A three phase decanter centrifuge for used cooking oil recovery is designed to continuously separate recovered oil, water, and suspended solids from waste cooking oil mixtures in a single operation. It is widely used in used cooking oil recycling plants, grease recovery systems, food waste oil recovery, and biodiesel pretreatment lines.

Compared with simple settling or basic filtration, a three phase decanter provides faster separation, better oil recovery, lower solids carryover, and more stable continuous operation.

For plants handling variable waste oil feeds, it helps reduce manual cleaning, improve downstream processing stability, and increase the value of recovered oil.

• Used cooking oil recovery
• Waste fryer oil separation
• Grease trap oil recovery
• Food waste oil separation
• Restaurant waste oil pretreatment
• Biodiesel feedstock pretreatment
• Oil-water-solid separation from collected waste oil mixtures

The used cooking oil mixture enters the rotating bowl through the feed pipe.

Under centrifugal force, the heaviest solid particles move outward and form a solids layer near the bowl wall. The water phase, being heavier than oil but lighter than solids, forms the middle liquid layer. The oil phase, as the lightest fraction, remains closer to the center.

A screw conveyor rotates at a controlled differential speed and continuously pushes the separated solids toward the discharge end. Meanwhile, the liquid phases are separated internally and discharged in a controlled manner, allowing continuous recovery of oil while removing water and solids.

Instead of using multiple separate units, the three phase decanter performs continuous three-phase separation in one machine, simplifying the process line.

By removing water and suspended solids more effectively, the recovered oil becomes cleaner and more suitable for storage, resale, or downstream treatment.

Solids are discharged continuously, helping reduce sludge volume and lower waste handling pressure.

The machine is suitable for plants that require continuous processing of variable waste oil feeds rather than stop-and-go batch settling.

Compared with manual settling, skimming, and repeated tank cleaning, the centrifuge reduces operator workload and improves process consistency.

A more stable oil feed can help improve the performance of downstream heating, filtration, reaction, or purification steps.

Under suitable feed temperature and operating conditions, the system can typically help achieve:

• 70–90% usable oil recovery
• 30–60% reduction in water content in the recovered oil phase.
• 60–85% reduction of suspended solids before downstream filtration or biodiesel pretreatment.
• 30–60% reduction in sludge / residue volume
• 8–24 hours/day continuous operation
• More stable feed quality for biodiesel pretreatment, oil refining, or waste oil recycling.

Final performance depends on oil content, water content, solids content, viscosity, temperature, emulsification level, and operating parameters.

To recommend a suitable three phase decanter centrifuge for used cooking oil recovery, it is helpful to provide the following information:

• Processing capacity (L/h or m³/h)
• Type of feed material
• Oil content
• Water content
• Solids content
• Particle size or solids characteristics
• Operating temperature
• Feed viscosity
• Whether the feed is heated before separation
• Required oil purity
• Required water phase quality
• Required solids dryness
• Continuous or batch operation preference
• Site power supply and control requirements

Its main purpose is to continuously separate oil, water, and solids from used cooking oil mixtures so that the oil can be recovered more efficiently.

A two phase decanter mainly separates solids and liquid. If the liquid phase contains both oil and water, a three phase decanter is usually more suitable because it can separate the two liquid phases at the same time.

Yes, but the actual suitability depends on solids concentration, particle type, viscosity, and required throughput. For high-solids or unstable feeds, a reinforced configuration may be recommended.

In many used cooking oil applications, preheating helps reduce viscosity and improve separation efficiency. The exact temperature range depends on the feed characteristics and process target.

Yes. It is commonly used as a pretreatment step to reduce water and solids before further biodiesel processing.

If you have customer resources or project opportunities in used cooking oil recycling, biodiesel pretreatment, grease recovery, or oil-water-solid separation, Peony welcomes cooperation.

We support distributors, agents, and project partners with model selection, process advice, customized configuration, equipment manufacturing, installation guidance, spare parts, and after-sales service.

Send us your market, customer type, and project details. Our team will help evaluate the suitable separation solution.