Biofuels are waste products from vegetable oil production

Phytochem Pilot Plant in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. (photo: Phytochem Products)

Phytochem Products is a startup that has developed a technology that allows it to extract beneficial components from vegetable oils using ion exchange resins. The ion exchange resin method does not require high temperature and high vacuum conditions, which allows for this It is a more energy efficient method of extracting compounds from vegetable oil by-products. For example, this method improves the production of vitamin E, which is sensitive to heat. In addition, the process is safer because none of the toxic materials used in conventional processes are used.

As part of their agreement, Yokogawa Solution Service and Phytochem Products will use Phytochem’s pilot plant to test the technical feasibility of sensing and process control using the ion exchange resin method. With Phytochem’s expertise in using measurement data in the separation and recovery process, Yokogawa intends to research methods for real-time analysis, estimation and measurement of functional components and use its proprietary modeling technology to automate the recovery process.

The companies plan to test and validate the technology in this pilot plant by June 2024. For 2026, the partners plan to implement the technology in a pilot plant and then offer user licenses for the ion exchange resin process along with associated measurement and modeling techniques.