Copra Solvent Extraction Plant

Copra (coconut) contains more than 50% oil. The oil is recovered first by mechanical pressing in an oil mill. The resultant cake obtained having 10 to 12% oil is subjected to solvent extraction in normal way for recovery of residual oil.

The coconut is made of a very hard mesocarp (about 5 mm thick) in which you will find the endosperm of whitish colour and which contains a white sweet liquid called coco milk (very refreshing). When the fruit is mature, nearly all the milk has been transformed into albumen and only a large empty space remains inside the nut.

Copra oil is commonly termed as coconut oil and has a wide variety of uses. It is used as an edible oil and can be used in margarine and soap manufacturing. coconut milk is a refreshing drink.the hull used as combustible. Fibres are used to make brush, carpets, ropes, mattress etc. Oil extraction is widely done as coconut oil is widely used in cooking and for certain medicines. The left-over material after oil extraction is called oil cake. Oil cake is used as animal feed.

Main Stages of Copra Solvent Extraction Plant

Once the relevant raw materials (copra or groundnut) has been pre-processed, the next stage is oil processing. Given the focus of the memorandum on small-scale solvent extraction, processes relevant to the latter are considered in detail. Medium and large-scale expeller mills, solvent extraction plants and wet-processing methods, which are all suited for medium and large-scale production, however, the overall process is the same. The three main stages of copra solvent extraction plant are as follows:    

• Pretreatment: namely, the stages prior to the extraction stage such as cleaning, crushing and scorching.
• Extraction: this stage involves the separation of the raw material into oil and residue (cake).
• Post Extraction Treatment: comprising the packaging of the oil and cake for marketing. Oil refining, common in large-scale production, is not considered in this memorandum