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SMALL-SCALE OILSEED
PROCESSING
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas VALUE -ADDED & PROCESSING GUIDE
ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information center funded by the USDA’s Rural Business -- Cooperative Service.
Abstract: This publication describes the basic processes involved in small-scale oilseed processing. Included are a low-
tech method for raw material preparation using sunflower seeds as an example; information on methods and equipment
used for oil extraction; and notes on clarification, packaging, and storage. Sources for additional information and a list
of suitable raw materials are provided.
By Janet Bachmann
NCAT Agriculture Specialist
February 2001
Introduction
Small-scale oilseed processing is of interest as a
potential on-farm or community enterprise that
can increase income and employment in rural
areas (1). Many seeds, nuts, and kernels
contain oil that can be extracted and used in
cooking, as an ingredient in other foods, as a
nutritional supplement, and as a raw material
for the manufacture of soap, body and hair
oils, detergents, and paints. Some of these oils
may also be used to replace certain petroleum-
based lubricants and fuels. Currently,
biodiesel, which is esterified vegetable oil, has
found a market niche because its use reduces
some noxious exhaust emissions. common in other parts of the world than in the
U.S. The book Small-Scale Food Processing (1),
Small-scale oil extraction is probably more although written primarily to assist people
throughout the "developing world,"
should be of interest to anyone consid-
Contents: ering this enterprise.
Introduction .................................................................... 1
Basic Steps ..................................................................... 2 The book contains a section on vegetable
Sunflower Seed Oil Using the Ram Press ........................... 3
Other Oil Presses............................................................. 5
oil that provides an overview of the
Adding Value Adds Costs .................................................. 6 process and equipment required for
References ..................................................................... 6 extracting oil from various seeds and
Resources....................................................................... 7 nuts. The book also includes a "catalog"
Appendix 1...................................................................... 10
Appendix 2...................................................................... 21
of equipment with hundreds of
manufacturers listed.
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Oil-containing seeds, nuts, kernels (from IBG Monforts product
literature.)
Basic Steps
Ordering information is included in the
Resources section below. Another useful Raw material preparation
publication for anyone who wants to extract oil
from seeds with a minimal investment of Preparation of the raw material often includes
capital is the manual Using and Maintaining the removing husks or seed coats from the seeds,
Ram Press (2) published by Enterprise Works and separating the seeds from the chaff.
Worldwide. Information about seed cleaners designed for
small-scale operations can often be obtained
from agricultural research stations where small
A T T R A // S M A L L - S C A L E O I L S E E D P R O C E S S I N G
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plot research is conducted with various crops.
For instance, USDA researchers working with
flax in North Dakota purchase some of their
equipment from Seedburo (3), which will
supply a catalog upon request. Almaco (4) is
another company that specializes in equipment
for research, such as one- and two-row test
plot combines and various types of stationary
threshers. Check Resources for additional
sources of equipment.
Extraction
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prevent the growth of mold, seeds need to be bottom of the collecting vessel in the form of a
dried before or shortly after harvest. Even dry hard cake. In addition, the clean oil may be
seed can quickly get damp by being in contact poured through a paper or textile filter in order
with moisture or damp earth. Once the seed is to remove the natural slime.
dried and bagged, it must be stored carefully to Since the vegetable oil will not reach tempera-
keep it from taking up moisture. The moisture tures higher than approximately 100–120°F, all
content of the seed should be no higher than the vital components will be preserved.
10%. To test for percent moisture, weigh a Therefore, it is excellently suited for natural
sample of seed or cake, then heat the sample in nutrition. As long as the oil is stored in dark
an oven at 300°F for 1 hour. Reweigh the and cool rooms, it will have a long shelf life.
sample. The weight lost in the oven is equal to
the moisture content of the original sample, Preconditioning of the seeds is required prior to
and the percent can be calculated: divide the the extraction process. Big nuts, kernels, and
weight lost by the original weight, and multiply copra (dried coconut meat) have to be crushed
by 100. to the particle size of peas on the KOMET
Cutting Machine "System CRUSHER".
Other Oil Presses The sole representative for Monforts equipment
for the USA and Canada is E. Peter Mathies
KOMET Oil Expellers (8). Mr. Mathies is an employee of Badger Oil
Company, which is majority-owned by the
KOMET Vegetable Oil Expellers are manufac- Wisconsin Business Innovation Corporation.
tured by IBG Monforts in Germany (7), whose He also works with the state to introduce new
range of products covers small hand-operated crops, such as canola, hazelnuts, and caraway,
as well as industrial machines. According to to the area; expand the use of present crops
their product literature, KOMET oil expellers such as sunflower for industrial, cosmetic,
feature a special cold pressing system with a nutriceutical, and pharmaceutical markets; and
single conveying screw to squeeze the oils from make oil from fruit seeds such as cranberry,
various oil-bearing seeds. The machines raspberry, grape, and blueberry. These seeds,
operate on a gentle mechanical press principle which have been waste products, are now
that does not involve mixing and tearing of the being promoted for the vitamins and antioxi-
seeds. Vir-tually all oil-bearing seeds, nuts, and dants they contain.
kernels can be pressed with the standard
equipment without cumbersome adjusting of Taby Press
screws and oil outlet holes.
The Taby Press (9) is a screw press manufac-
The vegetable oil produced needs no refining, tured in Sweden. Various models are available
bleaching, or deodorizing, as long as the for cold pressing rapeseed, linseed, flaxseed,
natural taste, smell, and color are acceptable. sunflower seed, sesame seed, peanut, ground-
Generally, the sediments in the vegetable oil nuts, mustard seed, poppy seed, cotton seed,
can be removed by pouring the oil from the jojoba, etc. Bengt Jonsson is the constructor,
collecting vessel into clean glass bottles after a manufacturer, and seller of the oilpress, and is
rest of approximately 24 hours after extraction. also a farmer.
During this time, all the sediments, dust, and
other impurities will have settled down on the
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Adding Value Adds Costs 3) Seedburo
1022 West Jackson Blvd.
Although value-added processing can be a way Chicago, IL 60607-2990
to increase a farmer's share of the food dollar, Phone: 312-738-3700, 1-800-284-5779
adding value doesn't come free. At each step, Fax: 312-738-5329
the farmer is adding more work, buying Website: www.seedburo.com
additional equipment and supplies, and using
4) ALMACO
more energy. Information needs increase. And 99 M Avenue
depending upon the situation, liability P. O. Box 296
insurance may become a must. Nevada, IA 50201; USA
Phone: 515-382-3506
A key point to remember is that adding value Fax: 515-382-2973
to any foods by processing increases safety risks E-mail: sales@almaco.com
Website: www.almaco.com
due to the increased handling. Therefore, rules
and regulations are established by each state to 5) Enterprise Works Worldwide
protect the public health. In addition, the FDA 1331 H Street, NW, Suite 1200
regulates products going out of state. Anyone Washington, DC 20005
considering processed foods as a value-added Phone: 202-293-4600
business should contact their state health
6) Dr. Rita Laker-Ojok
department before proceeding. Enterprise Works Worldwide (address above)
E-mail: rojok@imul.com
Related information from ATTRA
7) IBG Monforts
The ATTRA publication Adding Value to Farm P.O. Box 20 08 53
Products: An Overview introduces the concept D-41208 Mönchengladbach
of value-added farm products, outlines keys for Germany
success, and provides resources for additional Phone: +49 - (0) - 21 66 - 86 82 - 0
Fax: +49 - (0) - 21 66 - 86 82 - 44
information. Evaluating a Rural Enterprise,
E-mail: info@ibg-monforts.de
Alternative Agronomic Crops, and Keys to Website: www.ibg-monforts.de
Success in Value-Added Agriculture present
things to consider before diversifying and 8) E. Peter Matthies
marketing alternative crops, and sources of 1400 South River Street
Spooner, WI 54801
additional information.
Phone: 715-635-2197
Fax: 715-635-7262
References:
E-mail: badgeroil@hotmail.co
A T T R A // S M A L L - S C A L E O I L S E E D P R O C E S S I N G
Page 7
Resources: son between these small-scale plants and
medium- to large-scale plants is provided."
$15.75 plus shipping and handling from:
1. Anon. 1993. Oil Processing. Intermediate
Technology Publications. 48 p.
VITA Publications
1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite. 710
This book is aimed at volunteers training
Arlington, VA 22209
for food processing projects and their train-
ers, the non-specialist already involved in 703-276-1800
projects and seeking specific information on E-mail: vita@vita.org
technology choice. Contents include raw Website: www.vita.org
materials from which oil can be extracted,
methods of oil extraction and processing, 3. Boyd, John. 1995. Tools for Agriculture,
description of types of improved technolo- 3rd edition. VITA Publications. 200 p.
gies, case studies, checklist of questions to
ask when planning a project/enterprise, This new, enlarged edition of a well-known
facts and figures on a range of pre- catalog lists over 1,000 manufacturers and
processing and extraction equipment, refer- suppliers of low-cost agricultural imple-
ences, further reading, contacts. $15.00 ments. Guidance is provided for selection of
from: 3,000 products, from hand tools to animal-
powered and small-engine equipment. Il-
Stylus Publications, LLC lustrated. $49.50 plus shipping and han-
P.O. Box 605 dling from VITA. (See address above.)
Herndon, VA 20172-0605
Tel: 703-661-1581 / 800-232-0223 4. Carruthers, Ian and Marc Rodriguez. 1992.
Fax: 703-661-1501 Tools for Agriculture: A Buyer’s Guide to
E-mail: Styluspub@aol.com Appropriate Equipment for Smallholder
Website: http://styluspub.com Farmers, 4th ed. Intermediate Technology
Publications, London, GB. 238 p.
2. Anon. 1983. Small Scale Oil Extraction A unique guide to small-scale farming
from Groundnuts and Copra. ILO Tech- equipment. An expert who sets the avail-
nica Memorandum No. 5, MF 06-274. 111 able tools against the background of good
p. farming practice introduces each subject.
The book analyses why some projects are
successful and suggests ways to improve
A look at the steps involved in removing oil
them. $55 from Stylus Publications, LLC.
from peanuts (groundnuts) and dried coco-
(See contact information above.)
nut (copra) using small-scale mechanized
equipment, this volume should be helpful in
either starting a business or in identifying 5. ECHO
where in the process technical improve- 17391 Durrance Rd.
ments may be made. "It provides detailed N. Ft. Myers, FL 33917
technical and economic information on Phone: 941-543-3246
small-scale oil extraction mills using either Fax: 941-543-5317
small expellers or power ghanis, and proc- E-mail: echo@echonet.org
essing between 100 tons and 220 tons of Website: www.echonet.org
materials per year. An economic compari-
A T T R A // S M A L L - S C A L E O I L S E E D P R O C E S S I N G
Page 8
ECHO — Educational Concerns for Hun- serve as a technical resource to the oilseeds
ger Organization —is a non-profit, Chris- processing industry.
tian organization dedicated to the fight
against world hunger. ECHO's Website The Oilseeds Processing Program has ex-
provides access to resources and services perience with essentially all row crop oil-
for small farm tropical agriculture from seeds as well as a number of industrial
around the globe. ECHO’s most popular crops. Row crop expertise includes familiar
publications are on-line, and include several edible oilseeds such as soybeans, cotton-
about oilseed crops. A for-sale publication seed, corngerm, canola, peanuts, sunflower
($17.50) is The Manual Screw Press for seed, safflower seed, and flaxseed. Indus-
Small-Scale Oil Extraction. trial crop expertise includes castor seed,
rapeseed, crambe, jojoba, and others in
6. Food Processing Machinery & Supplies various stages of commercialization. Spe-
Association cific services include:
200 Daingerfield Road
Alexandria, VA 22314-2800 • Pilot plant trials in all aspects of seed
Phone: 703-684-1080 preparation, screw pressing and solvent ex-
traction, and meal desolventizing and
Fax: 703-684-1080
toasting processes.
E-mail: info@processfood.com
• Processing of the oil fraction, including
Website: www.processfood.com
degumming, refining, bleaching, hydro-
genation and deodorization.
FPM&SA is a non-profit trade association
• Conversion of the meal into vegetable food
founded in 1885 to provide a business link
protein flours, concentrates and isolates, or
between food and beverage processors and
processing into pelleted or extruded farm
suppliers. The Association is made up of
animal and aquaculture feeds and pet foods.
several hundred industry members. It can
• Consultation, on-site process trouble
provide information about sources of all
shooting, development of operating and
kinds of equipment and supplies. Process-
quality control manuals.
food.com is the association’s electronic
• Short courses and customized training.
marketplace.
• Technical assistance in market development
of new crops.
7. Food Protein Research and Development • Practical short courses and customized
Center training.
Oilseeds Processing Program
Khee C. Rhee, Director 8. Huntsman, Inc
Cater-Mattil Hall 2362 Warren Ave.
The Texas A&M University System Twin Falls, ID 83301
College Station, TX 77843-2476 Phone: 1-888-812-3377
Phone: 979-845-2741 Fax: 208-733-2240
Fax: 979-845-2744 fax E-mail: mail@huntsmaninc.com
E-mail: kcrhee@tamu.edu Website: www.huntsmaninc.com
The mission of the Oilseeds Processing Huntsman, Inc. supplies used and recondi-
Program is to conduct basic and applied re- tioned food-processing equipment, includ-
search to help add value to oilseeds and to ing seed cleaners and packaging.
A T T R A // S M A L L - S C A L E O I L S E E D P R O C E S S I N G
Page 9
9. Judge, Emma et al. (ed.) 2000. Small-Scale 11. Potts, Kathryn H. and Keith Machell. 1995.
Food Processing, 2nd Ed. Intermediate The Manual Screw Press for Small-Scale
Technology Publications. 184 p. Oil Extraction. Intermediate Technology
Publications. 72 p.
This guide provides development workers
and small-scale entrepreneurs with the ba- This practical handbook describes the full
sic information and advice that they need process of oil production with a manual
to set up a small-scale food processing en- screw press (also known as the bridge press
terprise. Part one considers the food proc- or spindle press.) The process is detailed
esses that are suitable for different crops in- step by step, including health and safety
cluding fruit and vegetable products, cereal guidelines, equipment requirements, main-
and pulse-based products, milk and milk tenance procedures, and approaches to
products, and meat and fish products. Part sales and marketing. Appendices cover re-
two is an annotated directory giving the cord keeping, financial considerations, and
appropriate equipment needed to process a the use of a roller mill to speed up crush-
particular food, an index of manufacturers, ing, which is one of the essential prepara-
the approximate costs, and the names and tory stages for maximum oil production.
addresses of manufacturers. The potential $17.50 from Stylus Publishing, LLC. (See
uses of equipment are examined and much contact information above.)
of the equipment is clearly illustrated.
12. Producers' Natural Processing
In this new edition the main text which Purdue Research Park
guides the reader through the stages of 1291 Cumberland Ave.
food processing activities has been reor- West Lafayette IN 47906
ganized and clarified, and the catalog sec- Phone: 765-563-3437
tion, listing suppliers in approximately 50 Fax: 765-563-6753
countries, has been completely updated.
E-mail: leaderb@pnpi.com (Bob Leader)
$55 from:
Website: www.pnpi.com
If you plan to build a press in a remote area Hydraulic presses, which are suitable only for
using only wood or locally available materials, batch processing, may be powered either by
VITA can send you some papers about hand or by electricity. In many parts of the
processing oil seeds. world, they are the most practical and
economical way to extract oil from seeds.
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A hydraulic press is simple in operation. The
ground seed material or wet plant tissue is
placed in the press in layers, with each layer from copra, palm kernels, peanuts, cottonseed,
separated from the next by a press cloth. flaxseed, and almost every other variety of
Pressure is applied, slowly at first, and then seed, wherever there is a large enough seed
increased as the oil content in the tissue supply to justify a continuous operation.
decreases. Maximum total pressure is 2,000
pounds per square inch for one inch layers. Expellers achieve the pressure needed to
Total time to load the press, apply the pressure, express the oil by means of an auger that turns
and remove the cake, is approximately one inside a barrel. The barrel is closed, except for
hour. Drainage of the oil while under pressure an opening through which the oil drains.
may require 30 to 45 minutes. The amount of
raw material that can be handled depends on An expeller can exert much greater pressure on
the size of the press, which in turn depends on the seed cake than a hydraulic batch press can.
whether it is a hand press or is operated by This increased pressure permits the recovery of
electrical power. a larger proportion of the oil: generally, about
3 to 4 percent of the oil is left in the cake with
Advantages of commercial-size batch an expeller, compared to 6 to 4 percent with a
presses: hydraulic press. The expeller is an essential
part of almost all modern oil seed extraction
• They can be driven by hand or by electric- plants. It is used both by itself and as a pre-
ity. press before solvent extraction. Expellers vary
• They are economical to operate. in size from machines that process 100 pounds
• They are simple to operate and maintain. of seed per hour, to machines that process 10
• Operators require only minimum training. or more tons of seed per hour.
• Recovery of oil from seeds is excellent.
Advantages of expellers:
Disadvantages of commercial-size batch
presses: • They are the most common type of
mechanical extraction equipment in use
• The cost of the machinery is substantial, commercially today.
and delivery time may be long. • They require less labor than any other
• Spare parts are difficult to obtain in remote method.
areas (though they can be airmailed almost • Where power is reasonable in cost, and
anywhere). labor is expensive, continuous expellers are
• Electric power, or generators to produce it, economical.
must be available to operate the larger • Plant capacity is higher than with batch
models. equipment.
• Expellers extract a greater proportion of the
Expellers Or Continuous Screw oil than do hydraulic batch presses.
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Grinding or rolling
Pressing
Seed is not usually pressed whole, since oil
extraction is more efficient if the seed is in The materials prepared in these ways are
smaller particles. Grinding the oil seed is one pressed, usually in a lever press, hydraulic
effective way to reduce particle size. A hand- press, or expeller, to remove the oil.
operated mortar, millstone grinder, or even a
kitchen meat grinder can be used to convert the Refining
seeds to a coarse meal. Small hammer mills,
motor or hand-powered, are also good. Cold press oil can be of such high quality as to
need no refining if it comes from seeds that are
Another way to reduce particle size is to roll fresh and of good quality.
the oil seeds to produce flakes for extraction.
Many commercial extraction plants find this All other oil, especially that which has been
the most effective approach. With large oil pressed from lower quality feedstock, is likely
seeds it may be necessary to grind the seed first, to have some undesirable cloudiness, color, or
and then put the pieces through flaking rollers. flavor that needs to be removed.
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Removal of Unwanted Flavors to the butter. Even a copper bolt in a press can
damage the flavor of your product. Use cast
Unwanted flavors are more difficult to remove. iron, or stainless steel, but no copper or copper-
They may be due to excessive free fatty acids. bearing materials.
If the oil-bearing material is stored at a high
moisture level, or if they material is bruised or Other types of flavors than those of fatty acids
broken or moldy, it becomes more difficult to can be removed from oil, but an expensive and
press, and the free fatty acid content of the oil difficult process known as deodorization is
extracted from it usually increases. Free fatty used. It involves distilling off the unwanted
acids in fresh olive oil vary from 1/2 of 1 flavors under high heat and high vacuum.
percent to 3 percent. Acidity of over 10 Normally the oils being processed by small-
percent is common; if over 20 percent acid, the scale pressing would have the flavors of the
oil is good only for making soap. raw material from which they came, and there
would be no need for deodorization.
Free fatty acids can be removed from the oil by
washing the oil with alkali: put 25 to 30 Final Considerations
gallons of the rancid oil in a 55-gallon steel
drum with an open top. Add 15 gallons of One of the best sources of information about oil
water with 2 1/2 pounds of soda ash dissolved pressing on a small scale is the small oil
in it. Mix well with a big wire whip or paddle processor in the region of interest. Very seldom
to mix the oil and water solution. The fatty will an oil processor be the first in a region to
acid will react with the soda to form soap, attempt oil extraction. Locate those individuals
which stays in the water phase. already in the business of extracting oil from
vegetable materials and learn what kinds of
Let the layers separate for several hours and equipment and raw materials they have had
siphon off the oil layer. If the oil still contains success with, and what kinds of problems they
fatty acids, you should repeat the operation. have run into.
There will be a loss in volume because the free
fatty acids may account for 10 to 20 percent of In remote villages where oil seeds are plentiful,
the original volume. If emulsions form, you but mechanics and machinery are not, a lever
can heat the mixture, which will usually cause press or hydraulic press can be a convenient
a separation. It is a good idea to heat the means of supplementing expensive imported
refined oil to drive off any remaining water. cooking oils.
This method works well without your needing
to send the oil to a laboratory for analysis to Commercial-scale edible oil production,
determine how much soda ash to add. An however, is not a cottage industry. The
experienced operator is the best substitute for a extraction and refining of oils and fats suitable
chemical laboratory. even for local markets is a highly technical and
capital intensive process. It is large, efficient
It is important to use clean equipment, so wash plants that are the ones likely to make a
all the utensils well at the end of the day. Also, reasonable profit. The vegetable oil extraction
allow no copper in the plant. Copper and industry is a highly competitive commodity
certain other heavy metals cause undesirable industry in which the price of oil is established
changes in oils. For example, heating butter in and the price of oil seeds fixed by the commod-
a copper vessel will quickly impart a fishy taste ity market. If domestically grown oil seeds are
A T T R A // S M A L L - S C A L E O I L S E E D P R O C E S S I N G
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exported, then a local oil press will have to pay devices operated by stones and levers to exert
the same price for seeds as its foreign competi- pressure on them.
tors do. The small local firm's costs of doing
business are likely to be as high or higher than An improved form of mechanical device,
those of its competitors abroad. Tariffs or which allowed considerably more pressure to
subsidies may be required to protect the home be exerted, involves the use of hydraulically
industry. An expeller plant can sometimes operated rams: a simple, hand-operated
allow a small country to become independent cylinder pump is used to press flat plates or
of imported oils, but the cost of the oil hollow cages attached to the hydraulic ram
extraction plant may be higher than the cost of against a fixed-position ram.
the imported oils.
This type of press developed into a motorized
Glossary hydraulic pump system that pressed the seed
bag and then released a press cake.
Free run oil: The natural accumulation and
drainage of oil from seed pulp, without the use The next improvement in extracting oil was the
of a press. screw press or expeller. Screw presses use an
electric motor to rotate a heavy iron shaft,
Oil cake: The residue left after pressing. which has flights, or worms built into it to push
the seeds through a narrow opening. The
Dry screening: The manual removal of under- pressure of forcing the seed mass through this
or over-sized seeds before pressing. slot releases part of the oil, which comes out
through tiny slits in a metal barrel fitted
Cold press: The pressing of oil bearing seeds, around the rotating shaft. Expellers have a
pulp, or cake that have not been heated. continuous flow of seed through the machine
in contrast to the hydraulic system described
Emulsions: Any colloidal suspension of a liquid above, which uses small, individual packages
in another liquid. or batches of seed. To release as much oil as
possible, the seeds must be dried to rather low
moisture content and exposure to high
UNDERSTANDING temperature causes darkening of the oil. It also
SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF causes some scorching or overheating of the
VEGETABLE OILS meal. The meal contains protein which, if
undamaged, may be used for either human
By Nathan Kessler food, soy flour for example, or animal feed
such as soybean meal.
INTRODUCTION
Because most press or expeller processes
Oil is extracted from seeds, beans, and nuts for overheat the meal and leave too much of the
use as cooking or salad oil; as an ingredient in high value oil in the seedcakes, methods of
paint, cosmetics, and soap; and even as fuel. extracting the oil with solvents were developed.
Seeds (like soybeans) with low oil content are
Historically, such oils have been extracted by processed by solvent methods alone. In other
wrapping seeds in cloth, and then using cases, presses are used first to extract part of
A T T R A // S M A L L - S C A L E O I L S E E D P R O C E S S I N G
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the oil; then solvents extract the oil that that extracts the oil and removes the solvent
remains in the seeds. must be airtight and leakproof, and all motors
and electrical switches, lights, etc. must be
Because of their efficiency, processes employing specially designed as vapor-explosion-proof.
solvents to extract vegetable oils in large No matches, no smoking, and no cutting
quantities are in wide use, and solvent torches, welders, grinders, or other heat-
extraction equipment is readily available producing or spark-producing devices can be
commercially. The basic technology of solvent permitted where such solvents are used.
extraction is simple, but great care should be Careless exposures to sources of fire or sparks
taken in deciding whether and where it can be (including engines of trucks driven too close to
used. extraction plants) have caused disastrous
explosions.
Solvent extraction of vegetable oils, which
recovers more oil than earlier methods and Attempts to find solvents that are not explosive
leaves more usable meal, begins to be economi- and are economical to use have not yet
cally attractive where large quantities of seed succeeded. Chlorinated hydrocarbons such as
can be processed (at least 200 tons per day for trichloroethylene worked well but were found
continuous-feed processes); where storage, to create a poisonous by-product in the
transportation, power, water, and solvent extracted meal. Solvent extraction plants built
supply are adequate; and where occupational in 1950 using trichloroethylene had to be
safety and training standards can be enforced. discarded or converted to the commonly used
There are solvent extraction plants with explosive solvent, hexane. Today, all commer-
capacities of up to 4,000 tons per day. cial oilseed extraction plants utilize hexane or a
similar solvent.
OPERATING PRINCIPLES
DESIGN VARIATIONS
Solvent extraction is simple in principle, but
complex in operation. Like pressing, solvent extraction can be done
with equipment that processes the oilseed in
The seed is prepared by being cracked into batches, or with equipment that processes it
chips. These chips are warmed and passed continuously. A continuous extractor is not
through smooth flaking rolls. The flaking rolls considered economically practical unless it
flatten the chips into paper-thin, flat flakes. processes at least 200 tons per day.
The thin flakes can then be treated with
solvent, which dissolves or washes the oil out BATCH SOLVENT EXTRACTION
of them. Solvents that boil at fairly low
temperatures (65°C) are used so that the Batch solvent extraction is likely to be the
solvent can be readily removed from both the appropriate method if you plan to process less
oil and the flakes. Solvent extraction recovers than 200 tons of seed per day, but enough to
almost all the oil, leaving only one percent or yield oil in commercial quantities.
less oil in the flakes.
Very few batch plants are in use in the United
Unfortunately, most solvents are dangerous to States today. A batch solvent extraction plant
handle, more so than gasoline. They burn or can be as simple as an enclosed steel tank with
explode very readily. Therefore, the equipment a false bottom made of screen or metal slats.
A T T R A // S M A L L - S C A L E O I L S E E D P R O C E S S I N G
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The flakes are dropped into the tank, where and removed from the bottom by a vertical
they lie on the false bottom. The tank inlet is mass-flow elevator. Fresh solvent enters at the
closed, and solvent is pumped into the seed for bottom, and oily miscella overflows from the
10 to 20 minutes; then the drain valve at the top. Still another style uses a rotating carousel
bottom (under the false bottom) is opened to arrangement of the extraction baskets or
complete the extraction. buckets as in the Rotocel: this French Oil Mill
Machinery Company stationary extractor
rotates the inlet and outlet assembly above and
After the final extract has been fully drained, below stationary sieve-bottom baskets.
steam is introduced into the bottom of the
extractor. This evaporates the solvent out of In all of these extractors, flaked seeds are
the flakes. This combination of steam and conveyed continuously into the extractor
solvent is piped as vapor into a condenser that through a vapor lock or seal that prevents
contains water-cooled tubes. The solvent is solvent vapors from escaping out of the
lighter than water, so it is readily freed of extractor into the flake conveyor. The flakes
water by standing in a tank from which water are sprayed or wet with miscella as they enter
is decanted, or overflowed. The flakes now are the extractor, and receive several washes with
nearly solvent free, but are wet from the steam successively more dilute (less oily) miscella.
treatment. They are conveyed out of the These miscellas drain down through the flakes
extractor to a steam-heated dryer to reduce the and through the sieve bottom or belt into pans,
moisture to about 12 percent for best storage which drain into pumps. The pumps transfer
quality. Most of the washes, or miscellas, are the miscella to the next state, from less oily to
saved and reused on a later batch. However, more oily flakes. In this continuous counter-
fresh, oil-free solvent must be used for the final current, the oldest solvent miscella (the solvent
wash of a batch. And the first, oiliest miscella miscella with the highest oil content), contacts
is pumped to a steam-heated, tubular evapora- the fresh incoming flakes. The final wash uses
tor, which boils most of the solvent out of the oil-free hexane. The flakes are then drained (10
mixture, recovering solvent for reuse. The oil to 15 minutes), and dropped from the belt or
then goes to a vacuum stripper, where it is the basket into a spent-flake hopper.
heated to about 100°C and steamed as it passes
down through a series of steel baffles or a From here a mass-flow conveyor lifts the still
column of stoneware rings or saddles. The solvent-wet flakes (containing 35 percent
purpose is to expose every portion of the oil to moisture) and delivers them into a desolven-
steam, which is needed to remove the last 5 to tizer-toaster. This is a steam-jacketed vessel,
10 percent of the solvent from the oil. usually a vertical set of kettles with gates that
allow the flakes to fall from one kettle into the
CONTINUOUS SOLVENT EXTRACTION next below while being treated with direct
steam. The lower kettles act as dryers to bring
Continuous extractors use conveyors inside the moisture content down to proper levels.
vapor-tight housings. The conveyor may be an Air is drawn to cool the dried hot flakes, either
endless metal mesh belt or a series of sieve- in the lower part of the same vessel or in a
bottom buckets attached to a traveling chain. separate meal cooler. As in the batch extractor
system, the solvent vapors flow to a condenser
Another style uses vertical columns filled with with water-cooled tubes, and the liquid solvent
solvent. Flakes are continuously fed at the top is separated from the water by decanting.
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cottonseed also because it reduces the
An older form of desolventizer employs a series antinutritional gossypol material left in the
of steam-jacketed paddle conveyors to evaporate meal.
most of the solvent. The partially desolventized
flakes then crop into a larger conveyor, into FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN PLANNING
which direct steam is blown, removing the rest AN OIL EXTRACTION SYSTEM
of the solvent. This form of desolventization
was improved by using super-heated hexane Solvent extraction of vegetable oils should be
vapor to quickly remove most of the solvent. seen as part of a technological and economic
This first step is followed by a steam treatment. system that includes far more than the
However, neither of these methods cooks extraction plant itself. Factors affecting the
soybean flakes thoroughly enough to eliminate operation of a solvent extraction plant include:
trypsin inhibitors. For this reason, if the flakes potential markets; nature, timing, size, and
are going to be fed to nonruminant animals, a reliability of seed and solvent supply; ade-
cooking or toasting stage has to be added: the quacy and reliability of power, water, and
flakes are heated to about 125°C, reducing their transportation, and of maintenance and
moisture to 18 percent or less. When the flakes storage facilities; and ability to find and train
are intended for human consumption, this step personnel and rigorously enforce safety
is not necessary, since they will be cooked before standards. Table 1 gives information about
being eaten. some of these requirements.
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Flights: Also termed worms--the screw threads Bleached—The oil is treated with compounds
in an expeller or screw press. such as activated clay to remove substances,
including chlorophyll, that can discolor the oil.
Miscella: Also termed wash--the liquid, Deordorized—Undesirable flavor and odor
containing oil and solvent, drained after compounds are removed by aerating the oil
application of solvent to flaked seeds. with steam.
Filtered—Particles, such as plant cells left in
Press cake: Seed residue left after pressing. the oil after the extraction process, are
removed.
Screw press: A press that uses a screw to guide
and force seeds through a narrow opening.
Trypsin Inhibitors: Enzymes that prevent the The Electronic version of Small-Scale Oilseed
breaking down of proteins. Processing is available at:
HTML
Wash: Also termed miscella. The liquid, http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/oilseed.html
containing oil and solvent, drained after PDF
application of solvent to flaked seeds. http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/oilseed.pdf
APPENDIX II
Frontier Herbs is a natural foods cooperative.
The chart below contains information about
the extraction and refinement of Frontier’s
vegetable oils from the company’s Wholesale
Product Catalog.
IP134
The ATTRA Project is operated by the National Center for Appropriate Technology under a grant from the Rural
Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse
products, companies, or individuals. ATTRA is located in the Ozark Mountains at the University of Arkansas in
Fayetteville at P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702. ATTRA staff members prefer to receive requests for
information about sustainable agriculture via the toll-free number 800-346-9140.
A T T R A // S M A L L - S C A L E O I L S E E D P R O C E S S I N G
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