Project Overview
Rondonópolis sits at the heart of Brazil's "soy belt" in Mato Grosso — a state that alone accounts for more than a third of global soybean production. Yet despite this staggering scale, most processing value flows out of the region to multinational crushers or overseas refiners. This client identified the gap: a mid-scale processor able to serve two distinct, high-value markets simultaneously from a single pressing line.
The dual-output model was the strategic centrepiece of the project. Path A directs crude filtered soybean oil through hydration degumming to produce export-grade crude degummed soybean oil (CDSO) for Rotterdam via Santos port — attracting a $20–30/tonne premium over undegummed crude. Path B routes oil through a full DNBWD batch refinery to produce ANVISA-compliant retail cooking oil in 900 ml PET bottles under the client's "SojaMT" brand, sold to Grupo Pão de Açúcar stores.
Challenge
The client's challenge was not access to raw material — Mato Grosso supplies the world. The challenge was value capture. Large multinationals were paying only farm-gate prices for seed; small processors lacked capital for full refinery lines. The solution needed to be modular enough for a mid-scale operator but sophisticated enough to satisfy both European CDSO buyers (strict phosphorus and FFA specs) and Brazilian regulators (ANVISA food safety).
A single-output plant choosing either export or retail would forgo 30–40% of potential revenue. The dual-path architecture required a precision diverter valve, two separate downstream lines operating concurrently, and the capability to shift production ratios daily based on market signals — a design and control challenge SinoOil solved with a Portuguese-language PLC HMI allowing operators to adjust the CDSO/refinery split at the touch of a button.
Solution
SinoOil designed a 50 TPD soybean processing plant where six 6YL-180 screw presses provide full throughput. Post-filtration, an automated diverter valve routes oil to either the degumming vessel (CDSO path) or the batch refinery (retail path). Both paths operate simultaneously or independently, with the split ratio adjustable from 100% CDSO to 100% refinery in real time.
For CDSO export compliance, the hydration degumming vessel reduces phosphorus to below 150 ppm (comfortably within the Rotterdam buyer specification of 200 ppm maximum). Two 15-tonne CDSO export tanks provide buffer storage before tanker truck dispatch to Santos. The export lab station includes a phosphorus test kit, FFA titration, and moisture analysis — enabling the client to issue a certificate of analysis with each shipment.
The domestic retail path uses a 3 T/batch DNBWD refinery with vacuum deodorizing, producing oil with FFA below 0.08% — meeting ANVISA's RDC 270/2005 standard. The 900 ml PET bottling station fills and labels under the "SojaMT" brand. Portuguese-language HMI and ANVISA documentation templates were included in the project scope.