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CHAPTER 3

 To expose students about palm oil refining

processes
 To introduce terms in refining crude palm oil
such as RBD, Olein & Stearin

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At the end of this chapter, students should be

able to:

 state basic refining process from crude oil

until intermediate products such as Palm
olein & stearin and others
 describes important parameters such
pressure, temperature and others in the
processes

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Vegetables Oils and Fats….

 Palm Oil: composition
 C12:0 Lauric - 0.2%
 C14:0 Myristic - 1.1%
 C16:0 Palmitic - 44.0% saturated fatty acid
 C18:0 Stearic - 4.5%
 C18:1 Oleic - 39.2% unsaturated
 C18:2 Linoleic - 10.1% fatty acid

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Vegetables Oils and Fats….

 Palm Oil characteristics:
Saponification value 195-205

Iodine value 44-58

Nonsaponifiable matter 0.5%

Melting point 36-40 °C

Refractive Index at 40 °C 1.453-1.456

Carotene Content 50-2000 ppm

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Input Output

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 Hydrolytic
◦ Moisture, dirt, free fatty acids,partial glycerides and
enzymes
 Oxidative
◦ Metals, oxidation products, pigment, tocopherols ,
and phospatides

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 Catalyst poison
◦ Compounds containing nitrogen, sulphur &
halogens
 Hydrocarbons
◦ Terpenes, resdin, waxes ad unsaturated compounds

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 The aim of refining is therefore to convert the

crude oil to quality edible oil by removing
objectionable impurities to the desired levels
in the most efficient manner.
 And also to neutralized Free Fatty Acid
present in the crude oil

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 The refining routes of palm oil is quite

identical depends on its characteristic:
◦ Product approach and refiners requirement
◦ Higher oil yield,
◦ Reduction of the use of chemical
◦ Reduction in water use
◦ Effluent 75 to 90% reduce
◦ Quality and acidity of crude oil
◦ Ability to remove soapstock
◦ Environmental legislation

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 There are two routes are taken to process

crude oil into refined oil:
◦ chemical refining
◦ physical refining

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 Characteristics of Crude Palm Oil….

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PFD of Physical Refining

To TOH From TOH
Storage
Tank
Vacuum
SHE SHE SHE
H3PO4

Vacuum

Bleaching Vacuum
Bleacher Level

Motorised Mixer

Static MIxer

BPO
Pre-
Buffer Stripper
Tank
FA
PHE
To Slope Condenser
Tank
PHE

PHE
Silo BPO
Trap FA
PHE Niagara Filter Filter Condenser

PHE

PHE RBDPO
Slurry Tank Trap
Filter
RBDPO RBDPO

Outlet

CPO
Inlet
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Refining involves with four stages:

1. Pre-cleaning- neutralization by treatment
of lye
2. Degumming- remove phospolidips
3. Bleaching- decolorization by adsorptive
treatment
4. Deodorization- stripping in vacuum

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 Refining can be categorized into two types:

◦ Alkali/chemical refining
◦ Physical refining

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 During chemical refining, the free fatty acids

are neutralized by an addition of the
appropriate quantity of lye.
 The resulting so-called ”soapstock”

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 The phosphatides and gums are absorb alkali

and coagulated through hydration or
degradation
 Coloring is degraded & absorbed by gums or
become water soluble by the alkali
 Insoluble matters is trapped with others
coagulable materials.

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 Heat, time plus excess caustic can caused

saponification and producing glycerols and
salts of fatty acid form the neutral oil
 Separated either by decanting or -
continuously - by means of centrifuges. At
this time, the non-hydratable phosphatides
are also separated.

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 Factors contribute of alkali refining success:

◦ NaOH(lye) strength/ concentration
◦ Mixing time
◦ Mixing energy
◦ Temperature
◦ NaOH excess.

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 Crude oil with high levels of phospatides such

as canola, soybean will be treated with food
grade phosphoric acid before mixed with
caustic soda
 This step to ensure:
◦ Precipitate phosphatidic material
◦ Precipitate natural calcium & magnesium as
insoluble phospate
◦ Inactive trace metals such as iron and
copper
◦ Reduce neutral oil losses.

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 Physical refining, is a process which

eliminates the need for an effluent plant for
the soap stock, involves subjecting the oil to
steam distillation under higher temperature
and vacuum for removal of the free fatty
acids . Expensive to removed
 Loss of neutral oil and reduce overall yield of
crude oil.

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: Simplified Flowsheet of Physical Refining

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 Suit when raw materials is low gums and high

FFA, unsaponifiable and others by stream
stripping
 Need pretreatment with 2 steps:
◦ Addition of chemical to remove small amount of
gums
◦ Uisng steam distillation to remove FFA and
impurities.

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Low Phosphatides High Phosphatide

Crude fats & Oil Crude Fats & Oil

Acid Refining or
Physical refining process flow Degumming (Water Acid,
diagram Enzymatic or Another
Process

Dry Degumming or
Dry Degumming Bleaching

Dewaxing,
fractionation
Hydrogenation

Steam Distillation

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 Requirement of pretreament:
◦ Phosporus reduced to less than 30 ppm to
support on bleaching or dry degumming
process
◦ After that trace level of element and
phosphorus will reduce approx to 5 ppm

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Influence of initial Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content on the

direct refining cost.

Chemical
refining

Physical
Diriect refining cost

refining

1.2 % 2.0 %

FFA %
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Colour of oil

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CPKO

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