PERDAS DE MATéRIA-PRIMA: UM ESTUDO DE CASO NA INDúSTRIA DE óLEO DE SOJA

This paper reports a comprehensive study of potential causes of hexane losses occurring in anextraction plant located in south of Brazil to reduce a production costs. After an extensive bibliographicalresearch, measurements were made at several points troth directly on extraction processes and in the followingcomplex processes of separating solvent from oil. Multigas detector MSA was used in field measurementand flash test was the most common way to detect hexane in laboratory analysis. Measurements were madein soybean meal, water of heat exchangers, air in chimneys and some often parts of the soybean mealprocesses. Observed results point, to check on that more than half of losses were caused by stops in thecontinuous processes due to machine and equipment break down. These losses occurred mainly in theextractor and dessolventizer-toaster process. Other significant losses were detected in discarded water of theheat-exchangers and leaks in extraction equipment.