Vitamin D3 Production from Sheep’s Wool Fleece

To produce Vitamin D3, the initial step involves cleaning sheep's wool fleece to eliminate impurities like dirt, straw, and even parasites such as blow flies. After this, a detergent is introduced to extract crude lanolin. This raw material then undergoes saponification, transforming the fatty components into removable chemicals through centrifugation.

The remaining lanolin alcohols undergo further refinement, involving processes like solvent wash and chromatography. These steps extract crude cholesterol, a fundamental ingredient. This cholesterol serves as the starting point for a sequence of chemical reactions that culminate in the creation of '7-dehydrocholesterol,' also known as 'pre-Vitamin D3.' Ultraviolet light is employed to illuminate this compound (mimicking the reaction that naturally takes place in human skin and yielding Vitamin D3).

The project economic analysis provided in the report discusses a Germany-based plant:

• Manufacturing Process
  • Process Flow
  • Material Flow
  • Material Balance
• Raw Material and Product's Specifications
  • Raw Material Consumption
  • Product and Co-Product Generation
  • Capital Investment
• Land and Site Cost
  • Offsites/Civil Works
  • Equipment Cost
  • Auxiliary Equipment Cost
  • Contingency
  • Engineering and Consulting Charges
  • Working Capital
• Variable Cost
  • Raw Material
  • Utilities
• Fixed Cost
  • Labor Requirement & Wages
  • Overhead Expenses
  • Maintenance Charges
• Financing Costs
  • Interest on Working Capital
  • Interest on Loans
• Depreciation Charges
• General Sales and Admin Costs
• Production Cost Summary