• Why is the soybean price a critical factor for hexane extraction?
  • Material cost takes up about 44% of total operating costs in a facility producing 4 million kg of soybean oil and increases to over 90% of total operating costs in 173.22 and 415.73 million kg of soybean oil production facilities. Therefore, the soybean price is concluded as a critical factor for the hexane extraction process. 3.2.2. Utility costs
  • Which solvent is used in soybean oil production?
  • Solvent extraction and expelling are the main processes used in soybean oil production. Hexane is currently the leading solvent in extraction , . This solvent has a high solubility for oil extraction, availability, low price, low boiling point, and heat of vaporization .
  • How is crude oil produced in a soybean crushing plant?
  • The crude oil is usually water degummed in the crushing plant which generates an additional flow, consisting of gums (or lecithin). Table 1 presents the main quality parameters (optimal contents) of the major products from soybean crushing.
  • What is deodorization in soybean oil production?
  • Deodorization removes free fatty acids and volatile compounds from the feedstock . Solvent extraction and expelling are the main processes used in soybean oil production. Hexane is currently the leading solvent in extraction , .
  • What is soybean oil hexane extraction process?
  • Crop preparation (handling), solvent extraction, degumming, desolvenization, and meal processing are main processes of the soybean oil hexane extraction process ( Fig. 1 ). Crop preparation includes oil seed cleaning, cracking, dehulling, conditioning, and flaking.
  • Is soybean oil production economically feasible?
  • This demonstrates the process can earn profits within the service period, which is the assumption in this study. Therefore, capacities over 34.64 million kg of annual soybean oil productions are economically feasible operating scales. (8) Pay back Time = 100 ROI