A Solvent Extractor is a type of equipment or process (a concept/mechanism) used to separate a desired compound from a solid material or liquid mixture based on the principle of differential solubility. This process, also known as solid-liquid extraction, involves dissolving the target compound from a solid matrix using a liquid solvent. The foundation of the solvent extraction industry in India was laid in 1945, with the process developed to efficiently extract oils from materials like oilseed cakes, rice bran, and oilseeds, moving beyond the traditional method of crushing oilseeds in ghanis.
In the context of oil extraction, the solid material, such as oilseeds or oilcake, is first crushed to increase its surface area. It is then mixed with a solvent, often a hydrocarbon-based solvent like hexane, which dissolves the oil. The solvent-oil mixture is then separated from the solid residue, and the solvent is recovered through distillation for recycling, leaving behind the extracted oil.
The concept is intrinsically linked to the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA), the premier industry body which was established on March 27, 1963, to foster the development and growth of this industry. The SEA is recognized as a Non-Government Organization (NGO) by the Ministry of Agriculture and a Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) by the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India. The SEA represents the vegetable oil industry and trade, with its activities covering the extraction of vegetable oils from oilcake, rice bran, and oilseeds. As an institutional change, the SEA received the quality standard of ISO 9001:2000 certification in 2004, which was subsequently upgraded to ISO 9001:2008 in 2008.