The initial steps in animal fat refining determine the efficiency of subsequent processes and the basic quality of the oil. Equipment design must first address the complex physical morphology of the raw materials. Unlike vegetable oil equipment that processes single oilseeds (such as soybeans and rapeseed), animal fat raw materials-such as adipose tissue, bone, or subcutaneous fat from slaughterhouses-have irregular shapes and high water and connective tissue content. Equipment in Hebei province typically features enhanced crushing and pre-treatment modules.
Common pre-treatment equipment includes high-efficiency crushers and pre-melting systems. The crusher does not aim for advanced pulverization but rather cuts large pieces of raw material into smaller, more uniformly sized pieces to increase the surface area exposed to heat. The pre-melting system uses gentle, indirect heating to partially melt the adipose tissue, creating a self-lubricating effect and reducing energy consumption for subsequent transport and cooking. Compared to the simpler method of direct high-temperature cooking, this stage offers the advantage of controlled physical pre-treatment, creating conditions for efficient rupture of fat cell walls and avoiding localized overheating or incomplete extraction due to uneven raw material size.
