Soybean Processing Plant for Sale

Soybean Processing Plant for Sale

Shijiazhuang Xinlu Technology Co., Ltd. – Comprehensive Technical Overview of a Modern Soybean Processing Plant

A soybean processing plant is a complex industrial facility designed to transform raw soybeans into a range of valuable products, primarily oil and meal. The configuration of the plant varies significantly based on the desired end products, which can include crude soybean oil, refined edible oil, and soybean meal for animal feed or food-grade protein concentrates and isolates. Shijiazhuang Xinlu Technology Co., Ltd. engineers and supplies these plants with a focus on process efficiency, product quality, and operational reliability.

The initial stage in soybean processing is pre-cleaning and conditioning. Raw soybeans received from storage are passed through cleaning equipment to remove impurities such as stalks, stones, sand, and metallic particles. This is typically achieved using a combination of vibrating screens, air aspirators, and destoners. Cleaned beans are then conditioned to a specific moisture content and temperature through tempering bins or conditioners. This step prepares the beans for efficient hull removal and oil extraction by making the hulls brittle and the oil cells more accessible.

The next critical stage is dehulling and cracking. The conditioned beans are passed through corrugated roller mills to crack them into smaller pieces. The resulting mixture of bean fragments and loosened hulls is then sent through a series of aspirators and screening systems to separate the light hulls from the heavier "meats." Effective dehulling is crucial as it increases the protein content of the subsequent meal and reduces the fiber content. The separated hulls can be sold as a separate product or used as a source of fiber or fuel.

The core of the plant is the oil extraction process. This can be achieved through two primary methods: mechanical pressing or solvent extraction. For smaller capacities or specific product requirements, a mechanical pressing line is employed. This involves using high-pressure screw presses to physically squeeze the oil from the prepared soybean flakes. The resulting product is crude oil and a high-fat cake. For large-scale, efficient oil recovery, solvent extraction is the standard. The cracked and dehulled soybean meats are rolled into thin flakes through flaking mills to increase surface area. These flakes are then conveyed to a large, counter-current extractor where a food-grade solvent, typically hexane, percolates through the flake bed, dissolving the oil. The resulting mixture, called miscella, is distilled to separate the crude soybean oil from the solvent, which is recovered and reused. The defatted flakes, now containing very little residual oil, are known as "white flakes."

These white flakes form the basis for soybean meal production. They are processed through a desolventizer-toaster (DT) where residual solvent is removed, and the meal is cooked to deactivate anti-nutritional factors like trypsin inhibitors. The resulting product is a high-protein soybean meal, which can be ground into various particle sizes to meet customer specifications for animal feed. For human consumption, the white flakes can be further processed into soy protein products. This involves grinding them into soy flour, or through more complex wet processes involving extraction, precipitation, and drying to produce soy protein concentrate (SPC) or soy protein isolate (SPI).

A final, optional section is oil refining. The crude soybean oil obtained from pressing or extraction contains gums, free fatty acids, pigments, and odors. A refining line typically includes degumming (removing phospholipids), neutralization (removing free fatty acids), bleaching (removing color and traces of soap), and deodorization (removing volatile compounds to ensure a bland flavor and stability). The result is a refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) soybean oil suitable for retail sale or food manufacturing.

A complete soybean processing plant from Shijiazhuang Xinlu Technology Co., Ltd. integrates all these stages—from raw material intake to finished oil and meal storage—with automated controls, dust collection systems, and necessary utilities. The design is modular, allowing for customization based on capacity, product mix, and site-specific requirements, providing a comprehensive solution for entering the oilseed processing industry.