How Can Palm Oil Refining and Fractionation Equipment Improve Your Production Efficiency and Oil Quality?

Palm oil is the most demanded vegetable oil globally, but rough processing techniques can result in oil with many impurities and prone to rancidity. Are you looking for an efficient and eco-friendly refining solution?

Yahua Group's palm oil refining and fractionation equipment uses a fully automated modular design. Through four processes – degumming, deacidification, decolorization, and deodorization – the free fatty acid content of crude oil is reduced to below 0.1%, while retaining over 80% of the natural vitamin E. Our systems have assisted over 200 customers in Southeast Asia, Africa, and other regions to achieve EU food-grade certification.

Many customers initially worry that the cost of equipment modification is too high. However, after actual use, they find out that our energy-saving design reduces steam consumption by 35%, and the investment can be recovered within three years. Next, I will use three case studies to illustrate the core advantages of this system.

Why Does the Refining Process Determine the Final Value of Palm Oil?

Untreated crude palm oil contains a large amount of phospholipids and free fatty acids, not only affecting the flavor but also shortening the shelf life. This issue once caused a factory in Malaysia to lose $120,000 monthly in returns.

Yahua's continuous refining production line includes core equipment such as membrane filters, degumming tanks, and decolorization towers. Through a physical-chemical synergistic process, it reduces the oil's acid value from 8mg/g to 0.15mg/g and impurity content to <0.01%. The entire system is equipped with an intelligent central control station, where operators only need to set parameters to complete quality control.

Key Technology Breakdown

We compared the effect of three mainstream refining processes on nutritional composition:

This system is particularly suitable for customers who need to produce high-value-added oil products. For example, an Indonesian company used our equipment to successfully enter the Japanese infant formula supply chain, increasing their oil prices by 40%.

How Does Fractionation Equipment Create More Profit Growth Points?

Ordinary refined palm oil sells for about $800/ton, while the price of palm stearin obtained through fractionation can reach $1,200/ton. However, traditional fractionation towers have problems with uneven crystallization.

Our multi-stage programmed cooling fractionation system is equipped with patented crystallizers, achieving a solid lipid yield of 72% through precise control of the cooling curve (temperature difference ±0.5℃), while the cloud point of the liquid oil is reduced to below 5℃. A Thai client developed specialized oil for frozen foods, increasing annual profits by $2.1 million.

Actual operating data prove:

• 24-series stearin yield: 28 tons/hour (industry average: 22 tons)

• Electricity consumption: 0.15 kWh/ton of oil

• Steam consumption: 0.3 tons/ton of oil

What Hidden Challenges Might Arise in Old Plant Renovations?

A plant in Nigeria initially planned to only replace the deodorization tower, but our engineers discovered that its pretreatment system was severely outdated. Blindly upgrading a single machine could result in the "barrel effect."

Yahua not only provides equipment but also a one-stop service including process diagnostics, customized solutions, and equipment cluster optimization. Finally, the client adopted our recommendation to implement a step-by-step renovation plan:

1. First, upgrade the distillation deacidification system (completed in 3 weeks)

2. Then, renovate the heat exchange network (2 weeks)

3. Finally, install the DCS control system (1 week)

After the transformation, the production line efficiency was increased by 60%, but the entire process did not affect normal production. This is precisely the value embodiment of our 30 years of industry experience.

Conclusion

Yahua's palm oil refining and fractionation solutions are helping global customers produce higher value products at lower costs.

Mr. Lu

A Senior Palm Oil Process Engineer who has been dedicated to the palm oil industry since 2005. He possesses rich project experience, overseeing the complete lifecycle from design and manufacturing to installation and commissioning at client sites around the world. His portfolio is strongest in Indonesia and Malaysia. Drawing on his deep expertise, he continually pioneers new processes focused on maximizing oil yield and minimizing equipment loss, ensuring he remains at the forefront of the field.