100TPD soybean oil processing plant: expanding pressing vs expanding extraction

Starting a 100TPD soybean oil processing plant is a significant investment that requires careful selection of the right processing route. For project developers, the core issue is not "how to extract oil from soybeans", but which process best suits your needs.

At Glory Oiltech (Henan Glory), we work with clients on two primary routes for soybean oil processing plant projects: Expanding + Pressing (lower investment, residual oil rate of 4–6% after expanding, suitable for budget-conscious operators) and Expanding + Solvent Extraction (low residual oil rate below 1%, higher extraction yield, but requiring solvent handling infrastructure and higher initial investment). This guide compares both routes across residual oil rate, investment threshold, by-product value, and operational complexity — so you can make an informed decision for your 100TPD project.

What Are the Two Main Processes for 100TPD Soybean Processing?

Route A: Expanding + Pressing

Process flow: Cleaning → Destoning → Magnetic Separation → Crushing → Expanding → Oil Pressing → Filtration → Crude Oil + Cake

Route B: Expanding + Solvent Extraction

Process flow: Cleaning → Destoning → Magnetic Separation → Crushing → Expanding → Drying → Solvent Extraction → Miscella Evaporation and Stripping, Wet Meal Desolventizing, Solvent Recovery → Crude Oil + Meal

Soybean oil extraction process flow

Route A — Expanding + Pressing: Process Details & Residual Oil Rate

Pre-treatment Stage

Raw soybeans first pass through a vibrating screen to remove large impurities, then a destoner to remove stones and dirt, followed by a magnetic separator to capture metal fragments. The cleaned beans are then crushed by a double-roller crusher into 6 to 8 pieces.

Expanding Stage

The crushed soybeans enter the expander where they are subjected to approximately 140°C temperature and mechanical pressure. The expander squeezes the material into porous pellets, breaking down cell structures to significantly improve oil release during pressing. This is a key differentiator: after expanding, the residual oil rate drops to 4–6%, compared to about ≤8% if you skip expanding and press only cleaned, crushed beans.

Pressing & Filtration Stage

The expanded material feeds into screw oil presses where mechanical pressure extracts crude oil. The remaining cake contains the residual oil and is discharged for further processing or sale. The crude oil then passes through a filter to remove fine solids, producing clean filtered crude soybean oil ready for storage or further refining.

After pressing, the by-product cake (protein ~40%) can be bagged directly and sold as animal feed, providing an additional revenue stream.

Soybean oil expanding-pressing process

Advantages & Limitations

Advantages: Saves on softening machine, flaker, and cooker — resulting in lower initial investment and good cost-performance ratio. The overall process is simplified, and the by-product cake has a ready market as animal feed.

Limitations: The residual oil rate (4–6%) is higher than what solvent extraction achieves, meaning slightly more oil is left in the cake.

Route B — Expanding + Solvent Extraction: Process Details & Residual Oil Rate

Pre-treatment Stage

Raw soybeans undergo cleaning, destoning, magnetic separation, and crushing — identical to Route A up to this point. After crushing, the material enters the expander where it is pelletized at elevated temperature. This shared front end is what makes the soybean oil extraction process a natural upgrade rather than a new build. The expanded pellets then pass through a flat-bed dryer to reduce moisture to the optimal level for solvent penetration.

Solvent Extraction Stage

In the soybean oil extraction process, the dried, expanded material feeds into an extractor where food-grade n-hexane solvent dissolves the oil from the soybean meal. The resulting miscella (oil-solvent mixture) is sent to evaporation and stripping systems to separate crude oil from the solvent. The wet meal exits the extractor and passes through a desolventizer-toaster (DTDC) unit to remove residual solvent, producing final soybean meal with residual oil below 1%.

Soybean oil solvent extraction process

Key Performance Data

Advantages & Limitations

Advantages: A low residual oil rate (<1%) means the soybean oil extraction process recovers maximum oil from every ton of soybeans. The resulting meal has high protein content about 43%, commanding better prices in the feed market.

Limitations: Requires dedicated extraction equipment, solvent recovery system, and explosion-proof workshop design — resulting in higher initial investment. The crude oil produced requires refining (degumming, deacidification, bleaching, deodorization) before it can be sold as edible oil. Solvent handling requires trained operators and strict safety protocols.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Which Route Suits Your 100TPD Project?

A Strategic Advantage: Shared Pretreatment-Expander Means Future Upgrade Path

One often-overlooked advantage of these two routes is that both share the same front-end equipment. This means that when designing a 100TPD soybean oil processing plant, a client with a tighter budget can start with the expanding + pressing route, generate revenue and market presence, and later add the solvent extraction section when capacity expansion and additional budget allow — without tearing down and rebuilding the front-end equipment. This phased approach significantly reduces the risk of upfront capital commitment while keeping the door open for maximum oil recovery down the line.

Real Project Reference: 50TPD Expanding + Pressing Line in Nigeria

Our Nigerian customer visited our facility in July 2023 during the solution comparison phase. After evaluating multiple equipment suppliers, they selected Glory Oiltech based on our quality standards, technology capabilities, and local service advantage in Africa. The 50TPD soybean oil expanding pressing production line — including vibrating screen, destoner, magnetic separator, crusher, expander, screw presses, and filter press — was successfully installed and put into trial operation in March 2024, with stable equipment performance throughout.

Soybean oil expanding-pressing plant project

At Glory Oiltech, we provide turnkey solutions across a capacity range of 1 to 2,000 tons per day, ensuring that whether you start small or plan big, the same proven technology and support team will be behind your plant.

FAQ

Get Your Customized Soybean Oil Processing Solution

Choosing the right process for your 100TPD soybean project isn't about picking the "best" technology — it's about matching the right technology to your budget, your market, and your growth plans. Whether you start with expanding + pressing and upgrade later, or go straight to expanding + extraction, the key is working with a supplier who understands both processes inside out and can support you from equipment selection through commissioning and beyond.

At Glory Oiltech, we bring over a decade of experience in designing and delivering soybean oil processing plants. Our team of 40+ engineers backs every project from concept to commissioning.

Contact us today. Share your raw materials, target processing capacity, and intended final product — our engineering team will recommend the optimal configuration for your soybean oil processing plant.