraction.
This process will alter the chemicals which impart the flavors and physical properties.
The best approach to get olive oil is cold oil press method.
Most special oil seed processing lines should control temperature by providing cooling.
Low temperature pressing and oil refining is preferred.
Avoid consideration of high temperature steam distillation methods as experience has shown that these methods create an inferior end product which is only marginally saleable. , It is best to design a configurable line so that inefficient and uneconomical methods can be scrapped and alternatives put in place.
Also, keep an eye out for the scrap created during the process and provision for separately processing that part of the production stream or selling it to other processors. ,,, Feedback to the production system must be integrated.
Here, the more immediate the feedback, the better the process control and resulting finished goods quality.
Sensors and control logic units should be strategically located.
A modular design is preferred so that the line is easily configured.
Set up a calibration and oversight schedule as a part of the quality assurance program, making sure to specify a quick, reliable SOP (standard operating procedure) for this oversight.
Quality data must of a form that allows appropriate adjustment of machine parameters (process parameters) to achieve the desired quality. , Look at the proposed design and ask:
Is the processing flow reasonable? Have oil quality as well as oil yield optimized with respect to cost? Have the preliminary targets been met for both quality and yield? Are the chosen process elements optimal for the raw material? Have provisions been made for processing waste and all sidestreams? Are cost estimates exhaustive and accurate? , It may take several passes to finalize the design elements. , Analyze existing operations and identify weaknesses and strengths of the process components, product flow and information flow. , Provide plans for alternative uses of the proposed equipment. -
Step 3: Realize that the process design is highly dependent on the targeted output oil grade.
-
Step 4: Specify the pre-treatment process.
-
Step 5: Consider carefully the process elements for your targeted input and output.
-
Step 6: Consider the entire oil processing stream - procurement to packaging and distribution as well as each of the side streams: The by-products The waste created (disposal/re-use)
-
Step 7: Provision for unique characteristics of the seed variety and the oil extract.
-
Step 8: Choose special oil making processes in order to keep original oil flavor and preferred characteristics of the oil.
-
Step 9: Eliminate waste.
-
Step 10: Build into the design the appropriate temperature monitoring and control.
-
Step 11: Perform an initial "economy of scale" analysis.
-
Step 12: Provision for quality analysis.
-
Step 13: Perform selection review.
-
Step 14: Realize that the process of selecting and configuring equipment is iterative.
-
Step 15: Test a prototypical process implementation.
-
Step 16: Analyze scalability and flexibility.
Detailed Guide
Proper choice of the oil pressing, extraction and refining process can greatly improve the quality and yield as well as the unit production cost.
The vast majority of oil seeds simply utilize oil-pressing method.
High oil content seeds adopt pre-pressing and extraction.
Low oil content seeds adopt direct oil extraction.
High acid content oil seeds use physical refining.
Some oil seeds (olive, palm fruit and rice bran) contain high level of lipase which can easily result in lipid rancidity.
, Common edible oil uses a simple oil pressing and oil refining process and the equipment is fairly easy to design, maintain and clean.
High-grade edible oil requires complicated oil processing and requires a high quality standard.
Government and local oversight must be considered in the design and also properly accounted for as a production cost. , Cleaning Peeling Expansion or heat treatment technology (for high-grade cooking oils) , Oil refining processes utilize many sub-processes and technologies:
De-gumming De-colorization (clarification) De-odorizing De-acidification Steam distillation Special oil processing equipment may be needed to meet specific application requirements:
Hydrogenation (E.G. to prevent rancidity) Fractionation (dividing the process stream into components) Trans-esterification (catalyzed by an acid, base, or enzyme) ,, Often, the goal is to preserve the special flavor of the oil and the to retain the chemicals in a minimally altered form.
This allows retention of the oil protein which imbues the final product with the unique flavor loved by customers. , Sesame oil, fragrant peanut oil and cocoa oil cannot use solvent extraction.
This process will alter the chemicals which impart the flavors and physical properties.
The best approach to get olive oil is cold oil press method.
Most special oil seed processing lines should control temperature by providing cooling.
Low temperature pressing and oil refining is preferred.
Avoid consideration of high temperature steam distillation methods as experience has shown that these methods create an inferior end product which is only marginally saleable. , It is best to design a configurable line so that inefficient and uneconomical methods can be scrapped and alternatives put in place.
Also, keep an eye out for the scrap created during the process and provision for separately processing that part of the production stream or selling it to other processors. ,,, Feedback to the production system must be integrated.
Here, the more immediate the feedback, the better the process control and resulting finished goods quality.
Sensors and control logic units should be strategically located.
A modular design is preferred so that the line is easily configured.
Set up a calibration and oversight schedule as a part of the quality assurance program, making sure to specify a quick, reliable SOP (standard operating procedure) for this oversight.
Quality data must of a form that allows appropriate adjustment of machine parameters (process parameters) to achieve the desired quality. , Look at the proposed design and ask:
Is the processing flow reasonable? Have oil quality as well as oil yield optimized with respect to cost? Have the preliminary targets been met for both quality and yield? Are the chosen process elements optimal for the raw material? Have provisions been made for processing waste and all sidestreams? Are cost estimates exhaustive and accurate? , It may take several passes to finalize the design elements. , Analyze existing operations and identify weaknesses and strengths of the process components, product flow and information flow. , Provide plans for alternative uses of the proposed equipment.
About the Author
Jeffrey Gordon
A passionate writer with expertise in creative arts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: