Scope: Turnkey delivery—from engineering and procurement to installation, commissioning, training, warranties, and performance guarantees—converting raw in-shell peanuts into refined, bottled edible oil and saleable by-products.

Capacity: 1 TPH raw peanuts → 0.40–0.45 TPH refined oil (typical oil yield 40–45%), 0.50–0.55 TPH press cake.

Economics (indicative): CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) $255k–$370k; OPEX (Operating Expenditure, ex-peanuts) $90–$147 per ton of peanuts; ROI (Return on Investment) 25–35%+; payback 2.5–4 years, driven by oil price, peanut cost, and cake valuation.

Edge: Automated controls (PLC = Programmable Logic Controller, SCADA = Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition), energy-efficient drive systems (VFD = Variable Frequency Drive), rigorous QA/QC, and ESG-positive by-product valorization.

1.0 Detailed Process Flow & Equipment Specification

Design philosophy: continuous, closed-loop, hygienic; minimal human intervention; maximum yield and uptime.

1.1 Raw Material Pre-Cleaning & Storage

Equipment: Vibratory sieve with aspiration hood; magnetic trap; receiving hopper; bag/tote dump.

Purpose: Remove stones, metal fragments, dust, and FM (Foreign Materials) to protect downstream assets.

Storage: Dry, ventilated, rodent-proof room; RH < 65%, temperature < 25 °C; FIFO racking.

KPIs: foreign matter < 0.2%; breakage < 1% during handling.

1.2 Shelling (Decortication)

Equipment: Automated cascading sheller with adjustable rubber rollers; aspiration columns; vibratory graders.

Outputs: Kernels, husk, middlings (recycle to sheller).

By-product use: Husk → biomass boiler fuel or pelletizing.

KPIs: shelling efficiency >98%; kernel breakage <2%.

1.3 Kernel Roasting

Equipment: Indirectly heated rotary drum roaster; PID temperature control via PLC; moisture probe at discharge.

Set-points: 110–130 °C, residence 20–35 min; discharge moisture 3–4%.

Benefits: promotes Maillard flavor, coagulates proteins, lowers press power/viscosity → higher oil yield.

1.4 Peeling (Testa Removal)

Equipment: Abrasive peeler; product cooler; cyclone + aspiration.

Target: >95% testa removal; skins collected for animal feed premix or fuel.

1.5 Oil Pressing (Mechanical Extraction)

Equipment: Heavy-duty continuous screw press/expeller with pre-heater, choke cone, wear-resistant cage/screw, torque monitoring.

Operating window: barrel temp 90–110 °C, pressure up to 850–1100 bar (localized), feed moisture 3–4%.

Outputs: Crude peanut oil (to hot tank) + press cake (~50–55% of input).

Option: Second-stage press for +1–2% oil recovery; or low-capex mini solvent extractor add-on (hexane) for premium yield (requires ATEX compliance—see §10).

1.6 Crude Oil Clarification & Filtration

Train: Vibrating scalper screen → heated balance tank → plate & frame filter press (food-grade cloth) or pressure leaf filter (upgrade).

Goal: solids < 100 ppm before refining; free moisture < 0.1%.

1.7 Refining (Semi-Automatic Batch)

Degumming: water/acid hydration to remove phospholipids.

Neutralization (Chemical) or Deacidification (Physical) depending on FFA (Free Fatty Acids) baseline.

Bleaching: activated earth under vacuum; dosage 0.5–1.5% (oil quality dependent).

Deodorization: high-vacuum steam stripping 210–240 °C; vacuum < 3 mbar; residence 30–90 min.

Cooling & polishing filter to final storage.

Refined Oil Specs (targets): FFA ≤0.1% as oleic, Peroxide Value ≤5 meq O₂/kg, Moisture & volatiles ≤0.1%, Insolubles ≤0.05%, color Lovibond ≤1.5R 20Y (or Gardner equivalent).

1.8 Filling & Packaging

Equipment: 4-head piston or mass-flow filler, rinser, capper, labeler, date coder; conveyors; checkweigher; case pack (manual/auto).

Formats: 200 mL–5 L PET/HDPE/glass; nitrogen flush optional for shelf-life.

Throughput example: with 1 TPH peanuts and 42% yield → ~420 kg/h oil ≈ ~460 L/h (ρ≈0.91 kg/L).

1 L SKU: ~460 bph single lane; scalable to 900–1,200 bph with starwheel or 8-head filler.

2.0 Utility Consumption, Sizing & Daily Loads (per ton of peanuts)

CIP (Clean-In-Place) skids: 3× 1,000 L tanks (caustic, hot water, rinse) with return pump and heat exchanger.

3.0 Plant Layout & Facility Requirements

Covered area: ~500–600 m²; clear height > 5.5 m; flow left-to-right to avoid cross-contamination.

Zone 1 – Raw & Packaging Store (150 m²): receiving, pre-cleaning, racking (FM control).

Zone 2 – Processing Hall (200 m²): sheller, roaster, peeler, press; epoxy floor, trench drains, high-volume ventilation.

Zone 3 – Refining & Filling Suite (100 m²): temperature-controlled, positive pressure, smooth wall finishes; segregated from roasting smells.

Zone 4 – Utilities (50 m²): boiler/thermal oil skid, MCC/electricals, compressor, water treatment, vacuum system.

Zone 5 – Finished Goods & Dispatch (100 m²): pallet racks, shaded dock; FIFO.

Hygiene: GMP zoning, pest control program, allergen management, HACCP plan with CCPs (Critical Control Points) at metal detection and deodorization.

4.0 CAPEX (USD, order-of-magnitude)

Exclusions typically: taxes/duties, land/building, major civil works beyond foundations, grid upgrades, local approvals.

5.0 OPEX Snapshot (per ton of peanuts, excl. peanut cost)

Per-liter lens: at 42% yield and 0.91 kg/L → ~2.38 t peanuts → 1,000 L oil; OPEX (ex-peanuts) ~$214–$350 per 1,000 L.

6.0 Mass Balance Example (typical)

Feed: 1,000 kg peanuts at 8% moisture →

Refined oil: 420 kg (~462 L)

Press cake: 540 kg (48–50% protein basis; valuable feed)

Losses & process rejects: ~40 kg (fines, gums, moisture, volatiles)

Neutralization chemistry (illustrative): For crude oil FFA 1.5% as oleic → NaOH 12–16 °Bé dose ≈ 7–9 kg/ton oil, producing soapstock (settled & recovered).

7.0 Product & QA/QC Specifications

Refined peanut oil: FFA ≤ 0.1%, PV (Peroxide Value) ≤ 5 meq O₂/kg, moisture ≤ 0.1%, insolubles ≤ 0.05%.

Microbiological: typically not growth-supportive; monitor plate counts in filling zone.

Shelf life: 12–18 months in sealed, light-protected packaging; nitrogen flush recommended.

Compliance: Codex/ISO edible oil specs; food-contact MOC (Materials of Construction) certificates.

8.0 Staffing & Organization (indicative)

Operations: 2–3 operators/shift × 3 shifts.

Maintenance: 1 electro-mechanic + part-time instrumentation tech.

QA/QC & Warehouse: 1 lab tech, 1 storekeeper.

Supervision: 1 production supervisor.
Total: 10–14 persons.

9.0 Automation & Digitalization

PLC/SCADA with recipe management, alarm historian, batch records.

Energy meters on major consumers (press, heater, deodorizer).

OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) dashboard; e-SOPs and e-maintenance (CMMS) optional.

10.0 EHS, Compliance & Risk

ATEX (explosive atmospheres) zoning if solvent add-on is adopted; otherwise standard hot-work precautions.

Fire safety: fryer/roaster hoods, flame arrestors, Class K extinguishers.

Ergonomics: guarded nip points, interlocks, LOTO (Lockout-Tagout).

Effluent: small ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) 1–2 m³/h with oil trap and DAF (Dissolved Air Flotation) for wash waters.

Food safety: HACCP with CCPs at metal detection, filtration integrity, and deodorizer vacuum.

Key risks & mitigations:

Peanut price volatility: forward contracts, seasonal storage, quality bonuses/penalties.

Oil price swings: product mix (retail/bulk/food service), hedging options.

Yield slippage: strict moisture control at roaster, press settings, refining losses audit.

Unplanned downtime: critical spares (see §11), predictive maintenance.

11.0 Spares & Maintenance Strategy

Critical mechanical: press worms/cages, bearings, seals, V-belts, gear reducers.

Electrical/instrumentation: motors, VFDs, PLC I/O modules, sensors (T/P/level), HMI.

Consumables: filter cloth/paper, bleaching earth, caustic/citric, gaskets, lubricants.

Coverage: 6–12 months minimum; MTBF tracking; quarterly preventive shutdown.

12.0 Project Schedule & Commissioning

Overall schedule (from PO = purchase order): 14–18 weeks to SAT (Site Acceptance Test).
On-site commissioning: 4–5 weeks to first saleable oil.

Week-by-week commissioning (typical):

W1: Mechanical completion, IO check, dry runs (IQ = Installation Qualification).

W2: Utilities proving, interlocks, water-oiling tests (OQ = Operational Qualification).

W3–W4: Hot runs with peanuts, refining tuning, first pass to spec.

W5: PQ = Performance Qualification at 1 TPH; 24-h reliability run; handover & operator certification.

13.0 Deliverables

Engineering: P&IDs, GA layouts, data sheets, cable/pipe lists, cause-and-effect/interlock matrix.

Quality & Operations: SOPs, HACCP plan templates, CIP procedures, sanitation master schedule.

Documentation: manuals, spare lists, MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for chemicals, calibration certificates.

Commercial: 12-month equipment warranty; performance guarantee at 1 TPH within stated specs; training certificates.

14.0 Options & Upgrades

Second-stage press or small solvent extractor (hexane) for additional 4–6% oil recovery (requires ATEX & solvent recovery).

Polishing centrifuge post-bleach for ultra-low particulates.

Mass-flow filler upgrade to 8–12 heads; robotic case packing.

Solar thermal/biomass integration for roasting/steam; heat-recovery to process water.

QA lab kit: rapid FFA/PV meters, bench centrifuge, moisture analyzer.

Next Steps – Your Customized Business Case

Request the detailed financial model (Excel) to input local peanut prices, tariffs (power/water/fuel), labor, packaging, and selling prices—auto-generates ROI, NPV, IRR, payback.

Receive a site-specific technical layout adapted to your plot, utilities, and SKU strategy.

Book a confidential consultation with our project engineers to finalize scope, delivery plan, and guarantees.

Ready to move from concept to commercial oil in weeks—not years?
Contact us today to secure a firm quotation, tailored model, and execution schedule with locked delivery slots.

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