While Saipol will soon start up its new unit in Dieppe, which will operate without hexane extraction, there is a renewed interest in mechanical extraction (pressing). Numerous decentralised crushing units have appeared in recent years and continue to develop in the regions. These units also operate without the use of solvents.
Mechanical extraction technology is the subject of relatively little research, although there is significant potential for improving performance and the pressing of well-hulled products remains a challenge.
ITERG and Terres Inovia have joined forces to deepen knowledge in this area. A new paradigm is proposed to explain the operation of presses based on the issue of pressure generation. The rheology of pressure cakes and the geometry of the presses are at the centre of this approach. This approach aims to integrate all the characteristics related to the material (water content, oil content, temperature, degree of dehulling, level of grinding) into the notion of plasticity and to link the dimensional characteristics of the presses to the plasticity in order to explain the pressure levels obtained.
The proposed approach is intended to serve as a basis for a thesis work recently started. It is presented by Patrick Carré, Senior Process Engineer at Terres Inovia, in a webinar.