Filtration is one of the key processes performed on a high pressure filtration system to make the vegetable oils consumable, presentable, and free from all types of contaminants. All the vegetable oils in their raw form contain gums, slimes, gels, waxes, and contaminants that need to be treated well before the oil is made commercially available for people to use. Proper filtration of vegetable oils can be carried out only when an oil-producing company has in-depth technical knowledge in combination with creativity.
Some of the major filters used in the filtration process
Some of the major filters used in the process of vegetable oil refining include Mecklear Gravity Filter, Vertical Pressure Leaf Filter, Horizontal Pressure Leaf Filter, Shining Filter, Pulse Jet Candle Filter, Self-cleaning Disk Filter, Automatic Brush Filter Strainer, Palm olein to Super olein, and candle filter for fine catalyst continuous filtration system.
Some of the major steps in the process of vegetable oil refining after mechanical and/or solvent extraction include the following:
Equipment selection
Most of the oil milling units the world over these days are equipped with fully automated tools and machines. This is the reason operations are seamless, hassle-free, and simplified. Through a well-defined process, all the flaws are easily avoided to achieve the best quality vegetable oils in a single go. Before the process begins, one of the pretreatment steps followed includes cleaning of the filter that takes place either in a fully or semi-automatic mode. To carry out this procedure, no physical labor is required because the high-pressure filtration system is fully automated.
Equipment selection is the most important process in vegetable oil refining. Each process is different and calls for different equipment. According to the nature of vegetable oil refining process – hot pressed or cold-pressed, equipment selection including candle filter for fine catalyst continuous filtration system is made. Some of the other factors considered during the process are:
- Investment costs
- The requirement of space and its availability
- Type of cake discharge
- The volume of vegetable oil to be produced
- Filter unit size in combination with the plant capacity
- Batch or continuous system.
Some of the important filtration steps in a high-pressure filtration system
Carried out on an effective and efficient high-pressure filtration system, the oil-bearing seeds are processed in a sequence listed below as per the type and end goal of the oil:
- The filtration of crude oil is done to remove foots
- Miscella filtration is carried out to produce lecithin from gums
- Bleaching and/or detoxification of oil are done to remove color and other components
- Winterization of oil is done to remove waxes to improve cold stability
- Catalyst filtration for removal nickel catalyst after hydrogenation
- Residual catalyst filtration
- Polishing filtration to improve product quality.
Concluding Remarks
Mectech is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of high-pressure filtration system and candle filter for fine catalyst continuous filtration system for effective and efficient vegetable oil refining. The company not only provides its global clientele with cost-effective and productive infrastructure but also assistance in setting up a brand new plant, recognizing the fact that after the supply of the plant, installation is very important for the successful running of the plant.