OILSEED ENGINEERINGOilseed Simulation LabProcessing & Refining Technology
CENTRIFUGE PARTNERMACFUGEVisit Ferro Oiltek
SEED FEEDOIL RECOVERYSOLVENT EXTRACTIONFILL · CAP · PACKferroferroferroILLUSTRATIVE PACKING LINE
Cottonseed200.00 t/dayRefined oil33.27 t/day
Process in motion · Illustrative flow · Live calculated outputs
Cottonseed processing scheme200 TPD / Cottonseed miscella refining + solvent extraction
LIVE BALANCE14 process stages
SECTION INLET200.00 t/day
Cleaning rejects4.00
Raw lint to lint line12.00
Hulls to handling50.00
Water evaporated10.60
PARALLEL PROCESS LINES Oil filtration, meal finishing and by-product handling
MAIN PROCESS OIL STREAM BY-PRODUCT Click a machine to explore
Extraction includes DT, meal drying, miscella distillation and solvent recovery. Animated rates show the oilseed balance; solvent and utility circuits are excluded.
PROCESS EXPLANATION & BENEFITS

Miscella refining: process & benefits

Miscella treatment operates alongside solvent extraction and recovery. Neutral oil then proceeds to bleaching and deodorization.

CURRENT OIL OUTPUT33.27 t/day2.50% FFA · 200.00 TPD feed
CURRENT CONVENTIONAL LOSSES9.67%Refining loss at 2.50% FFA
SELECTED MISCELLA ROUTE5.74%Applied total loss on gross extracted oil
REFINING LOSS COMPARISON3.93 percentage points lower nominal loss
Conventional
9.67%
Miscella route
5.74%

Same FFA · Same chart scale · Nominal refining-loss percentages, not percentages of seed feed.

FIVE PROCESS BENEFITS

Lower refining losses

Improved oil recovery through treatment at the miscella stage.

Early gossypol removal

Remove gossypol and colour bodies before final refining.

Neutral oil for finishing

Neutral oil proceeds to bleaching and deodorization.

Avoid re-refining & water washing

The miscella route reduces downstream treatment steps.

Environment-friendly process

Omitting the oil-washing stage avoids its water use and wastewater generation.

Your plant, in numbers

Per operating day
Balance closes · 0.00 t/day
Refined oil33.27 t/day

16.63% of incoming feed

De-oiled meal88.11 t/day

0.80% residual oil in de-oiled meal

Baled lint11.64 t/day

Cottonseed lint stream

Separated hulls50.00 t/day

Hulls stream, kept separate

Cleaning rejects4.00t/dayBaled lint11.64t/dayLint cleaning rejects0.36t/daySeparated hulls50.00t/dayWater evaporated10.60t/dayDe-oiled meal88.11t/daySoapstock / separated impurities (oil-equivalent)1.84t/dayOil in spent earth0.12t/dayDistillate0.07t/dayRefined oil33.27t/day
OUTPUT IMAGE LIBRARYProducts & by-products from this balance
Cleaning rejects
OUTPUT STREAMCleaning rejects4.00 t/day
Baled lint
OUTPUT STREAMBaled lint11.64 t/day
Lint cleaning rejects
OUTPUT STREAMLint cleaning rejects0.36 t/day
Separated hulls
OUTPUT STREAMSeparated hulls50.00 t/day
Water evaporated
OUTPUT STREAMWater evaporated10.60 t/day
De-oiled meal
OUTPUT STREAMDe-oiled meal88.11 t/day
Soapstock / separated impurities (oil-equivalent)
OUTPUT STREAMSoapstock / separated impurities (oil-equivalent)1.84 t/day
Oil in spent earth
OUTPUT STREAMOil in spent earth0.12 t/day
Distillate
OUTPUT STREAMDistillate0.07 t/day
Refined oil
OUTPUT STREAMRefined oil33.27 t/day
MATERIAL BALANCE GUIDE · 14 FEEDSTOCKS

Ferro Oiltek material balance calculator

Plan a conceptual oilseed processing line before requesting an engineering proposal. Enter your capacity and feed composition, compare supported extraction routes, and see how the incoming material divides into oil, cake or meal, lint, hulls and other streams.

Oilseed process flow and material balance

Follow the mass entering and leaving each stage in tons per day or tons per hour. Enter daily feed and operating hours to estimate the throughput your preparation and extraction equipment must handle.

Oil extraction material balance

Compare mechanical pressing, direct solvent extraction or pre-press extraction where supported. Recovered oil and residual oil in cake or meal are counted separately, so you can see the effect of each route on product recovery.

Edible oil refining material balance

Include refining to estimate finished oil and refining side streams. Free fatty acids and the selected refining route affect recovery. Compare scenarios on the same incoming-feed basis and use your own assay wherever available.

How to calculate an oilseed material balance

  1. Define your feed. Choose one of the 14 feedstocks, enter incoming tons per day and set the daily operating hours.
  2. Use your laboratory assay. Open Assumptions to set oil content, moisture, impurities and relevant hull or lint fractions. Starting values are illustrative and use an as-received feed basis.
  3. Select the process. Compare supported preparation, pressing, solvent extraction and refining options. Review the route warnings and residual-oil targets.
  4. Review the balance. Open Material balance to compare stage feed, added water, main outputs and side streams. Use final oil and meal outputs to compare scenarios on the same feed basis.

Oil yield, recovery and hourly capacity: a worked example

Suppose a hypothetical plant processes 100 tons of feed per day containing 20% oil and produces 18 tons of crude oil per day. These figures illustrate the arithmetic; they are not a predicted yield for any feedstock.

  • Oil in the feed: 100 × 20 ÷ 100 = 20 tons/day.
  • Crude oil yield: 18 ÷ 100 × 100 = 18% of incoming feed.
  • Oil recovery: 18 ÷ 20 × 100 = 90% of the oil originally present.
  • Hourly feed at 20 operating hours: 100 ÷ 20 = 5 tons/hour.

For a steady-state balance, incoming feed plus added process water equals all final output streams. Count separated impurities, hulls, lint, removed moisture and refining side streams where present. Do not add intermediate streams to the final outputs: that would count the same material twice.

Choose a feedstock to calculate its balance

Cottonseed material balance

Track lint, hulls, oil and cake or meal separately. Switch delinting and dehulling on or off, and compare pressing with supported solvent extraction and miscella refining options.

Soybean material balance

Follow soybean preparation, oil extraction and meal production. Enter your oil and moisture assay to estimate recovery at the selected daily capacity.

Sunflower seed material balance

Compare oil, cake or meal and separated hulls. Adjust the feed composition and supported dehulling and extraction options to explore their effect on recovery.

Mustard seed material balance

Estimate mustard oil and cake or meal production at your chosen capacity. Compare the supported pressing and extraction routes using the same feed assay.

Rapeseed material balance

Model rapeseed or canola processing from incoming seed to oil and cake or meal. Use composition values appropriate to your variety rather than treating default values as a guaranteed yield.

Groundnut kernel material balance

Start with shelled groundnut kernels and follow oil and cake or meal through the selected route. Upstream pod shelling is outside the calculation.

Sesame seed material balance

Start with whole sesame seed to estimate oil and cake or meal from the selected processing route. Wet dehulling is outside this model.

Safflower seed material balance

Account for oil, hull separation and cake or meal production. The results respond to the oil and hull fractions you specify.

Flaxseed material balance

Follow whole flaxseed, also known as linseed, through preparation and the selected extraction route. Compare oil recovery and residual oil in the remaining cake or meal.

Niger seed material balance

Estimate oil and cake or meal production from whole niger seed. Adjust feed composition and recovery assumptions to compare processing scenarios.

Copra material balance

Start with dried coconut meat, excluding shell and husk. Estimate coconut oil and cake or meal production; fresh-coconut wet processing is not included.

Shea nut kernel material balance

Start with shelled shea kernels and follow the supported industrial route to butter and cake or meal. Review finishing and fractionation options where selected.

Rice bran material balance

Follow bran cleaning, preparation and extraction. Feed oil content and refining assumptions affect the estimated crude and finished rice bran oil outputs.

Corn germ material balance

Start with separated maize germ and estimate oil and cake or meal recovery. Upstream maize milling is outside the calculation.

Oilseed processing calculator: frequently asked questions

What can I calculate in Oilseed Lab?

Enter feed capacity in tons per day, operating hours and feed composition to estimate oil, press cake or meal, and separated by-products. View the selected process flow, equipment duties and stage-by-stage material balance.

Which oilseeds and feedstocks are supported?

Cottonseed, soybean, sunflower, mustard, rapeseed or canola, groundnut kernels, sesame, safflower, flaxseed or linseed, niger seed, copra, shea kernels, rice bran and corn germ. Preparation and extraction options depend on the selected feedstock.

How is mechanical pressing different from solvent extraction?

Mechanical pressing produces oil and press cake containing residual oil. Solvent extraction recovers oil from prepared feed or pre-pressed cake and produces de-oiled meal. Compare supported routes using the same feed composition and capacity; the simulator shows the residual-oil assumptions for each route.

Does the calculation include cottonseed lint and hulls?

Yes. Delinting and dehulling are separate choices. Recovered lint, cleaning rejects and separated hulls appear as distinct streams. If dehulling is off, the hull material remains in the downstream feed rather than appearing as a separated by-product.

Can I download my process flow and equipment report?

Yes. Choose Export PDF or Submit & download PDF, complete the enquiry form and submit it to Ferro Oiltek. After successful submission, the same PDF is available to download. It includes your selected process flow, material balance and equipment list.

Are these results a final plant design or guaranteed oil yield?

No. Results are conceptual estimates based on the selected inputs and assumptions. Ferro Oiltek must review feed assays, process suitability, equipment selection and operating requirements before providing a detailed engineering proposal.

The Ferro Oiltek oilseed processing simulator provides conceptual engineering estimates. Feed assays, moisture, residual oil, route suitability and final plant performance require engineering validation. Process losses and by-products remain part of the balance; solvent and utility circuits are excluded.

Explore Ferro Oiltek’s seed preparation, oil expelling, solvent extraction and edible oil refining technology.

Ready for submission?

Complete your details and submit your enquiry to Ferro Oiltek to download the same PDF, including the process flow, material balance and equipment list.