SOLVENT OIL EXTRACTION PLANT
A Solvent Oil Extraction Plant is a large-scale industrial facility used to extract edible or industrial-grade oils from oil-bearing materials (seeds, cakes, or biomass) using a food-grade solvent—typically hexane—to maximize yield and efficiency beyond mechanical methods like cold or expeller pressing.
This is the dominant extraction technology worldwide for oilseeds like soybean, canola, cottonseed, rice bran, sunflower, and groundnut, especially when aiming for high oil recovery and low residual oil content in meal.
What It Does
The plant performs chemical extraction of residual oil from oil-rich material using volatile solvents, primarily in:
Oilseed Extraction (soybean, rapeseed, sunflower)
De-oiling of Press Cakes (after mechanical pressing)
Rice Bran Oil Production
Herbal, spice or pharmaceutical de-fatting
Industrial oils & biofuels from algae or biomass
Process Flow: Solvent Extraction
Here’s the typical sequence in a solvent extraction plant:
Preparation Section
Cleaning, crushing, flaking, conditioning of seeds/cakes to increase surface area.
Solvent Extraction Unit
Extractor (Continuous Type): Solvent (hexane) percolates through the material bed.
Miscella (oil + solvent mix) is collected.
Desolventizer-Toaster (DT): De-oils the spent meal and removes residual solvent by steam.
Distillation & Recovery
Evaporator & Stripper: Heat separates oil from solvent.
Condensers & Cooling: Hexane vapor is cooled, condensed, and recycled.
Final Oil: Crude solvent-extracted oil is sent for refining.
Solvent Recovery System
Recovers >95% of hexane in closed-loop to minimize loss and emissions.
Business Opportunities
Primary Opportunities
Edible Oil Processing Units: High-throughput plants (100–1000+ TPD)
De-oiled Cake Supply: Valuable by-product for animal feed and export
Rice Bran Oil Plants: Huge scope in India, Bangladesh, SE Asia
Third-party Toll Extraction Units: Processing for small/mid-size brands
Emerging Markets
Pharma/Herbal Oil Extraction (Amla, neem, ashwagandha defatting)
Biofuel Feedstock Processing (algae, jatropha, castor cake)
Essential Oil Residue Recovery
High-protein Meal Exports (soy DOC to EU/China)
Pros
Benefit | Description |
| Up to 99% extraction, <1% oil left in meal |
| Cost-effective for large volumes |
| Closed-loop system reduces solvent loss |
| Applicable to multiple oilseed types and cakes |
| Highly controllable with PLC/SCADA systems |
Economies of Scale
Solvent Recycling
Process Automation
Cons & Challenges
Challenge | Detail |
| Hexane is flammable, needs ATEX-certified components |
| Minimum viability starts around 100–150 TPD |
| Requires pollution control, VOC recovery, solvent leak detection |
| Must be thoroughly removed for food/feed safety |
| Turnkey plants cost ₹15–50+ Cr ($2–6M), depending on capacity |
Fire Hazard
Not Suitable for Small Scale
High Compliance Cost
Residual Solvent in Meal
High CAPEX
Key Related Products
Crude Extracted Oil (requires refining)
De-oiled Cake (DOC): Protein-rich byproduct used as animal feed or fertilizer
Phospholipids (from degumming step, valuable in pharma)
Spent Solvent: Recovered & recycled
Essential Oil Co-products (in multi-stage systems)
Standards & Regulations
FSSAI/USFDA (limits on residual hexane)
ATEX/IECEx Zones: Explosion-proof standards
Environmental Norms: Solvent loss <1 kg/ton processed, as per CPCB/EPA
Effluent & Emission Control: Scrubbers, chillers, VOC sensors are mandatory
Strategic Investment Insight
Solvent extraction is an industrial-grade, margin-sensitive game, but with rising demand for:
Non-GMO, high-protein animal feed
Vegetable oil exports
Biofuel feedstocks
Functional food ingredients
A solvent extraction plant can serve as a backbone for an integrated oilseeds or agro-processing cluster.