Hot Cooking Oil Continuously Filtered at Yucca Chip Processing Plant

Hot Cooking Oil Continuously Filtered at Yucca Chip Processing Plant

System: Yucca Chip Processing Plant

Solids: Yucca Chip Crumbs and Fines Liquid: Cooking Oil

Problem/Challenge: Crumbs and Fines Decrease Usability of Cooling Oil

Solution: LAKOS 35 gpm (8 m3/hr) Separator with Crumb Box

Problem: Yucca (cassava) is a staple food in many parts of South America. A popular way to eat the starchy root is when it is deep fried as chips. A yucca chip processor in Ecuador was looking for a way to extend the amount of time they could use their cooking oil before it had to be replaced. A buildup of burnt yucca crumbs and fines would cause a drop in chip flavor and appearance, making it necessary to change the oil quite frequently to maintain quality. They needed a way to remove the crumbs without changing the oil or halting production.

Solution: The plant installed a LAKOS 35 gpm (8 m3/hr) Separator with a crumb box on their cooking oil line. Now the hot cooking oil is continuously filtered, and crumbs are removed from the crumb box at the end of each 8-hour shift.

Prior to installing the Separator, the yucca chip plant changed 1400 liters of cooking oil every two days. After installing the Separator and crumb box, the plant is able to change their oil every three days, a 50% extension of cooking oil life. This is saving 700 liters of oil per change at a savings of $700 for the oil alone. The plant operates 365 days a year. Reducing oil changes saves the plant more than $85,000 per year.

Refer to the table below.

Return On Investment Calculations

* Cooking oil costs will vary by region and type of oil used

** Many variables are used to determine the most efficient LAKOS Separator or Complete System for an application. For cooking oil applications of the size described in this Case Study, the average LAKOS Separator cost is $ 5,000