Introduction
The oleochemicals industry is growing at a tremendous rate - and with good reason.
Given their source in plant- and/or animal-based raw materials, oleochemicals are becoming increasingly popular. This popularity is driven by today's trends towards sustainability, limiting fossil fuel use, and high crude oil prices. Compared to petrochemicals, oleochemicals are cheaper, minimise the environmental harms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, have low levels of toxicity, and are biodegradable.
If you're looking to enter the oleochemicals industry, there is no time like the present to get started.
Nonetheless, if you want to increase your chances of long-term success, you just select the right oleochemicals plant manufacturers. After all, the equipment for oleochemicals manufacturing that you rely on will affect your plant's productivity, your final product quality, and your compliance with ESG requirements - factors that can make or break your operations.
In general, an oleochemicals plant will have different sections for pretreatment, splitting, saponification, transesterification, straight distillation, fractional distillation, wet fractionation, glycerin distillation, and/or any other process involved in converting a naturally occurring triglyceride into a valuable oleochemical. These components will vary based on whether you need a turnkey plant for the oleochemical industry or a plant which focuses on a single process or product in this long value chain.
Regardless of the specifications of your plant, there are some questions you should ask yourself and some factors you should consider before you make the critical decision of selecting your oleochemicals plant manufacturers.
Selecting equipment for oleochemicals manufacturing: Questions to ask yourself
As you begin your journey of planning an oleochemicals plant, these are some questions you should ask yourself before you select your oleochemicals plant manufacturers:
Which oleochemicals do you want to produce?
"Oleochemicals" is an umbrella term for the category of chemicals obtained from animal and plant fats. This category includes a large number of valuable products like fatty alcohols, fatty amines, fatty acids, fatty acid methyl esters i.e. biodiesel, glycerin, and more. Each of these oleochemicals has different applications in diverse industries like cosmetics, personal care products, detergent, paint, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals.
Before you select your oleochemicals plant manufacturers, you must select the specific oleochemical(s) that you want to produce. This is because your choice of oleochemicals will determine the separation and purification techniques you need to employ. And the techniques you need to employ will determine the equipment for oleochemicals manufacturing that you must invest in.
Say, you want to supply industries that make paints, printing ink, or caulk. Linoleic acid is the perfect oleochemical for applications like these which require both wetting and drying. If you want to supply lubricant or epoxy manufacturers, oleochemicals with good bonding properties, like dimer acid, are a good option. If you want to target detergent, soap, or textile manufacturers, distilled fatty acids should be your oleochemical of choice. Depending on what you choose, you will have to select different equipment for oleochemicals manufacturing.
Where do you want to set up your oleochemicals plant? And which market do you want to sell your products in?
A market research report has estimated that the global oleochemicals market was worth about USD 25.8 billion in 2023. In the years leading up to 2032, the market is expected to only grow bigger, with a CAGR of 5.9% taking it to a forecasted market value of USD 44 billion by then.
Another market report predicts that the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region will claim the lion's share of the global oleochemicals market. Nevertheless, the demand for different oleochemicals and their market growth will vary by region. For instance, traditionally, mineral oils have been used to produce lubricants. But in Europe, policy interventions including the European Ecolabel for Lubricants and the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC have promoted the use of more eco-friendly products, including biolubricants.
Meanwhile, the Indian oleochemicals market - worth an estimated USD 1.76 billion in 2023 - is driven by different factors. These include a growing population, increasing disposable incomes, easily available raw materials, governmental support, and oleochemicals manufacturing capacity expansion.
Your location of production and sale will determine not only which oleochemicals you produce but also which oleochemicals plant manufacturers will be able to support your operations.
How to select the best oleochemicals plant manufacturers for your project
Wherever you want to set up operations, your choice of oleochemicals plant manufacturers will determine how efficiently and sustainably your plant will operate.
How do you assess if an oleochemicals plant manufacturer is the right fit for you? Here are some factors you should consider:
Expertise in the latest technologies. Expertise is non-negotiable, especially in high-CAPEX projects like oleochemicals plants. Assess the expertise of the plant manufacturer's technical teams. You can also seek reviews from the manufacturer's other customers. Look for indicators that the oleochemicals plant manufacturer is up to date with the latest trends and technologies in the industry.
Proven experience. Experience is just as important as expertise. Trust engineering partners who have stood the test of time - ideally, they should have completed several projects successfully and their customers should be satisfied with project outcomes.
That's something we pride ourselves on at Kumar - in our over 80-year legacy, our 560+ customers have been not only partners but loyal advocates of our work. Our turnkey plants for the oleochemicals industry are only one aspect of what we do, but they are part of a broader culture built on technical expertise, vast experience across over 74 countries, and a strong focus on delivering the very best results for our customers.
Capacity for innovation. A capacity for innovation isn't just about resources or expertise - it is about having the right mindset. At Kumar, we believe that our problem-solving mindset is at the core of what we do; it's what sets us apart from the crowd.
With innovation embedded in our organizational DNA, every team at Kumar thinks deeply and critically about how we can deliver the very best for our customers. Our OM Innovation Centre - where we help customers test hypotheses and devise data-driven solutions to challenges in oil extraction, refining, and processing - is home to the physical infrastructure and expert R&D team who make the magic happen. They're the reason we keep pushing the limits of what we're capable of.
Sustainability. With growing environmental consciousness and regulations, sustainability is an important priority for all industries. The oleochemicals industry, with its renewable plant-based feedstocks, is already a sustainable alternative - or at least supplement - to the petrochemicals industry. Nonetheless, there are ways to improve the sustainability of your oleochemicals manufacturing operation.
Traditional oleochemicals feedstocks may not meet growing demand. Relying on traditional feedstocks like edible oils also presents the problem of competition with the food industry for the same resources. So ensure that your equipment for oleochemicals manufacturing is suited to using by-products or waste products from the edible oil processing industry.
The scientific community is also working on making microbial lipids produced from oleaginous yeasts suitable as feedstock for the production of biolubricants, wax esters, and other fatty acid-based oleochemicals. Partner up with oleochemicals plant manufacturers who not only understand these evolutions in the industry but are also capable of adapting to them.
After-sales service and support. From technical audits to determine required process changes and reduce downtime to troubleshooting to operational training for customers' teams, the best oleochemicals plant manufacturers don't end their journey after a sale. At Kumar, the installation of a plant is only the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration that ensures that your plant runs efficiently, sustainably, and profitably for years.
Whether you want to install equipment for a single process or a turnkey plant in the oleochemicals industry, the above features are the hallmarks of what makes the best engineering partner. Tick the above boxes and you're en route to setting up a valuable operation in the plant- and/or animal-based oils and fats industry!
