QIE Machinery

Sunflower Oil Processing Plant Turnkey Project

QIE Machinery

Sunflower Oil Processing Plant Turnkey Project

Sunflower Oil Production Line

We can provide 10-5000T/D complete sunflower oil production line. Sunflower oil production line includes seed pretreatment, oil extraction (using pressing and/or solvent extraction), and crude oil refining. The pretreatment stage prepares the seeds by cleaning, dehulling, and flaking them. Oil extraction follows, where seeds are either mechanically pressed or subjected to solvent extraction to remove the oil. We provide tailored solutions for small scale, medium scale and large scale sunflower oil production line according to your actual situation.

QIE Machinery Co., Ltd

Brand
QIE

QIE WorkShop

Raw Material
Sunflower Seed

sunflower oil plant

Capacity
10-5000T/D

sunflower oil machine thumbnail
Sunflower Oil Production Line

Complete Sunflower Oil Production Line Flow Chart

10-5000T/D

Customized Sunflower Oil Production Line On Demand

Highly Intelligent Production In All Sections

Intelligent

Sunflower Oil Production Line flow chart

Concrete Designs of Sunflower Oil Production Line Process

Pretreatment in Sunflower Oil Production Process

Sunflower Seed→Cleaning and Drying →Dehulling →Flaking →Cooking →To Extraction Workshop

Cleaning and Drying

Sunflower seeds obtained by sunflower oil production processing plants often contain various impurities, such as dust, straw, sand, metal, and hemp fibers. If not removed, these impurities can not only disrupt normal production but also affect the quality of oil and cake. Hence, in sunflower oil production process, you should buy a cost-effective cleaning machine within your budget to remove these impurities beforehand. There are various methods for impurity separation, including wind separation, sieving, density separation, and magnetic separation. Since the raw material for sunflower oil manufacturing process needs to be hulled by a dehulling machine. This facilitates the separation of kernel and husk.

Dehulling

Prior to sunflower seeds entered oil extraction machine, they require dehulling to reduce the adsorption of oil by the shell. This enhances the efficiency of sunflower oil extraction machine, promotes the crushing of sunflower kernels, and improves the quality of crude sunflower oil and cake. During dehulling, efforts should be made to prevent kernel breakage and maintain kernel integrity. Additionally, when using an oil making machine to press the sunflower seed kernels, a certain amount of shell is beneficial for creating extrusion pressure and maintaining unobstructed oil pathways. Therefore, you should find a reliable euqipment supplier and manufacturer to buy a low-price and high-quality dehuller.

Flaking

Flaking involves pressing sunflower kernels into thin flakes using a flaking machine. This aims to disrupt the cellular structure of the kernels, shorten the oil pathway, and create favorable conditions for subsequent cooking. It also enhances the efficiency of extraction. Flakes should be thin, even, with minimal powder, no visible oil, and soft to the touch. Generally, the thickness of sunflower kernel flakes should not exceed 0.5 millimeters.

Cooking

Cooking induces specific physicochemical changes and alter the internal structure of the sunflower seed kernels, transforming raw flakes into cooked flakes. The effectiveness of cooking has a direct impact on the entire sunflower oil production process, oil yield, and the quality of sunflower oil and cake. Based on experience, the moisture content of steamed flakes is typically 8% to 10%, with a steaming temperature of 95 to 100°C.

sunflower Oil Pressing Process

In sunflower oil production, the choice between mechanical pressing and solvent extraction depends on factors like plant capacity. For the sunflower oil mill plants under 50 TPD capacity, the mechanical screw oil pressing is ok. For the oil mill plants with a capacity above 50 TPD, The solvent extraction method is used together with a mechanical press.

ZY338 Screw Oil Press Machine

ZY338 Screw Oil Press Machine

sunflower oil solvent extraction process

The sunflower oil solvent extraction plant is part of the sunflower oil processing plant, which is designed to extract oil directly from pressed sunflower oil. After the sunflower oil solvent extraction plant, the residual oil content in the sunflower oil is less than 1%. The pretreated sunflower flakes are sent to the sunflower solvent extraction plant. The plant uses a type of solvent (normal hexane) to absorb the sunflower oil, and then machines separate the solvent from the crude sunflower oil. The solvent is used for recycling, and the crude sunflower oil is refined in an oil refinery plant.

Pressed cake→Solvent extraction system→D.T.D.C system→Condenser system→Recovery system→Crude sunflower oil

sunflower oil solvent extraction system

sunflower oil solvent extraction system

using N-hexane to react with puffing sunflower materials, then you can get two parts: the mixture of solvents and oil called miscella oil and the mixture of solvents and meal called wet meal.

D.T.D.C system

D.T.D.C system

    D.T.D.C means desolventizer, toaster, dryer and cooler, which is mainly used to separate the solvents from the wet meal, then the dried meal will be sent to meal silo for storage.

Miscella oil evaporation system

Miscella oil evaporation system

since miscella oil contains solvents, we need to separate the solvents from the crude sunflower oil by first evaporation, second evaporation and stripping tower, then we can condensate the oil and pump it into a crude oil tank, and you can choose to sell the crude oil to the refinery factory or you can set up a sunflower oil refinery plant by yourself.

Solvents condensing and recovery system

Solvents condensing and recovery system

Usually producing one ton crude sunflower oil through the sunflower oil solvent extraction method needs around 4kg solvents. Considering of cost-effectives and environmental protection, we add this system to recycle the solvents by condensing it and collecting it for reuse.

Crude Sunflower Oil Refining Process

Batch type oil refining plant: Capacity is 1~30 TPD. It featured less investment, convenient operation, and a small footprint.
Semi-continuous Oil Refining Plant: Capacity is 30~50 tons TPD. It has the advantages of low power consumption and a better refining rate than batch-type.
Full continuous oil refining plant: Capacity is 50 - 5,000 TPD. It is suitable for large-scale sunflower oil plants.

Degumming Process

Degumming Process

Some impurity, such as Phospholipid, gum, and protein, can be dissolved into oil when there is no water, but once there is water in oil, these impurities can be dissolved into water. So, in degumming section of sunflower oil refinery plant, we use the hot water to wash crude oil for two-three times to remove these impurities.

Neutralizing/Neutralization Process

Neutralizing/Neutralization Proces

The crude oil is fed into the neutralizer and mixed with small amounts of degumming agent such as phosphoric acid to help remove gums.Free fatty acids are removed from the oil by adding caustic soda and heating it at 60˚ then stirring the mixture. Heating forms soap base, which is then precipitated and collected, and washed with water to remove alkaline particles.

Decolorizing Process

Decolorizing Process

The neutralized oil requires bleaching machine to get rid of colors. This is done by adding the oil in a bleacher machine whereby it is heated to remove any moisture it might have and then mixed with earth bleach and activated carbon. These two properties absorb any colors after which the oil is passed through a filter to separate oil from earth bleach and carbon. The result is golden light oil.

Deodorizing  Process

Deodorizing Process

The golden light oil has unpleasant odors which result from materials such as aldehydes, ketones, tocopherols and phenols among other odiferous elements. Deodorizing process of sunflower oil refinery plant helps remove these odors by adding the oil in the deodorizer and heating it above at very high temperature and under very high vacuum. This deodorizing process helps get rid of all odors.

QIE Grain and Oil Machinery Co., Ltd

Global Case Study

With decades of expertise,QIE Machinery has successfully installed sunflower oil production lines worldwide, serving customers in over 100 countries. Our extensive product portfolio includes sunflower oil and sunflower protein production solutions, as well as customized solutions for specific capacities ranging from small-scale operations to large conglomerate production facilities.

Whether in Asia, Europe, the Americas or Africa, our equipment is tailored to meet local market needs and production challenges. We operate worldwide and customer satisfaction is at the heart of every project we undertake. From initial consultation and design to installation and after-sales service, QIE Machinery ensures that every solution meets the highest standards of quality and efficiency.

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Frequently Asked Questions of Sunflower Oil Production Line

First of all, you need to know what equipment is included in a complete small scale sunflower oil production line and their respective functions, which will be of great help to you on how to choose the right sunflower oil production equipment.
Secondly, you need to choose a reliable cooking oil production equipment supplier. QIE Machinery has more than ten years of experience in the field of cooking oil production equipment manufacturing.

The necessity of dehulling depends on production scale and product requirements:​
Small-scale lines (<20 TPD): Dehulling is optional. Seeds can be pressed directly with shells, which simplifies processes for family workshops or small mills .​
Industrial-scale lines (>20 TPD): Dehulling (descascarillado) is mandatory. Removing the outer shell produces "pipas" (hulled seeds) that reduce wax content in the final oil and improve extraction efficiency .​
Cold-pressed products: Even small-scale operations may dehull to enhance oil clarity and flavor .

Pretreatment: Cleaning (screens/air separators remove stones/leaves), drying (to ≤12.5% moisture), dehulling, and toasting (enhances flavor and oil release) .​
Extraction: Mechanical pressing (for initial oil) + solvent Extraction (uses food-grade hexane to extract residual oil from press cake, per GB 1886.52) .​
Refining: Degumming (removes phospholipids), neutralization (alkali treatment for free fatty acids), bleaching (activated clay adsorbs pigments), dewaxing (crystallization + filtration), and deodorization (high-vacuum steam stripping of odors) .​
Solvent recovery: Evaporation (70–130°C) and stripping (vacuum 0.035–0.05 MPa) reduce solvent residue to ≤100 mg/kg in crude oil .​
Packaging: Filled oil undergoes leak testing and labeling before storage .

Refining units: Degumming reactor, neutralization tank, bleaching vessel, dewaxing crystallizer, and deodorizer (high-temperature vacuum vessel) .​
Supporting machinery: Filter presses (remove clay/residues), centrifuges (separate impurities), vacuum systems, and heat exchangers .​
Workspace: 30×12×8 m (without dewaxing) or 48×12×8 m (with dewaxing) .​
Optional: Solvent recovery system (condensers + absorption towers) for Extraction lines .

Delivery: ~30 days after 30% down payment (for refinery units) .​
Installation: 4–6 weeks for pretreatment + pressing lines; 8–10 weeks for full lines (pretreatment + extraction + refining) .​
Commissioning: 1–2 weeks of trial runs to optimize press pressure and refining temperatures .

Capacity: Industrial lines (50k–2M+) cost far more than small presses (500–5k) .​
Automation: Central control systems and modular design add 20–30% to upfront costs but cut labor/energy use .​
Region: Prices are lower in sunflower-growing areas (Eastern Europe, Africa) due to reduced logistics costs .​
Eco-features: Energy-efficient solvent recovery or waste-recycling systems increase initial investment but lower long-term costs .

Sunflower oil naturally contains 0.5% or less wax (from seed husks) with high melting points. Without removal, the oil becomes cloudy at refrigeration or even room temperature .​

Modern dewaxing uses:​
Controlled cooling: The oil is chilled to specific temperatures over 8 hours, then held in crystallization tanks for 12 hours .​
Efficient separation: Filtration (e.g., with filter presses) or modified aqueous separation (avoids slow traditional filtration) .

Main Types of Sunflower Oil Production Lines

‌1.Pressing-based Production Lines‌
‌Cold Pressing‌: Uses physical pressure without chemicals, ideal for high-quality oil (e.g., virgin sunflower oil)‌.
‌Hot Pressing‌: Involves heating seeds before pressing to increase oil yield, suitable for large-scale production‌.
‌Horizontal Press Machines‌: Common in industrial setups (e.g., ‌Huatai series‌, 50 TPD capacity)‌.

2.‌Solvent Extraction (Leaching) Lines‌
Uses chemical solvents (e.g., hexane) to maximize oil recovery from pressed cake‌.
Typically paired with refining units to remove residual solvents‌.

3.Hybrid Lines (Press + Leaching)‌
Combines pressing for initial extraction followed by solvent leaching for higher efficiency‌.
Includes ‌pre-pressing‌, ‌solvent extraction‌, and ‌refining‌ stages‌.

‌4.Small-scale/Manual Press Lines‌
Low-capacity vertical presses (e.g., ‌1–20 TPD‌) for local or farm use‌.
Operates at ‌220V–380V‌, suitable for regions with limited infrastructure‌.

The machines needed in the process of sunflower oil processing includes: vibrating screen, stone remover, magnetic separator, sheller, kernel shell separation screen, roaster, oil press, filter, etc. The above are essential machines for sunflower oil production plant, and the machines is connected by a skein or bucket elevator to realize continuous mechanized operation.

Sunflower Oil Production Line

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