Olive Pomace Solvent Extraction Turnkey Engineering Solution

In modern olive oil production, olive pomace is an inevitable by-product of mechanical pressing. Although its residual oil content is relatively low, olive pomace still contains recoverable oil along with valuable natural components. Improper processing may result in oil loss, increased energy consumption, and unstable operation.

Based on in-depth understanding of olive pomace characteristics, QIE Group delivers a turnkey (EPC) olive pomace solvent extraction solution, engineered to balance oil recovery efficiency, energy performance, and long-term operational stability.

Engineering Challenges in Olive Pomace Processing

Compared with conventional oilseeds, olive pomace presents specific technical challenges:

As a result, olive pomace oil recovery requires a system-level engineering approach rather than simple equipment scaling.

QIE GROUP Olive Pomace Solvent Extraction Process

1) Pretreatment Section: Establishing Conditions for Efficient Extraction

The pretreatment system is designed to stabilize material conditions and improve extractability, including:

• Removal of impurities to reduce operational risks
• Crushing and particle size adjustment to increase effective surface area
• Conditioning and softening to expose oil and enhance solvent penetration

This section plays a decisive role in achieving low residual oil content and stable downstream operation.

2) Solvent Extraction Section: Maximizing Oil Recovery

The core extraction stage adopts a multi-stage counter-current solvent extraction process, suitable for continuous industrial operation.

Key features include:

• Multi-stage extraction to improve solvent utilization
• Integrated vacuum evaporation for solvent recovery and reuse
• Residual oil content in spent pomace consistently controlled below 0.5%

Optimized process flow and energy integration ensure high oil yield with controlled overall energy consumption.

3) Intelligent Control System: Ensuring Long-Term Stability

Olive pomace solvent extraction is sensitive to temperature, pressure, and solvent ratios. QIE GROUP applies a PLC-based automation system to monitor and regulate critical parameters in real time, supporting:

• Stable plant operation
• Reduced operator dependency
• Consistent and traceable oil quality

Project Value and Application Benefits

Under properly engineered conditions, olive pomace oil can be efficiently recovered while maintaining its application value. QIE GROUP's solution focuses on:

• Improving oil recovery per unit of raw material
• Reducing overall energy consumption and operating costs
• Preserving natural components within a controlled process window
• Enhancing by-product utilization and overall project economics

The solution is suitable for both new projects and capacity upgrades in existing olive oil plants.

QIE GROUP Turnkey Engineering Capability

All solutions are engineered according to plant capacity, raw material characteristics, and long-term operational requirements to ensure practical implementation and sustainable performance.