Comprehensive Overview of Oil Extraction and Refining Process in India

[Music] introduction to oil extraction and refining process

the diverse agro conditions of india are favorable to grow nine oil seed crops like

groundnut mustard soy bean

sunflower sesame safflower

niagara castor and linseed there are some tree bone oil seeds also

which are grown in wild like sal mahua

olive etc the demand for oil has increased many fold from the past century due to

increase in personal disposable income and consumer demand the oil seed industry includes the

following major processing technologies traditional mechanical crushing or expelling

used for oil seeds with relatively high oil content solvent extraction for processing oil

seeds and expel a cake used for oil seeds with less than 20 percent oil content

oil seeds milling process the oil seed milling process differs according to the oil seed and extraction

method used following is a general overview of the oil seed milling process

receiving and storage seeds the seeds are stored in a silo before

use a silo is a structure for storing bulk materials the seeds arrive at a facility by truck

or rail and are sampled for moisture content foreign matter and damaged seeds then the seeds are weighed and conveyed

to concrete silos or metal tanks for storage until processing cleaning when the seeds arrive at the

processing factory it contains foreign material like shaft and other debris which may even contain pieces of metal

apart from lumps of soil and stones so the first step is to clean the seeds in a vibrating sieve

the seed smaller than the openings in the sieves mesh fall through a conveyor below

these seeds then pass by a magnet this removes any metal that may have fallen in during the journey from field to

factory conditioning after cleaning the seeds are conditioned

conditioning is a process wherein the seeds are heated and moistened to make them pliable enough to ensure proper

flaking flaking next the seeds enter a roller mill

they pass between two steel rollers which crush them into thin flakes oil removal is facilitated by reducing

seeds into smaller particles the main purpose of flaking is to increase the contact surface between the

oil seed tissues and the solvent and to reduce the distance that the solvent and the extract will have to travel

in the process of extraction extraction expelling the first oil extraction occurs in an expeller or a

screw press which squeezes the condition flakes to liberate the oil it has a large revolving screw shaped

shaft enclosed within a slotted cage as the shaft turns its threads squeeze the flakes with high pressure

forcing out the oil which then drains out through the slots the screw press extracts only some of

the oil contained in the canola seeds the remainder is still trapped in the pressed flakes

also known as cake the hardened cake exits the other end of the press and moves on to a second extraction

solvent extraction in this extraction process a solvent is applied to the pre-pressed material

which bonds with the oil in the material the mixture of solvent and oil is removed from the meal the solvent is

then flushed off by heating the oil in a sealed chamber the oil solvent blend is heated to 212

degrees fahrenheit 100 degrees celsius to distill off the solvent solvent extraction process is

capable of extracting most of the oil contained in the hardened cake refining the extracted oil stored in

large tanks now enters the refined freeze a refining process separates out the

natural impurities and natural waxes contained in the oil these are then filtered out the filtered

oil is then bleached to lighten the color then a steam injection heating process

is used to remove the distinctive odor of the vegetable oil the oil is now fully refined and ready

to be packed in bottles packing and storing the completed processed oil is then

measured and poured into clean containers which include plastic bottles glass bottles pouches cans etc

equipment used in the oil extraction process let us take a look at the different

types of equipment and facilities required in the oil extraction process silos or storage bins

a silo is a structure for storing bulk materials silos are used in agriculture to store

grain or fermented feed known as sillage silos are more commonly used for bulk storage of grain

coal cement carbon black wood chips food products and sawdust an oil extraction and refining

technician receives and weighs the raw material at the processing plant he is also responsible for operating the grain

elevator for transporting the raw material to the storage area these toner or vibrating sieves

teastoner is used for removal of heavy foreign contaminants like stones metallic and glass pieces etc from

grains and seeds of oil crops it works on the principle of weight gravity separations with stratification

by positive pressure fan an oil extraction and refining technician is responsible for operating

the destoner or vibrating sieves for cleaning the raw material conditioning machine

these are vertical stack cookers or rotary horizontal cookers wherein the seeds are heated and

moistened to make them pliable enough to ensure proper flaking an oil extraction and refining

technician is responsible for maintain water level and time of the conditioner

turn valves to allow steam through lines observe gauges to ensure temperature and moisture content conforms to standards

flaker machine flaker machines are used to make tiny flakes from the seeds by passing them

between steel rolls flaking machines consist of a pair of counter rotating smooth steel rolls and driven at

different speeds an oil extraction and refining technician is responsible for set the speed of the rollers

change the rollers depending upon the size of the seats examine the flakes to ensure they

confirm to the set standards expeller screw press expeller pressing is the method of extracting oil with a

mechanical press or a screw press this machine uses friction and continuous pressure from the screwdriver

to move and compress the seed material the oil seeps through small openings that do not allow seed fiber solids to

pass through afterward the pressed seeds are formed in a hardened cake which is removed from the machine

solvent extraction plant solvent extraction is a process which involves extracting oil from oil seeds by

treating them with a low boiler solvent inside the solvent extractor plant the ground seed is purged with the petroleum

distillate which releases the oil in the seed refining equipment bleacher bleaching

vessel the freshly extracted oil is agitated in the bleacher or the bleaching vessel for several minutes and

then pass through the bleaching filter to remove any solid materials these bleaching filters may be either

plate and frame or leaf filters the oil is then passed on to the deodorizing process

deodorizing unit the batch of oil is heated in the reactor vessel using a heater

deodorization operation is carried out at high temperature by injecting open steam and maintaining high vacuum

through which all odourly ferrous matter is distilled off packaging and storage storage is a very

important step for any food product packaging can directly influence oil quality by protecting the product from

both oxygen and light the shelf life of the oils exposed to intense artificial light and diffused

daylight is shorter than that of oils kept in the dark materials that can be used for oil

packaging include glass metals thin coated steel plastics

the entire oil packaging process can be categorized as filling

capping sealing labeling

stock rotation system like fifo and fefo are applied fifo first in first out

is a stock rotation system that dispatches processed food depending on the order in which it is produced

fairfax first expired first out is a stock rotation system when products that need

to be consumed earlier are shipped first roles and responsibilities of oil extraction and refining technician

let us now take a look at the roles and responsibilities of all extraction and refining technician

handle raw materials from post house storage to the process line check raw material for quality

ensure the ingredients are sound and free from dirt debris foreign matter glass and insects

ensure minimum loss of raw materials record keeping and documentation document and maintain records of raw

materials document and maintain records of production schedule and process

document and maintain records of finished products maintenance of hygiene and sanitation

adopt safety and sanitation related measures follow food safety norms and practices

inspect machines and troubleshoot issues or escalate them to the supervisor ensure smooth operation of machinery to

complete production line optimize the use of machinery attend to minor repairs of tools and

machinery when required ensure that safety rules and regulations are observed

prevent accidents execute oil extraction and refining process

adhere to good manufacturing practice gmp ensure the products meet the quality

standards set by the organization operation monitoring watch engages dials or other indicators to make sure a

machine is working properly quality control analysis conducting tests and inspections of products

services or processes to evaluate quality or performance follow storage and packaging norms

ensure safety and proper storage of raw material packing material and finished goods

let us now summarize the roles and responsibilities of oil extraction and refining technician