INFORM April 2026

SOLVENT EXTRACTION INFORM 33

laboratory, batch pilots and toxicological studies. This early work went beyond proof of concept, establishing the scientific, safety, and regulatory foundations of the technology. It enabled patent filings and the preparation of regulatory dossiers before considerations for any industrial deployment. The scale-up phase started in early 2019 with the first continuous extraction. Rather than moving directly toward large capacities, the development strategy relied on progressive industrial exposure. Pilot units were followed by extraction campaigns carried out on 5 to 10 Tonnes a day production sites between 2020 and 2022. Over this period, approximately 145 metric tons of diverse raw materials were processed. These campaigns confirmed that Ecomeo could be operated under industrially relevant conditions in former hexane units. They provided critical feedback on process robustness, product quality, and operational constraints across different matrices, while demonstrating that, with an adapted retrofit, the same facility could be operated using either hexane or 2-methyloxolane. Feed meals produced in 2021 and 2022 were further evaluated through controlled animal feeding trials. These studies confirmed that 2-MeOx–extracted meals exhibited appropriate palatability to hexane extracted meals and were a suitable substitution.

Ecoxtract team working on the 2023 semi-industrial pilot study. Source: Ecoxtract.

Zootechnical performance remained comparable in short-term trials on adult animals. In longer-term studies and in trials involving young animals, researchers observed improvements in some zootechnical performance indicators and health-related parameters compared to conventional hexane extracted meals. STEPPING BACK TO MOVE FORWARD As the technical scale-up progressed, more detailed process questions emerged for both feed meal production and food-grade protein. In 2023, we shifted focus from capacity expansion to process understanding. This transition aimed to consolidate technical knowledge and optimize operating conditions in a cost-effective

manner during a period of organizational transition for the project. As part of a doctoral research project, a temporary scale down phase was implemented to move from demonstration to optimization. Working at semi-industrial scale on a Crown Iron Works Model IV extractor made it possible to systematically investigate operating parameters and solvent-specific effects under controlled conditions—an approach that would have been difficult to achieve during full-scale production campaigns. This phase proved instrumental in defining operating specifics tailored to customer objectives and to the equipment already available at industrial sites. It also provided the experimental basis for the semi-industrial study mentioned above.