Separator upgrade takes Swedish vegetable oil producer’s performance to new levels

A leading Swedish vegetable oils and fats producer is making estimated annual savings of 64,000 EUR by boosting the quality and yield of their product and contributing to common sustainability goals, all thanks to a LevelUP separator upgrade from Alfa Laval. 

The remarkable results, which will deliver a payback time of just a few months, came after Alfa Laval were exploring ways to improve the performance of their own installed PX series, and approached AAK Sweden to test the new concept at their Karlshamn facility. 

AAK has several Alfa Laval separators operating in different process steps in their vegetable oil refinery, where oil types such as rapeseed and soybean are processed. 

The implementation of the LevelUP on the existing Alfa Laval PX 95 separator at Karlshamn in May 2025 has quickly delivered a boosted separation performance in neutralization, improving the outlet oil quality with 60% less soap, which brings additional positive impacts downstream.  

Improved oil quality results in less water used downstream and less oil losses. For AAK, that equates to cutting water use by 6,700 tonnes a year, equivalent to a 20,000 EUR saving, and reducing the oil loss by 40%, an estimated 44,000 EUR boost. 

Powerful collaboration and innovation 

“We knew we had a technical solution to improve the performance of these separators with the addition of the level ring,” says Filippa Kinderdal, who has been involved in the project from the start. “We were looking for a customer willing to test this solution, and AAK proved to be an excellent candidate, as they operate a large number of our PX separators at their Karlshamn site.” 

Originally seeking to test the upgrades on some of the newer equipment, AAK actually put forward some of the older models, and after regrouping with the R&D team and refining the design of the upgrade, Alfa Laval delivered a solution that now also promises to provide production boosts for the older range of PX separators. 

“We have a great relationship with AAK and this was a real collaboration with one of the key players in the industry on the PX separator models,” says Filippa “They trusted us as a close collaborating partner looking to innovate and improve their performance in the neutralization process step.” 

The simple upgrade to the to the existing larger PX separator models used for vegetable oil processing from the Alfa Laval portfolio is known as LevelUP and sees small modifications to achieve a new design of the outlet device with the introduction of a level ring. 

 According to Damir Karas, manager neutralization and bleaching at AAK, this project has been an exciting and rewarding experience for AAK and the team involved, and they look forward to continuing the strong collaboration with Alfa Laval on further improvements and modifications.  

 “In addition, the project has opened up a valuable network of contacts within the supplier’s organization, providing us with knowledgeable people to exchange ideas with and discuss potential improvements. The savings achieved through the project also contribute to reducing our overall environmental footprint”, explains Karas.  

With the level ring installed within the oil chamber, the liquid-to-liquid interface is repositioned further out in the disc stack, closer to the distribution holes. In this way more disc stack area is utilized for separation, which increases separation performance. 

Bridging the performance gap 

“The quantified benefits surprised even us and were more than we expected,” says Filippa. “We expected to be able to reduce the soap quantities, but when quantifying the benefits downstream thanks to this upgrade we were struck by the great values from it". 

“This is a really neat and cost-effective separation solution for customers as it bridges the performance gap for older separators. It shows that Alfa Laval equipment is built to last and that we are always there looking to support our customers and ensure that equipment is working at its absolute optimum level.” 

The upgrade itself is more sustainable and convenient for customers as it means they are able to use existing equipment, and still see boosted sustainability and profitability performance levels. 

“AAK had never seen such low soap levels in the oil and it is fair to say that they were delighted with that and the associated benefits that quickly became apparent,” says Filippa.  

The potential of the LevelUP upgrade is even greater because it is not just at the neutralization process step that it could be used, but could also be implemented at other separation process steps such as degumming to boost performance there. 

Filippa says: “The opportunities are truly exciting, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with AAK to drive further improvements across their processing lines.”