Extruded Soybean Meal Production Plant in Ukraine

RICHI MACHINERY

Project Background: From Field to Feed Mill

Ukraine, often called the “breadbasket of Europe,” possesses some of the most fertile chernozem soil in the world, making it an ideal region for soybean cultivation. The client, a diversified agribusiness with significant landholdings, historically generated most of its income from selling raw agricultural commodities. However, they recognized the immense opportunity in integrating vertically into animal feed production.

The primary motivation for establishing this extruded soybean meal production plant in Ukraine was multifaceted:

• Unlocking Nutritional Value: Raw soybeans contain anti-nutritional factors like trypsin inhibitors, which prevent animals from fully utilizing their protein. Extrusion cooking effectively destroys these compounds, transforming soybeans into a highly digestible feed ingredient.
• Economic Resilience: By processing their own soybeans, the client creates a captive market for a portion of their harvest, insulating themselves from the price volatility of the international commodity market.
• Import Substitution and Export Potential: The Ukrainian livestock sector has historically relied on imported protein meals. This plant helps reduce that dependency while also creating a surplus for export to neighboring EU countries and the Middle East.
• Infrastructure Development: The project creates skilled jobs in a rural area and stimulates local economic activity beyond traditional farming.

The selection of a 12.5 t/h capacity was a strategic decision, balancing the scale needed for commercial viability with a manageable initial investment and the ability to scale up in the future as market demand grows.

RICHI MACHINERY

Raw Material Sourcing: A Home-Grown Advantage

The most compelling strength of this extruded soybean meal production plant in Ukraine is its seamless integration with the client’s own agricultural operations. The plant is strategically located near their soybean fields and existing grain storage infrastructure, ensuring a consistent, traceable, and cost-effective supply of raw materials.

The entire production process is built around a single, high-quality input: non-GMO Ukrainian soybeans. The client enforces strict intake protocols, requiring low moisture content and high protein levels to guarantee optimal processing efficiency and a superior final product. The only other materials required are woven polypropylene bags for packaging the finished meal.

Table: Raw Material and Utility Profile

RICHI MACHINERY

Production Process: The Full-Fat Extrusion Advantage

The technology deployed in this extruded soybean meal production plant in Ukraine is the full-fat extrusion process. Unlike solvent extraction, which removes the oil, this method processes the whole bean, preserving the valuable inherent energy and creating a high-protein, high-energy feed ingredient ideal for poultry, swine, and dairy rations.

A Detailed Look at the Manufacturing Sequence:

1. Intake and Pre-Cleaning: Soybeans are delivered from on-farm storage and pneumatically conveyed into the plant’s main intake silo. The beans are then metered via a screw conveyor into the processing line, where they pass through a vibrating screen (XZS1000) to remove any remaining field debris, dust, and foreign materials, which are collected for disposal.
2. Grinding: The cleaned whole beans are fed into a high-capacity hammer mill (SFSP-Y60P0K). Reducing the beans to a consistent meal is a critical step, as it creates a uniform particle size that ensures even heat and moisture penetration during conditioning and extrusion. This stage is a primary source of dust and is controlled by an integrated negative pressure system.
3. Conditioning and Extrusion The soybean meal is introduced into a preconditioner, where it is mixed with live steam. This hydrates the meal and begins the starch gelatinization process. The conditioned meal is then fed into the RICHI single-screw extruder. Within the extruder barrel, the combination of heat, pressure, and mechanical shear thoroughly cooks the meal, denaturing proteins and completely deactivating anti-nutritional factors. The superheated, pressurized product expands dramatically as it exits through the die plate.
4. Cooling and Drying: The hot, expanded extrudate is conveyed into a vertical stacked cooler/dryer (SDH-10). Ambient air is forced through the product bed, simultaneously cooling it and reducing moisture to a shelf-stable level (below 12%). This step is crucial for product preservation and prevents caking during storage and transport.
5. Packaging and Storage: The final extruded soybean meal is transferred to a bulk storage bin. An automated packing scale (DCS-50) accurately fills 50 kg woven bags, which are then sealed, palletized, and moved to the finished goods warehouse, ready for distribution to feed mills and integrated livestock operations.

RICHI MACHINERY

Core Equipment: Engineered for Efficiency and Reliability

For this extruded soybean meal production plant in Ukraine, the client required a robust and automated line capable of continuous, high-volume operation. RICHI Machinery delivered a complete, integrated system designed for low energy consumption per ton of output and minimal maintenance. The total equipment investment was $650,000.

Table: Key Production Equipment Overview

RICHI MACHINERY

Environmental Management and Operational Sustainability

The extruded soybean meal production plant in Ukraine was designed with a strong commitment to environmental stewardship, focusing on efficiency and minimal emissions.

• Air Emissions Control: The primary environmental aspect is particulate matter. Dust generated at the hammer mill and cooler is efficiently captured by a dedicated baghouse filter and cyclone separator, respectively. The filtered air is combined and exhausted through a single 15-meter stack, ensuring full compliance with Ukrainian environmental standards.
• Water and Waste Management: The production process itself is a net consumer of steam, not water. The only water usage is for employee sanitation in the office and locker rooms. Sanitary wastewater is treated in a modern, compact on-site treatment unit. Solid waste is minimized; impurities from cleaning are disposed of responsibly, and all dust collected by the air filtration systems is pure soybean meal, which is reintroduced into the product stream, resulting in virtually no process waste.
• Energy Efficiency: The steam boiler is configured to run on natural gas, a cleaner-burning fuel, and the entire electrical system was designed with high-efficiency motors and variable frequency drives to reduce power consumption.

RICHI MACHINERY

Economic Viability and Strategic Market Position

The market for high-quality protein meals in Eastern Europe and the Middle East is substantial and growing. This extruded soybean meal production plant in Ukraine allows the client to compete effectively in this market with a superior, full-fat product.

Investment Breakdown:

• Land & Building: (Utilized existing owned industrial zoned land)
• Machinery & Equipment (from RICHI): $650,000
• Civil Works & Installation: $400,000
• Working Capital & Initial Inventory: $150,000
• Total Project Investment: $1,200,000

The business case is strong, driven by the significant price premium that extruded full-fat soybean meal commands over raw soybeans. Given the plant’s capacity and favorable operating costs, the project is forecasted to achieve a complete return on investment in approximately 3 to 4 years.

RICHI MACHINERY

The RICHI Partnership: Delivering a Turnkey Solution

The client selected RICHI Machinery based on our proven expertise in oilseed extrusion and our ability to deliver a fully integrated production line. For this extruded soybean meal production plant in Ukraine, our collaboration included:

• Comprehensive Process Design: We engineered the entire flow from raw intake to bagged product, ensuring optimal equipment sizing and layout for the target capacity.
• Focus on Nutritional Quality: Our extrusion experts worked to fine-tune the temperature, pressure, and retention time parameters to guarantee the complete destruction of anti-nutritional factors, maximizing the feed value for the end customer.
• Commissioning and Operational Training: Our engineers were on-site to supervise installation, conduct commissioning, and provide hands-on training to the client’s operational and maintenance teams.
• After-Sales Support: We established a local spare parts inventory and provide ongoing remote technical support to ensure maximum plant uptime.

RICHI MACHINERY

A Blueprint for Agricultural Value Addition

The successful commissioning of this extruded soybean meal production plant in Ukraine serves as a powerful model for agribusinesses in resource-rich countries. It demonstrates that strategic investment in processing technology is the key to transitioning from a commodity exporter to a producer of high-value finished goods.

The global demand for sustainable animal protein is relentlessly increasing, and with it, the need for high-quality feed ingredients. For nations like Ukraine with vast agricultural potential, establishing modern processing facilities like this extruded soybean meal production plant in Ukraine is not merely a profitable venture; it is an essential step towards securing long-term economic growth and food security.

Are you looking to add value to your agricultural production?

Contact RICHI Machinery to explore how we can help you develop your own processing plant. From initial concept to operational facility, we provide the technology, expertise, and partnership for success.