• Why is process improvement important in soybean extraction plants?
  • Process improvement in extraction plants has continued with increasing emphasis on energy efficiency, cost reduction, reducing hexane loss, quality of meal and oil, and increased capacity, driven by a six-fold increase in soybean production since 1950 and by an increase in energy costs since 1970.
  • How much soybean oil production is a good return on investment?
  • From the ROI time, the 34.64 million kg of soybean oil production is close to 0%, which indicates this capacity is close to break-even point to earn profits for paying back the total investment. This also indicates when the capacity is larger than the scale, the producing stream starts to earn profits.
  • How much soybean oil can be produced a year?
  • Therefore, capacities over 34.64 million kg of annual soybean oil productions are economically feasible operating scales. (8) Pay back Time = 100 ROI Table 7.
  • What role do material costs play in soybean oil production?
  • Though more energy inputs and utility fees are required for larger scale operations of soybean oil production, material costs play a critical role in the whole process, especially for soybean cost. Material costs exceed other operating costs resulting in a lower percentage of utility costs in all operating costs.
  • When does soybean oil production make a positive profit?
  • For different scales based on 2010s market estimations, a positive net profit is observed when the capacity is larger than 34.64 million kg of soybean oil production. Positive profits can be obtained when the capacity is scaled up to 86.61 million kg of soybean oil production.
  • 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