5T/H Sunflower Meal Feed Pellet Production Line In Russia

This project is a 5-ton per hour sunflower meal feed pellet production line, which uses standard feed processing technology and specializes in processing sunflower meal after oil processing. The sunflower meal pellet plant project adopts a turnkey project model, with a contract amount of US$80,360. It took 4 and a half months from the initial consultation to the signing. At the same time, the customer also built a 2-3 ton/hour wheat bran pellet feed production line to form a complete feed processing system.

Project Features:

• Production line designed and optimized for sunflower meal
• Simplified process (omitting the mixing and packaging sections)
• Products are directly used in the customer's own farms
• Complementary to the wheat bran pellet line

Russia sunflower meal feed pelletizing process details

The sunflower meal feed pellet production line in Russia project adopts a turnkey project model, and the core process is a simplified process of "crushing-granulation-cooling-screening". This design is specifically designed for the processing needs of a single raw material, eliminating the mixing and packaging sections in the conventional feed production line, which not only meets the specific needs of customers for self-production and self-use, but also significantly reduces investment and operating costs.

The entire sunflower meal pellet production line is optimized around the physical properties of sunflower meal, focusing on solving the technical problem of difficult molding of high-fiber raw materials.

From a technical perspective, this production line successfully solves multiple technical difficulties in the granulation of high-fiber raw materials. By optimizing the tempering temperature, ring die parameters and cooling process, the good forming rate and durability indicators of sunflower seed meal pellets are ensured.

The final product is a cylindrical pellet with a diameter of 4-6mm, which has excellent physical properties and nutritional characteristics. The crude protein content is maintained between 28-32%, the crude fiber content is about 14-18%, and the energy value reaches 7.5-8.5MJ/kg, which fully meets the nutritional needs of ruminants.

What's more rare is that through pelletization, the palatability of sunflower seed meal has been significantly improved. Customer feedback shows that the acceptance of livestock in farms for this pellet feed has increased by more than 30% compared with powdered raw materials.

Detailed process flow:

(1) Raw material pretreatment and crushing section

• Sunflower seed meal from the oil and fat factory is first crushed
• The raw material is crushed to the ideal fineness by a hammer mill
• The crushing fineness is adjusted according to the subsequent granulation requirements (usually 3-5mm)
• The crushed material is sent to the buffer bin through the conveying equipment

(2) Granulation section

• The material is moderately conditioned by the conditioner (temperature controlled at 60-70℃)
• SZLH350 ring die pellet machine is used for pressing and molding
• The ring die aperture is selected according to the final product requirements (usually 4-6mm)
• The pelletizing area is equipped with automatic lubrication and overload protection system

(3) Processing section

• High-temperature pellets are rapidly cooled by countercurrent coolers
• After cooling, the moisture content of pellets is controlled below 12%
• A vibrating grading screen removes powder and oversized pellets
• Qualified pellets are directly transported to the farm feed bin

Process characteristics

• Special die roller design for high-fiber raw materials
• Simplified process reduces investment and operating costs
• Special parameter settings adapted to the physical properties of sunflower meal
• Production of pure sunflower meal pellets without additives

The process design fully considers the characteristics of sunflower meal (high fiber, low viscosity), and ensures good forming rate and pellet durability of high-fiber raw materials by optimizing equipment parameters and process conditions. Eliminating the mixing and packaging sections greatly simplifies the process, reduces investment costs by about 15%, and reduces energy consumption and labor requirements.

Versatility of the production line

The uniqueness of this sunflower meal feed pellet production line in Russia lies in its balance of focus and flexibility. Although designed for sunflower meal, it can also process other oilseed by-products such as soybean meal and rapeseed meal by adjusting process parameters and replacing ring dies, and can even produce different types of single raw material feeds such as wheat bran pellets and corn gluten feed.

This flexibility allows customers to flexibly adjust production plans according to raw material supply and breeding needs, greatly improving equipment utilization. In particular, during different crop harvest seasons, it is possible to quickly switch to process different agricultural by-products to achieve balanced production throughout the year.

(1) Other oilseed meals:

• Soybean meal pellets
• Rapeseed meal pellets
• Flaxseed meal pellets

(2) Cereal processing by-products:

• Wheat bran pellets (complementary to another line of customers)
• Rice bran pellets
• Corn gluten feed

(3) Single raw material feed

• Dried distiller's grains (DDGS) pellets
• Beer grain pellets
• Fruit residue pellets

(4) Special applications

• Biomass fuel pellets
• Organic fertilizer carrier pellets
• Bedding pellets

This flexibility allows customers to adjust production according to raw material supply and breeding needs, improving equipment utilization. In particular, during different crop harvest seasons, it is possible to flexibly switch to process different agricultural by-products.

Main equipment configuration

In terms of equipment configuration, the project selected the industry-leading SZLH350 ring die feed pellet machine as the core equipment, and cooperated with the specially designed hammer mill, countercurrent cooler and vibrating grading screen to form a complete processing system.

These equipments for sunflower meal feed pellet production line in Russia  have been specially adjusted for the characteristics of sunflower seed meal, such as using a ring die with a higher compression ratio and wearing parts made of wear-resistant alloy. The whole line is compactly designed, covering an area of ​​about 150 square meters, which is convenient for installation and deployment in existing plant buildings.

Crushing equipment

• Water drop type multifunctional crusher (SFSP60×45, 30kW)
• Equipped with 1.5mm screen
• Processing capacity 5-6 tons/hour
• Special wear-resistant hammer design

Pelletizing equipment

• SZLH350 ring die pellet machine (main motor 90kW)
• Special high fiber ring die (compression ratio 1:8)
• Heavy duty conditioner (residence time ≥30 seconds)
• Automatic lubrication system

Cooling equipment

• Counterflow cooler (SKLN150)
• Processing capacity 5 tons/hour
• Pellet temperature after cooling ≤ room temperature Temperature +5℃
• Equipped with waste heat recovery device

Screening equipment

• Vibrating grading screen (SFJZ100×120)
• Double-layer screen design (4mm and 8mm)
• Stainless steel structure
• Processing capacity 6 tons/hour

Auxiliary system

• Screw conveying system
• Bucket elevator (TDTG36/18)
• Pulse dust removal system
• Electrical control system (PLC control)

Equipment selection pays special attention to wear resistance and stability when processing high-fiber raw materials. Key components such as ring molds and pressure rollers are made of special alloy materials to extend their service life. The entire line is compactly designed, covers an area of ​​about 150 square meters, and is suitable for installation in existing plant buildings.

The economic benefits of the animal feed production line project are also satisfactory. After the sunflower meal feed pellet production line in Russia is running stably, the production capacity reaches the design target of 5.2 tons/hour, and the power consumption per ton of product is controlled below 55kWh. Compared with purchased compound feed, self-produced sunflower meal pellets can save customers about $300,000 in feed costs each year.

What is more worth mentioning is that through pellet processing, the value of sunflower seed meal has increased by 30-50 US dollars/ton, and the investment recovery period has been shortened to 2-3 years, which is far better than the initial expectations.

Product features and advantages

The pure sunflower meal pellets produced by this project have significant product advantages:

(1) Nutritional characteristics

• Crude protein content 28-32%
• Crude fiber content 14-18%
• Energy value about 7.5-8.5MJ/kg
• High natural vitamin E content

(2) Physical characteristics

• Pellet diameter 4-6mm
• Pellet length 8-12mm
• Durability index ≥95%
• Stability in water ≥4 hours

(3) Application advantages

• Improve palatability and feed intake
• Reduce feed waste by 15-20%
• Easy to mechanized feeding
• Extend storage period by 2-3 times

(4) Economic advantages

• Fully utilize own by-products
• Reduce comprehensive feed costs
• Reduce dependence on purchased protein raw materials
• Increase the value of the overall industrial chain

It is particularly worth mentioning that through pellet processing, the palatability of sunflower meal has been significantly improved. Customers reported that the acceptance of livestock in farms for this pellet feed has increased by more than 30% compared with powdered sunflower meal, and the feed conversion rate has also been improved.

Prospects of building a sunflower meal feed pellet production line in Russia

From an industry perspective, this type of sunflower meal feed pellet production line in Russia project has broad prospects for promotion in the Russian market. Russia's annual sunflower seed production exceeds 15 million tons, and the sunflower meal produced is about 6 million tons, but the current feed pelletization rate is less than 30%, and there is huge room for improvement.

With the acceleration of the modernization of Russia's animal husbandry and the increasing pressure on feed costs, this feed processing model using localized raw materials will become more and more popular. Especially in the context of the current reshaping of the global agricultural product supply chain, it is particularly important to establish an independent and controllable feed supply system.

The successful implementation of this special animal feed factory project also provides a useful reference for the high-value utilization of agricultural by-products. Traditional agricultural processing thinking often only focuses on the main product and ignores the in-depth development of by-products.

This case proves that through appropriate technical investment and process innovation, it is entirely possible to achieve the transformation from "by-product processing" to "by-product processing" and create new value growth points. For companies with a complete agricultural industry chain, this internal circular economy model can not only reduce overall operating costs, but also enhance risk resistance.

Looking to the future, there is room for further upgrading of this sunflower meal feed pellet production line in Russia. You can consider adding trace additives or combining with other raw materials to develop higher value specialty feed products; you can also expand into market segments such as organic feed and functional feed; you can even try cross-field applications such as biomass fuel pellets. With the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous development of the market, the deep processing of agricultural by-products will surely show greater potential and value.

If you want to invest in a sunflower meal feed pellet production line in Russia project, feel free to contact RICHI MACHINERY to obtain information such as the whole plant design, equipment layout, civil engineering, production line 3D design, equipment quotation, and delivery plan.