Samtek Engineering & GIS Solutions Private Limited

An Oil Mill Plant is a facility where raw oilseeds are processed to extract edible oils such as sunflower, soybean, canola, groundnut, or palm oil. The plant typically consists of several key stages to ensure efficient extraction, refinement, and packaging of oil.

1. Seed Cleaning & Preparation: Oilseeds like sunflower or soybeans are cleaned to remove foreign matter such as dirt, stones, and debris. Afterward, the seeds are dried and sometimes conditioned by heating to optimize oil extraction.

2. Crushing/Pressing: The cleaned seeds are then mechanically crushed or pressed using oil expellers or hydraulic presses to extract the oil. This can be done through cold pressing (preserving nutrients) or hot pressing (increasing oil yield).

3. Solvent Extraction (Optional): In some plants, a solvent like hexane is used to extract oil that could not be removed by pressing alone. This method typically leads to a higher oil yield.

4. Refining: After extraction, crude oil contains impurities like gums, wax, free fatty acids, and color pigments. The refining process involves degumming, neutralization, decolorization, and deodorization to produce clean, high-quality oil suitable for consumption.

5. Packaging: Once refined, the oil is tested for quality and packaged in bottles, tins, or bulk containers for distribution to markets.

6. Byproduct Handling: Oil mills also produce byproducts such as oil cakes or meal, which are valuable for animal feed, fertilizers, or biofuels.

The oil mill plant is often designed for scalability, allowing the operation to process small to large volumes of oilseeds efficiently, while maintaining food safety and product quality standards.