Palm Oil Production Line

The production line typically includes 7 core stages:

Reception & Cleaning: FFBs are unloaded, weighed, and cleaned to remove dirt, stones, and loose leaves.
Sterilization: FFBs are steamed at 120–140°C to stop enzymatic activity, loosen fruits from bunches, and soften mesocarps.
Threshing: Sterilized FFBs are mechanically beaten to separate individual fruits from bunches.
Digestion & Pressing: Fruits are crushed (digested) to break cell walls, then pressed to extract a mixture of crude palm oil, water, and solid impurities (pulp).
Clarification: The pressed mixture is heated and centrifuged to separate oil from water and solids, yielding crude palm oil (CPO).
Kernel Recovery: Solids from pressing are screened to collect palm kernels, which undergo separate processing (cracking, drying, pressing) to produce palm kernel oil (PKO).
Refining (Optional): CPO can be further refined (degumming, neutralization, bleaching, deodorization) to produce refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil for food use.

Palm oil production lines vary widely in capacity, from small-scale (50–500 kg of FFBs per hour) to large industrial plants (5–60 tons of FFBs per hour). Small lines are suitable for rural cooperatives, while large lines supply commercial markets. Capacity is determined by equipment size (e.g., sterilizers, presses, centrifuges) and can be scaled by adding parallel processing units. A 10-ton-per-hour FFB line, for example, can produce approximately 2–2.5 tons of CPO daily (assuming 20% oil extraction rate from FFBs).

Modern production lines achieve oil extraction rates (OER) of 18–22% for CPO from FFBs, meaning 1 ton of FFBs yields 180–220 kg of CPO. Efficiency depends on FFB quality (ripeness, freshness), sterilization time/temperature, and pressing equipment. Over-ripe or stale FFBs reduce OER due to FFA formation. Kernel recovery typically extracts 4–6% of PKO from FFBs (e.g., 40–60 kg of PKO per ton of FFBs). Advanced pressing technologies (e.g., screw presses) and proper maintenance can maximize extraction efficiency.

A basic line (for CPO production) requires:

Reception equipment (conveyors, cleaners, weighbridges).
Sterilizers (vertical or horizontal steam chambers).
Threshers (rotary drum or hammer mills).
Digester (steam-heated crusher) and screw press.
Clarification tanks (with heating coils) and centrifuges (decanters).
Storage tanks for crude palm oil.
For kernel processing, additional equipment includes kernel separators, dryers, cracker-separators, and kernel oil presses. Larger lines may add automation (e.g., PLC control systems) for monitoring and adjusting parameters like temperature and pressure.

Quality control measures include:

Strict FFB handling: Rapid processing post-harvest to limit FFA levels (target: <5% FFA in CPO).
Sterilization precision: Controlling steam pressure and time to avoid over- or under-sterilization.
Efficient clarification: Centrifugation to remove >95% of solids and moisture from pressed oil.
Testing: In-line or lab tests for FFA, moisture, impurity content, and color (e.g., using a Lovibond colorimeter).
Hygiene: Regular cleaning of equipment to prevent microbial contamination and off-flavors.
Refined oil lines add steps like degumming (removing phospholipids) and deodorization (stripping volatile compounds) to meet food-grade standards (e.g., <0.1% FFA for RBD palm oil).

Energy use depends on capacity: A 10-ton/hour FFB line consumes ~1.5–2.5 MWh of energy per ton of CPO, primarily from steam generation (for sterilization and digestion) and electric motors (conveyors, presses). Many plants use biomass (e.g., palm empty fruit bunches, fiber) as fuel for boilers, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Water consumption averages 3–5 cubic meters per ton of FFBs, used for cleaning, steam, and cooling. Modern lines recycle 50–70% of process water (e.g., from clarification) after treatment, minimizing waste. Wastewater (known as palm oil mill effluent, POME) is often treated in biogas plants to generate energy, making the process more sustainable.

Common challenges include:

FFB Supply & Quality: Ensuring a steady supply of ripe FFBs, especially in seasonal growing regions.
Maintenance: Screw presses and centrifuges require regular upkeep to prevent wear and maintain extraction efficiency.
Regulatory Compliance: Meeting environmental standards for wastewater discharge and emissions (e.g., EU regulations on POME treatment).
Cost Fluctuations: Volatility in FFB prices, energy costs, and global palm oil demand.
Labor: Skilled workers are needed to operate and monitor equipment, particularly in semi-automated lines.

Refinery plants transform crude palm oil (CPO) into edible oil through:

Degumming‌: Removal of phospholipids using phosphoric acid at 70-85°C
Bleaching‌: Adsorption of pigments/oxidation products with activated clay (0.5-2% dosage) at 100-110°C under vacuum
Deodorization‌: Steam distillation at 240-260°C under 2-6 mbar vacuum to remove free fatty acids (FFA) and odor compounds
Fractionation‌: Winterization at controlled temperatures (20-25°C) to separate olein (liquid) from stearin (solid)

Key machinery includes:

Degumming tanks‌ with high-speed agitators
Bleaching vessels‌ with vacuum systems (<50 mbar)
Deodorizers‌ (semi-continuous or continuous) with fatty acid condensers
Heat recovery systems‌ reducing steam consumption by 30-40%
Plate/frame filters‌ for spent clay removal