Uzbekistan is an important agricultural country in Central Asia, rich in oil-bearing crops such as cottonseed, sunflower seed, and soybean. However, for a long time, the local oil processing industry had a relatively weak foundation, and high-quality edible oil relied on imports. To enhance the country’s self-sufficiency in oils and fats and to promote the extension of the agricultural industry chain, the Uzbek government actively attracted foreign investment and technology to build modern oil processing plants. Against this backdrop, KMEC, leveraging its extensive experience and advanced technology in the international oil engineering field, successfully won the bid and constructed a comprehensive oil processing plant project located in the Syrdarya Region of the country.

The vegetable oil processing plant covering an area of over 50,000 square meters. It is designed with an annual oilseed processing capacity of 30,000 tons and an annual output of over 30,000 tons of various edible oils. The plant integrates raw material pre-treatment, mechanical pressing, solvent extraction, oil refining, and filling & packaging, making it one of the most technologically advanced oil processing enterprises with the most complete industrial chain in Uzbekistan.

Equipments and Technology Provided by KMEC

KMEC provided a full range of services for this project, from process design and equipment manufacturing to installation and commissioning. The main equipment includes:

• Raw Material Pre-treatment System:, Equipped with cleaning screens, destoners, crushers, flaking rollers, etc., ensuring the purity of the oilseeds and pressing efficiency.
• Mechanical Pressing Production Line:, Utilizes KMEC’s self-developed twin-screw expellers, characterized by high compression ratio and low-temperature pressing, maximizing the retention of natural nutrients in the oil. Suitable for various oilseeds like cottonseed and sunflower seed.
• Solvent Extraction Workshop:, Employs advanced chain-type extractors combined with negative pressure evaporation technology, significantly reducing solvent consumption and increasing the oil yield, with residual oil rate controlled below 1%.
• Oil Refining Complete Set of Equipment:, Includes processes such as hydration degumming, alkali refining deacidification, activated clay bleaching, and high-temperature deodorization. The quality of the finished oil meets Chinese National Standards and Codex Alimentarius standards. The refining workshop is also equipped with deep processing units like dewaxing and fractionation, enabling the production of specialized oils with different specifications.
• Automation Control System:, The entire line adopts a DCS (Distributed Control System) for centralized control, monitoring key parameters such as temperature, pressure, and flow rate in real-time, ensuring stable, safe, and efficient production.

Engineering Construction and Technological Innovation

During project implementation, KMEC fully considered the local climate, raw material characteristics, and energy conditions, and carried out several optimized designs:

• Addressing the high temperatures and dryness of summer in Uzbekistan, the cooling system of the extraction workshop was optimized to ensure solvent recovery efficiency.
• Introduced waste heat recovery technology to recycle steam condensate, resulting in a 15% reduction in comprehensive energy consumption.
• Regarding environmental protection, a supporting wastewater treatment station and exhaust gas treatment device were constructed to achieve compliant discharge, receiving high praise from the local environmental protection department.

The successful implementation of the Uzbekistan oil project once again proves KMEC’s comprehensive strength and international competitiveness in the field of oil engineering. KMEC will continue to uphold the philosophy of “Leading Technology, Service First,” providing global customers with superior oil processing solutions and contributing to the agricultural industrialization development in countries along the “Belt and Road.”