What is the Palm Oil Refinery Process and Key Points?
Palm oil is one of the most consumed vegetable oils in the world and is widely used in the food, cosmetics and biofuel industries. To produce high-quality refined palm oil, strict palm oil processing technology is required. As one of the leading companies in the grain and oil machinery industry, Henan Huatai Cereals and Oils Machinery Co., Ltd. will introduce you to the process flow and key technical points of the palm oil refinery in detail to help you optimize production and improve oil quality.
The main process flow of palm oil refining
Palm oil refining usually includes degumming, deacidification, decolorization, deodorization and other steps. The choice of different processes will affect the quality and cost of the final product. The following is the complete refining process:
1) Crude oil pretreatment
Palm crude oil contains impurities, moisture, free fatty acids (FFA) and gum, and needs to be pretreated first:
Filtration: Remove solid impurities such as fiber, pulp residue, etc.
Degumming: Remove phospholipids and gum through hydration or acid treatment to improve oil stability
2) Deacidification (neutralization)
Palm oil has a high content of free fatty acids (FFA) and needs to be deacidified:
Chemical deacidification (alkali refining): Add sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to neutralize FFA to generate soap stock, which is then separated by centrifugation.
Physical refining (distillation deacidification): Applicable to crude palm oil with high acid value, remove FFA through high-temperature steam distillation to reduce refining consumption.
3) Decolorization
Palm oil contains natural pigments (such as carotenoids) and needs to be decolorized:
Adsorption decolorization: Use activated clay or activated carbon to adsorb pigments to make the oil clearer.
Filtration: Remove the decolorizer to obtain light-colored oil.
4) Deodorization
Remove odorous substances from oil and improve taste:
High-temperature vacuum distillation: Remove volatile odor components (such as aldehydes and ketones) under high temperature (240-260℃) and vacuum conditions.
Cooling: The deodorized oil needs to be cooled quickly to prevent oxidation.
5) Fractiontion (optional)
According to demand, palm oil can be further extracted into palm olein and palm stearin, which are suitable for different food and industrial uses.
Key technical points of palm oil refining
1) Deacidification process selection
Crude oil with low acid value (FFA < 5%) is suitable for chemical refining, and crude oil with high acid value (FFA > 5%) is recommended for physical refining to reduce refining consumption.
2) Optimization of decolorization efficiency
Control the amount of white clay (usually 1%-3%) to avoid excessive decolorization and oil loss.
3) Deodorization temperature control
Excessive temperature may lead to the formation of trans fatty acids, affecting the health of oil products.
4) Energy saving and environmental protection
Adopt heat recovery system to reduce steam consumption and reduce wastewater discharge.
Refining solutions of Henan Huatai Oil Machinery
As one of the professional palm oil refining equipment manufacturer, Henan Huatai Cereals and Oils Machinery Co., Ltd. provides a full set of palm oil refining production lines, including:
1) Continuous degumming and deacidification system – effectively reduce FFA and improve refining rate
2) Vacuum decolorization tower – accurately control the decolorization effect and reduce the consumption of white clay
3) High-efficiency deodorization tower – ensure that the oil is odorless and meets food safety standards
4) Automated control system – PLC intelligent monitoring to improve production stability
The core advantages of Huatai Oil Machinery:
1) Energy saving and environmental protection: heat recovery technology to reduce production costs
2) High refining rate: optimize the process and reduce oil loss
3) Global cases: equipment is exported to Southeast Asia, Africa and other major palm oil producing areas
Conclusion
Palm oil refining is a technology-intensive process, and choosing the right palm oil refinery equipment and process is crucial. With 37+ years of industry experience, Henan Huatai Cereals and Oils Machinery Co., Ltd. provides customers with efficient and energy-saving palm oil refining solutions to help customers improve their competitiveness.
If you need palm oil refining equipment or technical support, please contact us, we will provide you with professional services!
Website: https://palmoilmachine.com/
Email: info06@cnoilmachine.com
