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SiewWaiLin

MalaysianPalmOilBoard,KualaLumpur,MalaysiaBriefBiography

Palm Oil

Edible Oil Processing

Introduction

Palmoilisextractedfromfreshfruitbunches(FFB)byamechanicalprocess,wherebyamillcommonlyhandles60to100mtperhourofFFB.Thepalmoil
milloftodayisbasedpredominantlyonconceptsdevelopedintheearly1950s(MonganaReport).AnaveragesizeFFBweighsabout2030kgandcontains
15002000fruits(Fig.1).TheFFBsareharvestedaccordingtoharvestingcyclesanddeliveredtothemillsonthesameday.Thequalityofcrudepalmoilis
dependentonthecaretakenafterharvesting,particularlyonthehandlingoftheFFBs.

Figure1.Freshfruitbuncheswaitingforprocessingatpalmoilmill.

Apalmoilmillproducescrudepalmoilandkernelsasprimaryproductsandbiomassassecondaryproduct.Thecapacityofmillsvariesbetween60100tons
FFB/h.AtypicalmillhasmanyoperationunitsasshowninFigure2.Thiscomprisessterilization,stripping,digestionandpressing,clarification,purification,
dryingandstorage.Forthekernelline,therearestepssuchasnut/fibreseparation,nutconditioningandcracking,crackedmixtureseparation,andkernel

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drying,storage.Thedriedkernelsareoftensoldtopalmkernelcrushersforextractionofcrudepalmkerneloil.Insomeintegratedplants,kernelcrushing
facilitiesexistsidebysideatthesamecomplex.

Figure2.Flowchartforthepalmoilprocess(fromSivasothy,2000).

Sterilization

Thisfirststepintheprocessiscrucialtothefinaloilqualityaswellasthestrippabilityoffruits.Sterilizationinactivatesthelipasesinthefruitsandprevents
buildupoffreefattyacids(FFA).Inaddition,steamsterilizationoftheFFBsfacilitatesfruitsbeingstrippedfromthebunches.Italsosoftensthefruit
mesocarpfordigestionandreleaseofoil,andconditionsnutstominimizekernelbreakage.Airisremovedfromthesterilizerbysweepinginsteaminsingle
peak,doublepeakortriplepeakcycles.Ingeneral,bunchesarecookedusingsteamat40psiginhorizontalcylindricalautoclavesfor6090minutes.The
lengthofthesterilizerisdependentonthenumberofcagesrequiredforoperationofthemill.Eachcagecanhold2.5to10tonsofFFB.Steam
consumptionvariesfrom140kg/tonFFBforasinglepeakcycleto224kg/tonFFBforatriplepeakcycle(Sivasothyetal.,1986).Inadequatesterilization
affectsthesubsequentmillingprocessingstagesadversely.

Inrecentyears,newtechnologyonsterilizationsawtheintroductionofcontinuoussterilizers.Sivasothys(2006)continuoussterilizershowedimprovedfruit
strippability,evenwithusageoflowpressuresteamoratmosphericsteam.ThenewsystemconsistsofconveyorbeltstakingcrushedFFBsintothe
continuoussterilizer,wherethefruitsaresterilizedandsubsequentlydischarged.Thisreducesmuchofthemachineryassociatedwithconventional
sterilizers.Inaddition,therearecostsavingsintermsofmanpowerrequirements,andmaintenance.

Verticalsterilizersarealsoavailable,whicharemuchcleanerandeasiertooperatethanconventionalsterilizers.

Anothertypeofsterilizertechnology,theTiltingsterilizer(Loh,2010)eliminatesmuchofthemachineryassociatedwithconventionalsterilizers.The
technologyisthelatestdesignthatoffersimprovedmillingefficiency,andreducedlabourandmaintenancecost.

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Figure3.Aconventionalsterilizer.

Stripping

Strippingorthreshinginvolvesseparatingthesterilizedfruitsfromthebunchstalks.SterilizedFFBsarefedintoadrumstripperandthedrumisrotated,
causingthefruitstobedetachedfromthebunch.Thebunchstalksareremovedastheydonotcontainanyoil.Itisimportanttoensurethatoillossinthe
bunchstalkiskepttoaminimum.Thestalksareoftendisposedbyincineration,givingashaspotashfertilizer,andfuelforboilers.Othersaretransportedto
theplantationsforuseasfertilisersinmulchingnearthepalms.Thetotaloillossabsorbedonthestalksdependsonthesterilizingconditionsandpartlyon
thewaythestripperisoperated.Prolongedsterilizationwillincreaseoillossinstalks.Irregularfeedingofthestrippermayalsoresultinincreaseofoillossin
stalks.Stalkswhichhavefruitsstillattachedonthemarecalledhardbunches,andhavetoberecycledbacktosterilizersforfurthercooking.Hardbunches
aredetectedbyvisibleinspection.

DigestionandPressing

Afterstripping,thefruitsaremovedintoadigesterwheretheyarereheatedtoloosenthepericarp.Thesteamheatedvesselshaverotatingshaftstowhich
areattachedstirringarms.Thefruitsarerotatedabout,causingthelooseningofthepericarpsfromthenuts.Thedigesteriskeptfullandasthedigested
fruitisdrawnout,freshlystrippedfruitsarebroughtin.Thefruitsarepassedintoascrewpress,wherethemixtureofoil,water,presscakeorfibreandnuts
aredischarged.Improvementsinpressdesignshaveallowedfruitstoundergosingleormultiplepressing.Secondstagepressingonthepresscakefibres
enablesmoreoiltobeextracted.

Clarification

Amixtureofoil,water,andsolidsfromthebunchfibresisdeliveredfromthepresstoaclarificationtank.Intheconventionalprocess,separationoftheoil
fromtherestoftheliquorisachievedbysettlingtanksbasedongravity.Themixturecontainingthecrudeoilisdilutedwithhotwatertoreduceitsviscosity.
Avibratingscreenhelpsremovesomeofthesolids.Theoilmixtureisheatedto8590Candallowedtoseparateintheclarificationtank.Asettlingtimeof
13hisacceptable.Oilfromthetopisskimmedoffandpurifiedinthecentrifugepriortodryinginvacuumdryer.Thefinalcrudepalmoilisthencooledand
stored.Thelowerlayerfromtheclarificationtankissenttothecentrifugalseparatorwheretheremainingoilisrecovered.Theoilisdriedinvacuumdryers,
cooledandsenttostoragetanks.

Decanters

Decantersarealsousedinsomemillsasanalternativetoseparatingthesuspendedsolidsfromcrudepalmoilinaclarificationtank.Variousdesignof
decantersareavailable.Theirusageis,however,hamperedbyhighermaintenancecostsfromthewearandtear.Anadvantagetotheuseisthereductionin
palmoilmilleffluent.SulongandTan(1996)hadproposedamembranefilterpressforoilandsolidsrecovery.Thecakeisdischargedassolidwastefor
fertilizerproductionoranimalfeed,whiletheoilisrecovered.

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OilLossesduringProcessing

Oillossesinmillsvaryfrommilltomill,andmuchattentionisgiventothecontrolofoilloss.Themainoillossesarefromsterilizercondensate,empty
bunches,fruitlossinunstrappedbunches,presscakefibre,nutsandsludge.Overripebuncheswilllosemoreoilduringsterilization.Tominimizethis,
shortersterilizercyclesareused,orbettercontrolofbunchripenessandqualitywillhelpensurelesswastage.Atypicaloillossinsterilizerisestimatedtobe
0.1%toFFB.Oilsrecoveredfromsterilizercondensateshouldbeusedastechnicaloils,astheyoftencontainhigherironcontentandwouldreduceoil
stabilityifmixedwiththecrudeproductionoil.

KernelProduction

Thepresscakefromthedigesterisfedtoaverticalcolumn(depericarper)whereairischanneledtoliftthefibre,thusseparatingthefibrefromthenuts.The
nutsarepassedtoapolishingdrumatthebottomofthedepericarper,wherepiecesofstalksareremoved.Anutcrackercracksthenutsafterthe
conditioninganddryingprocess.Aripplemillisalsousedinsteadofnutcracker.Themixtureofcrackednutsandshellsisseparatedviaawinnowing
system,followedbyahydrocycloneoraclaybath.Ahydrocycloneusescentrifugalforcetoseparatethekernelfromtheshellusingwater.Theclaybath
principleworksonthespecificgravityofkernelof1.07andtheshellof1.17.ThekernelswillfloatwhiletheshellssinkinaclaybathmixtureofSG1.12.
Thekernelsarethendriedinhotairsilostomoisturecontentoflessthan7%.About0.4mtofkernelsareproducedwitheverymtmetrictonofcrudepalm
oil.

Biomass

Theamountofsolidpalmoilwasteavailablefromamillcanbesubstantial.Thisconsistsofemptyfruitbunches(EFB),palmkernelshell,mesocarpfibres,
andpossiblysolidsfromdecanters.Inmostcases,thisbiomass,especiallytheEFB,palmkernelshellandmesocarpfibres,isusedasfuelinthemill,
generatingenoughelectricityforrunningthemill.Besidesusageasfuel,thebiomasstogetherwithfrondsandtrunkscanbeleftinthefieldsasfertilizers.
EFBscanalsobecombinedwithpolyurethaneester(PU)topreparemediumdensityfibreboard,givinghigherimpactstrengthandbetterwaterresistance
(Khairiah,2006).

Table1.Drybasiscalorificvalueofpalmwaste
materials(Source:Yap,2010)

Averagecalorific Range
Typeofbiomass
value(kcal/kg) (kcal/kg)

Emptyfruit
18,795 18,00019,920
bunches
Fibre 19,055 18,80019,580
Palmkernelshell 18,884 18,88018,895
Nut 24,481 24,25624,830

TreatmentofRawPalmOilMillEffluent(POME)

Apalmoilmillproducesanaverageof0.65tonsofrawpalmoilmilleffluent(POME)fromeverytonofFFBprocessed.POMEisthemaincauseof
environmentalpollutionduetoitshighacidity,highbiologicaloxygendemand(BOD)andchemicaloxygendemand(COD).Conventionally,anaerobic

digestionsinpondingsystemsoraerobictreatmentsareabletobringtheBODlevelstobelow100mgL1.Opensteeltankdigestersareusedfortapping

thebiogasforpowerconsumption.InMalaysia,certainareashavemorestringentrequirements(BODoflessthan20mgL1.Tertiarysystemshavebeen
developedasnewsystemstoprovideeffluenttreatmentinamoresustainablemanner,aswellasachievingthestandardsrequiredbyregulatorybodies.
Theseincludebiologicalsequencingbatchreactors,biofiltrationsystems,systemswithhighaerationrates,activatedsludgeplantswithaerobicreactors,
bioflowpolishingplants,aswellasmembranebioreactors.Morepalmoilplantationsareinvestingintothesetechnologiestoharvestthebiogasforfuel,and
reuseotherbiomassmaterialsforfertilizers,biocompositematerials,etc.

References
Khairiah,B.andKhairul,A.M.A.Biocompositesfromoilpalmresources.JournalofOilPalmResearch,April,103113(2006).
Loh,T.K.Tiltingsterilizer.In:PalmOilEngineeringBulletin,No.94,pp.2942(2010).
MONGANAReport,Volume1and2CooprativedesProducteursetexportateursdelhuiledepalmeduCongoBelge.(1955).

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Sivasothy,K.AdvancesinOilPalmResearch,Vol.1,747,Basiron,Y.,Jalani,B.S.andChan,K.W.(eds.),MalaysianPalmOilBoard,Kuala
Lumpur(2000).
Sivasothy,K.Continuoussterilization:thenewparadigmformodernizingpalmoilmilling.JournalofOilPalmResearch,April,144152(2006).
Sivasothy,K.,Shafil,A.F.andLim,N.B.H.Analysisofthesteamconsumptionduringsterilization.Workshoponrecentdevelopmentsinpalmoil
millingtechnologyandpollutioncontrol,KualaLumpur,p.19,MalaysianPalmOilBoard,KualaLumpur)(1986).
Sulong,M.andTan,R.C.W.Filtrationsystemforcrudepalmoilclarificationandpurification.In:Proceedingsofthe1996PORIMInternationalPalm
OilCongress,KualaLumpur,pp.410424.(B.Muhamd,A.N.Ma,M.S.Affandi,Y.M.Choo,A.Kuntom,C.L.Chong,A.G.M.Top,K.Yaakob,S.
Ahmad,J.Thambirajah,Z.A.A.HassanandR.Masri(eds.),MalaysianPalmOilBoard,KualaLumpur)(1996).
Yap,A.K.C.Palmwasteasalternativefuelforcementplant.PalmOilEngineeringBulletinNo.91,1321(2010).

UpdatedMarch7,2011

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