Category Nigeria

QI’E Machinery can offer turnkey palm oil extraction projects. Feel free to send an inquiry for more details! We will be always at your service!

Typical palm oil extraction process: fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) reception, sterilizing, fruit bunches threshing, fruit digesting and oil extraction. The crush palm oil is generally further processed in palm oil refinery plant to manufacture edible oil.

 Fruit Reception – The First Step of Palm Oil Extraction

The palm fruits are as bunches when arriving the fruit reception/receiving station of palm oil extraction plant. Before the processing of oil extraction, they are weighed in trucks by use of weighbridges. It should be underlined here that the quality of final palm oil is initially affected by the quality of bunches arriving at the palm oil mill. The palm oil extraction process or machine can only prevent or minimize the further deterioration, but cannot enhance this quality.

Effect Factors of Final Palm Oil Quality and Composition

The field calculates that influence the structure and last nature of palm oil:

• Oil Palm Tree Species
• Oil Palm Tree Age
• Agronomic
• Natural
• Gathering Technique
• Handling And Transport

Maybe some measures can be took during harvesting and transporting. However, most of the above factors are beyond control, especially in scale-scale palm oil extraction plant. The following is the complete process flow of large palm oil mill. Feel free to inquire about the cost, if you are interested our palm oil extraction machine or plant.

Technique of Palm Fruit Harvesting

The oil content of the palm fruit is very low in the early phases of formation and it increases as the fruit grow. When the fruits is maturity, the oil content is about 50% of mesocarp weigh.

The fresh fruits apt to be bruised in many cases before extraction of palm oil, especially during the processes of harvesting, loading and unloading. However, the FFA (free fatty acids) in the bruised part of fruit can increase to 60% rapidly in just an hour, which greatly affects the composition and quality of final palm oil. The answer to reduce the damage to palm oil extraction quality is to send the fresh fruit bunches to process and extracting the fruits as early as possible once harvested, at the latest within 48 hours.

About Oil Palm

Oil palm is mainly distributed in countries with high rainfall in tropical climates, such as Malaysia and Nigeria. Due to its economic importance as a high-yielding wellspring of edible and specialized oil, oil palm is now grown as plantation crop.

The palm bears its fruit in bunches varying in weight from 10 to 40 kg. The individual fruit, ranging from 6 to 20 gm. The fruit is comprised of exocarp (outer skin), mesocarp (pulp) and central nut. The central nut consists of shell (endocarp) and kernel. The palm oil is extracted from the fibrous matrix of palm pulp, while palm kernel oil is extracted from the kernel.

The sterilization or cooking station of palm oil mill is a process to loose fruit by use of high-temperature wet-heat treatment.The difference between cooking and sterilization is that cooking uses hot water whereas sterilization involves the use of pressurized steam.

Main Equipment: Fruit Cage, Horizontal Sterilizer and Tippler.

Palm oil is generally processed by sterilization. The sterilization process serves the following processes. As a kind of improtant palm oil machine, palm oil sterilizer (sterilizing machinery) serves the following purposes.

Purpose of Palm Oil Sterilizing Process

• The heat treatment helps destroy oil-splitting enzymes and seizes hydrolysis and autoxidation.
• In large scale palm oil mill plant, where the fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) need to be cooked whole, the steam weakens the stem of the fruit and reduces the effort required to get the fruit from the bunch with mere tumbling in the threshing machine or shaking.
• The heat is very important since it assists in solidifying proteins that contain the oil-bearing cells that are microscopically dispersed in it. This process of protein solidification/coagulation enables the oil bearing cells to collect together and flow with much ease when pressure is exerted.
• Further, the fruit is subjected to cooking to weaken the pulp structure, make it soft and easy to remove the fibrous material and its components during the process of digestion. High heat is recommended to partially disband the oil containing cells found in the mesocarp and further allows the oil to flow more readily. This stage of processing is very important.
• During sterilization, the moisture produced by the steam helps to chemically disintegrate the gums and resins. If this is not done, the resins and gum will cause foam during frying. Since part of the resins and gums are soluble in water, you can choose to apply wet steam to dissolve them in water such that they can be easily removed during clarification. Even the starch contained in the fruit can be hydrolyzed and removed in the same way.
• High-pressure steam is recommended for sterilization to cause the (warm air) moisture in the nuts to expand. Reducing the pressure causes contraction of the nuts and detachment of the kernels within their shells.
• After detaching the kernel from its shell wall, the nut cracking operation then begins. This clearly demonstrates that sterilization is therefore the most important process here. It is a pre-requisite for the success of all other palm oil processing processes.
• On high-pressure steam heating, the sterilization systems causes the bunches to loosen the fruits. This is critical because it helps the palm fruit bunches loose less water during the process.

 Palm Oil Mill Projects in Malaysia

The following is one of our palm oil pressing plant built in Malyasis. It is composed of 2 lines. The capacity of each line is 40 Tons per hour. Feel free to contact us for more information about our palm oil machines and projects.

It is very important to ensure that air in the sterilizer is evacuated before the process of sterilization begins. The air may act as a blocker to heat transfer and again most likely to increase oxidation particularly at high temperatures. Note that oxidation risks is common during high temperature sterilization whereas over-oxidation may as well cause poor or partial bleach ability of the end product (oil). Sterilization is undoubtedly the main cause of the discolouration of palm kernels resulting to poor bleach ability of the extracted oil and no doubt, the cause of reduction in the protein value of the oil press cake.

Build an Automatic Palm Oil Pressing Line

We can offer all kinds of palm oil machine including sterilizer, digester, stripper, screw oil pressing machinery, palm oil filter machine. We also undertake turnkey solutions for premium large scale palm oil pressing line. As a professinal and reliable palm oil machinery manufacturer and supplier in China with decades of experience, we can offer all-around services from palm oil mill plant designing, process customizing,  palm oil machinery manfuacturing, on-site debugging and installing.

Alll the projects we build for our customers are designed depanding on their specific situation, requirements and cost budget. If you are keen in buying palm oil machines or building a palm oil mill plant, don’t hesitate to inquiry about the details or cost! We are always at your service 7×24 hours!

QI’E Machinery is a leading manufacturer & supplier of high quality palm oil and palm kernel oil processing machine. We are committed to update the oil processing technology to help customers to get the most advanced palm oil processing equipment at favorable price. Our core equipment includes palm oil milling machine, palm oil refining equipment, palm kernel oil extraction machine, palm kernel oil refinery plant, and palm oil fractionation equipment, etc..In addition, we also provide one-stop service to help customers setup palm oil processing turnkey project, including factory design, machine manufacturing, installation, commissioning and training services!

Threshing Palm Oil

The palm fruit received in the palm oil mill plant are palm fruit bunches which are embedded with many small individual fruits. In the threhsing process, the individual palm fruits will be detached from the bunches by use of FFBs thresher/stripper. Rotating Drum and Fixed Drum are the two main threshing machine applied in palm oil milling process. The bunch waste from the palm oil milling process is incinerated and the ash, a rich source of potassium, is returned to the plantation as fertilizer.

We meet the demands of virtually every application in the edible palm oil milling industries. With premium quality palm oil manufacturing machinery and professional processing systems & technologies in the field of palm oil extraction and refineries, our expertise with mature experiences can help you design and build customized palm oil mill.

Ideal Composition of Palm Fruit Bunch

Setup up Small Scale Palm Oil Mill Plant

Small scale palm oil mill plant earns more and more popularity in palm oil industry, especially in Africa since it requires less investment. Small scale palm oil processing equipment is relatively small, taking up less spaces. Also, it is easy to operate and do not requires complicate process.

Supply high quality palm oil processing machines and customized solutions for crude palm oil processing. Premium machinery, competitive price!

Palm Oil Processing Plant – Digesting System

The purpose of digestion in palm oil processing plant is to rupture the oil-bearing cells of fruit and release the palm oil. The digester is a steam-heated cylindrical vessel. In the digester, there is a central rotating shaft carrying a number of beater arms which is used to pound the fruit. To destroy the exocarp of palm fruit, disrupt the oil cells and reduce the viscosity of the oil, the digesting process is done under high temperature. But for most small scale palm oil mill, in order to reduce cost, it is designed without heat insulation and steam injections.

There is one more thing you should know about digesting system. In the palm oil processing mill, when the metal wear of digester exceed the highest rate, there will be increasing risk of oil oxidation and the onset of oil rancidity.

How to Build a Crude Palm Oil Processing Plant

<td>Sterilization Station: Sterilization process follows where a lot of heat is used to cook the fruit. In this station of palm oil processing, enzymatic reactions are also stopped, arresting hydrolysis ,auto-oxidation and the outer cover of the fruit (exocarp) is also weakened allowing easier oil extraction from the fruit. This process can be done by either roasting/smoking which is done after threshing process or by steaming/boiling which should be done before threshing process.

	Bunch Reception Station: The palm oil processing plant starts after the harvesting of the palm fruit bunches where they are taken to the palm oil mill for processing. During the harvesting process the fruits should be handled with care to prevent bruising them as the bruise reduces the quality of oil extracted.
	Threshing Station: The fruit bunches then undergo threshing which separates the fruitlets from the bunch in a rotating drum. It can be done manually or a mechanical by use of palm oil processing machinery – thresher / threshing machine. The loose fruits are then conveyed to the another palm oil processing machine – digester, and the empty fruit bunches are separated and returned to the plantation or used as fuel in the boiler.
	Digesting Station: The fruits are then digested in the digester. This process involves the crushing of the fruits and warming the pulp before oil extraction is done. Warming is important in order to maximize oil extraction.
	Palm Oil Pressing Station: Pressing is then done which yields press liquor (oil, water sand and other solid impurities) by use of palm oil pressing machine (expeller). The nuts can be removed before digesting to yield grade A oil or the mesocarp can be pressed together with nut. Pressing the pulp bursts out the cells carrying the oil hence releasing the palm oil. Manual, hydraulic and screw presses can be used. Care should be taken when using the hydraulic press to ensure that the hydraulic fluid does not get in to contact with the oil as it is poisonous, hydraulics also require frequent replacements as they wear out fast due to absorption of moisture from the air hence losing their effectiveness. Screw press is the most recommended palm oil pressing machine as it yields most oil.
	Crud Palm Oil Clarification: Oil is then clarified, in this process impurities screening is done whereby large solids of fiber and dirt are removed from the raw oil .Water is then added to the raw oil in order to improve the separation process. After sieving process the raw crude oil is obtained but it still contains fine solids and water. Water is removed by introduction of a steam in the coils (increasing the temperature in the coils). The fine solids that are in the oil are removed finally as they sediment hence separating oil from the sludge to obtain about 163 kg of oil per one tone of the palm fruits processed.
	Oil Drying and Cooling: Oil drying and cooling is the last step of crude palm oil processing plant, which is done due to presence of high content of water in the crude oil. The purified oil is then collected in to a vacuum evaporation system after drying. The oil is stored in tanks ready for sale to an oil refinery. The solid parts (nuts and fiber) are separated by physical means the fiber is used in the boiler as fuel.

Supply turnkey palm oil pressing plant and all kinds of quality palm oil machines including palm oil press, palm oil expeller and filter with competitive price. Send an inquiry now and tell us your budget, situation and other requirements. Then we can guide you starting palm oil pressing and refinery business step by step.

After bunch reception, bunch sterilizing, threshing and digesting, the palm fruits are pressed into a screw palm oil press. Mixture of oil and cake will be extracted by use of palm oil press machine. Besides, nuts and fibre or press cake will also be discharged as palm oil pressing residues.

Palm Oil Pressing Machine (Oil Extraction)

Screw pressing is the main method of palm oil extraction. In pressing stage, mechanical screw palm oil pressing machine is used to extract the oil out of digested palm pulp which is a mixture of oil, water, fibre and nuts.

Hydraulic presses and the older centrifuges have been deemed almost redundant today as palm oil processing plants these days use specifically designed screw-presses much like the ones used for other kinds of oil seeds. Palm oil screw press is made of a rod-shaped punctured enclosure and a narrowly fitting screw running through it. The digested palm fruit mashes are unceasingly carried through the enclosure and taken to an opening that is restricted by a cone which generates the pressure needed to extract the oil via the cage perforations in the enclosure.

Due to the commotion and massage action that is applied on the fruit pulp in the pressing cage, screw presses are known as the most effective machinery in breaking open the oil cells that remain unopened and hence extract more oil. Screw oil presses can be viewed as an extra digester. They are ideal for the extraction of palm oil and other kinds of vegetable oil.

Facts about Processing of Palm Oil

Palm oil extraction process can extract two kinds of oil products from oil palm fruit. One is palm oil which is pressed from the flesh of palm fruit. The other is palm kernel oil extracted from the kernel of the fruit. Both palm oil and palm kernel oil can be further processed for making a wide range of fractions and derivatives. Palm kernel expeller/cake is widely applied in animal feed industry or be further processed in pellet plant for feeding animals or burning directly.

Main Technical Data

Utility Consumption (Calculated on the basis of the amount needed for processing per ton of fresh palm-fruit bunches)

Quality of Crude Palm Oil Produced

Essential Process of Palm Oil Extraction Plant

The following steps are essential process for both small scale palm oil processing plant and large scale extraction production of palm oil, which means no matter how simple or sophistication of the extraction plant, these steps cannot be omitted.

• Separating each single fruit from the whole bunch mechanically or manually.
• Soften the palm fruit by boiling or steaming.
• Pressing oily liquid out from the fruit pulp by use of physical palm oil extractor (screw oil press is used generally).
• Purify the oily liquid by use of artificial clarifiers or by purification system.

Palm oil processing project is a great business to invest in, which has very large market demand and profit space!

In complete palm oil productin plant, clarification is the process that ensures removal of all impurities from the crude oil. The sludge is taken different tank chambers and processes to remove particles and other suspended materials. Settling tanks that are based on gravity are used in eliminating the solids. In other levels, the centrifuge can be taken into action. High temperatures of 85-90 degrees are used and water introduced to dissolve the content. At the end of palm oil clarification, a vacuum dryer is used to evaporate water from the oil. The following is a step to step guideline that is followed in clarification of palm oil production process to get pure palm oil.

With decades of experiences in designing and manufacturing vegetable oil milling machinery and oil mill plant. We can offer turnkey projects service, including palm oil pressing, palm kernel oil solvent extraction and palm oil refinery plant! Over the years, there has been a growing demand in use of palm oil and its products. It is harvested from the palm fruit which grows on a Palm tree. The oil has been found to have many uses. Mostly, it is used as vegetable oil, in shampoo, margarine, lip stick, and in many other products. There is need therefore for a purified product that is hygienic and safe for use. Grasp the business opportunity and inquiry about customized project design and cost evalutation of palm oil processing plant.

 Our Successful Palm Oil Production Projects in Malaysia

Clarification Process in Palm Oil Production

• Use of a Vibrating Screen

To begin with, the crude oil carries with it all types of matter. Some of the solid materials are: fibers from the palm fruit, dirt, and fragments. It is important to remove from the mixture the large particles first. There is no way that the solids can be allowed through. Water is added to the raw oil where it is passed through a vibrating screen. It is common knowledge that the vibrations separate the solids to the top of the solution. The separation process goes forward by sieving the material that separates at the top. This however does not take away the small particles and water which can as well oxidize upon coming into contact with air hence affecting the quality of the palm oil.

• Suspended Solids Separation from the Crude Oil

It is expected that at the end of the process, the composition of the crude oil should be 90% oil and 10% water. The oil is heated by live stream or in closed system using heating coils. The separation of the suspended solids is done with the “oil separation tank” method. The heating facilitates the gravity separation. However, this procedure is not very effective. Only about 50% of the suspended material is removed. The remaining material is either in the settled residue or the suspended solids. This can however be effected by adding the centrifuge to the oil clarification system. The 3-phase decanter improves the separation process. At this stage, the oil that is settled at the tank is taken in the sludge tank where it is treated to have more oil extracted from it. What lies on the upper part of the separating tank is collected using the funnel and goes to the oil purification system.

• Purification Process

By now, there are still some suspended solids in the palm oil. They need to be removed during the production of palm oil by all means. Some of the solids are very fine. The raw crude oil that settled at the top in the settling tank is hereby mixed with the recovered oil that was taken in the sludge tank. It is well treated before mixing. The combined mixture is made to go through the purification process. The process is enhanced and improved by use of centrifuges. This is the final part of the palm oil purification process. It all entails the removal of remaining solids that are commonly smaller and finer. The centrifuges have an automatic cake discharge and cleaning system too.

• Oil Drying and Cooling

A lot of water which has been previously added to the palm oil needs to be removed from the purified crude oil. Remember that the final product should only contain 90% crude oil and10% water. The oil is subjected to a treatment process that is referred to as oil drying and cooling process of palm oil production plant. What other better way to do away with the excess water than to expose it to evaporation? In this regard, the purified oil is introduced to a vacuum evaporating system. After the removal of water, the pure crude oil is stored in tanks ready to be sold to oil refinery.

Now you know what clarification of palm oil production demands. It is a process aimed to remove impurities from the crude palm oil. The oil goes through the process of vibration, separation of suspended solids, purification, and finally drying and cooling.

Large palm oil mill project is designed with a tank for storage crude palm oil after clarification process, before dispatch from the mill. The storage temperature of bulk palm oil is controlled around 50°C, so that to reduce the oxidation rate of oil. Hot water or low-pressure steam-heating coils are used in the storage silo to prevent fractionation and solidification. The storage tanks/silo in our palm oil mill projects are all lined with suitable protective coating, effectively prevent iron contamination.

Palm Oil Storage Principles

• Kill contaminating micro-organisms and destruct enzymes in the fresh palm fruits by heating during sterilization process.
• Prevent microbial growth by drying before storage. Low moisture content can prolong the shelf life of palm oil.
• Choose proper method and tank to store the bulk palm oil after extraction to slow down rancidity.

 Successful Palm Oil Mill Projects

The following are some onsite photos of our palm oil milling projects.

Tell us your budget and requirement by filling the following form, and our salesman will offer you customized palm oil milling solutions, plant layout design and cost. It’s our great pleasure to service you at any time!

After palm oil pressing process, solids parts (mixtures of palm fibre and nuts) will be discharged out of the screw press. In palm kernel recovery plant, the nuts and fibre will be separated by physical method. The fibre are burned in steam boiler as biomass fuel. The super-heated steam is then used to drive turbines to generate electricity for the to the complete palm oil extraction plant. The nuts are send to crushing system to remove the shell. Palm kernel is another by-product of palm oil mill, which can be further processed in palm kernel processing plant to extract palm kernel oil, while the shells are sold as fuel to other industries.

Palm Kernel Recovery System

After palm oil extraction, the nuts and fiber are recovered from the mash. The mixture of nut and fiber is dried first and then separated from each other in depericarper (nut & fibre separator). As fibers is light in weight, they are carried away by air flow, while nuts are fall into a rotary drum. The separated fibers are used in the boiler as fuel. The nuts are sent to nut silo. By use of cracking machinery, the palm kernel will be recovered from the nuts. The nut shells are collected and feed into boiler with fiber. The kernels are further processed in palm kernel oil extraction plant to produce palm kernel oil (PKO) and palm kernel cake (PKC).

The rate of FFA increase is much faster in broken kernels. So try to keep the kernel breakage as low as possible during the nut crushing processes.

 Palm Oil Extraction Manufacturer & Supplier

QI’E Machinery is a leading manufacturer and supplier in palm oil extraction and refinery. We specialize in designing turnkey solutions for extracting palm oil and manufacturing palm oil extraction machines. We provide quality equipment for palm oil and palm kernel processing plant to our customers. Among our clients are a number of return customers. With rich experience in palm oil production, we are you trusted manufacturer of palm oil machines. Feel free to let us know if you are interested in getting more about our machines and projects. Just remember that we are always at your service!