Which is More Economical: Cottonseed Oil Pressing or Solvent Extraction?

This guide will provide you with a quick comparison and a free cost analysis to help you decide.

Initial investment cost

Pressing process : The equipment is simple (cleaning → shelling → steaming and frying → pressing), the core is the screw cottonseed oil press machine, and the investment threshold is low.

Solvent extraction process : requires pretreatment + pre-press + solvent extraction system (extractor, evaporation tower, solvent recovery device, etc.). The equipment is complex and requires explosion-proof design, and the investment cost is 30%-50% higher.

Difference in operating costs

Energy consumption and labor :

· The pressing method relies on high-temperature steaming and frying, which consumes a lot of electricity and steam;

· The solvent extraction method has a high degree of automation and reduces manpower requirements by 50%, but the solvent recycling consumption (such as n-hexane) increases costs.

Residual oil rate and raw material utilization rate :

· The residual oil rate of pressing is about 5-7%, which can be reduced to ≤1% by the extraction method. Each ton of cottonseed can produce 40-50kg more oil, directly increasing the value of the raw materials.

Output benefits and economic added value

Oil yield and oil quality

· Pressed oil has a strong flavor but contains many impurities (phospholipids, gossypol, etc.) and requires deep refining;

· The extracted crude oil has light color, few impurities and low refining loss.

Potential for value-added by-products

· Cottonseed meal value :

· The press cake has high residual oil content (>5%) and is easily rancid, so it can only be used as low-end feed;

· The residual soluble content of the extracted meal is ≤500ppm and the free gossypol is ≤0.006%. It can be used as high-protein feed and its selling price is increased by 20%-30%.

Cotton hulls and short linters : Both processes can be separated efficiently, and the difference in benefits is small.

Cost comparison: pressing vs. leaching

How to choose a more economical process?

Small/medium-scale oil mills : Choose mechanical pressing , which requires little investment and offers a quick payback.

Large oil mills : Choose the solvent extraction method , which has high raw material utilization and long-term cost savings.

Mixed process : pressing first and then leaching, which is the mainstream solution of many large cottonseed oil factories.

Get a free analysis of cottonseed oil production costs

Raw material prices, labor costs, and energy costs vary greatly in different regions. We can provide you with:
✅ Comparative analysis of cottonseed oil pressing vs. extraction costs
✅Process design and equipment selection

✅ Calculation of investment return cycle