Rice Bran Oil Pre-Pressing: Process and Equipment Considerations

1) Purpose and Application of Rice Bran Oil Pre-Pressing

Core Engineering Objectives

Reduce Solvent Extraction Load: Pre-pressing can extract approximately 60–75% of the oil from rice bran before entering the extractor, reducing material and oil load. Benefits include:

• Smaller extractor size

• Lower solvent circulation and steam consumption

• Reduced load on solvent recovery and exhaust systems

Improve Solvent Penetration: Rice bran is fine and low-density, prone to bridging and dead zones during direct extraction. Pre-pressed porous cake significantly enhances extraction efficiency, with residual oil controlled ≤0.5%.

Control Crude Oil Quality: Pre-pressed crude oil has relatively lower FFA, with controlled heating time to minimize oxidation and provide stable raw material for refining.

Match Large-Scale Continuous Production: For ≥100 TPD continuous lines, pre-pressing plus extraction provides energy and solvent efficiency, and operational stability.

Applicable Scenarios

Pre-pressing is suitable for medium to large rice bran oil projects with stable raw material and high yield targets. Small-scale or batch plants may consider direct extraction, but residual oil and process complexity increase.

3) Stabilization as a prerequisite for effective pre-pressing

Stabilization is critical to inhibit lipase activity and limit FFA rise.

Engineering Value:

• Provides a controlled window for pre-pressing and extraction
• Improves cake formation
• Reduces equipment corrosion

Stabilization equipment must match capacity and be positioned near pre-press to minimize exposure time.

4) Typical Pre-Press Process and Key Controls

Conditioning

• Moisture 5–8%
• Temperature 90–110°C
• Purpose: soften material, reduce viscosity, break cell structure

Pre-Pressing

• Feed → Progressive compression → Cake discharge
• Residual oil 12–18%
• Cake structure: adequate porosity, mechanical strength, uniform thickness

Engineering Insight: Oil yield and cake structure must be balanced; excessively low residual oil is not recommended.

5) Key Pre-Press Equipment Considerations

• Spiral compression ratio: gradual increase
• Wear and corrosion-resistant materials
• Anti-clogging design and adjustable parameters

6) Pre-Press and Extraction Integration

• Match oil yield to extractor design
• Ensure cake structure suitable for solvent penetration
• Heat integration for energy efficiency
• Solvent compatibility

8) QIE GROUP Systematic Solutions

• Raw material-driven process package design
• Custom pre-press machine design
• Smart control and predictive maintenance
• Life-cycle cost optimization

Wondering if rice bran pre-pressing is right for your plant? 

If you are evaluating whether rice bran pre-pressing is justified for your supply, a structured front-end study—testing stabilization quality, defining cake porosity targets, and simulating extractor hydraulics—will convert uncertainty into numbers you can run in your model.

Ready to benchmark your plant against the ranges above? Discuss your rice bran pre-pressing design with the QIE engineering team