Technology of Palm Oil Refining and Fractionation Process (Tech)

The purpose of palm oil refining is to convert crude palm oil obtained from pressing into refined oil that meets international food safety standards. This process not only removes undesirable components such as free fatty acids, phospholipids, pigments, and off-flavor substances from the crude oil, but also maximizes the retention of the oil's natural nutritional components and antioxidant substances, ensuring the stability and safety of the final product.

Refining Process Flow Design

This solution adopts the internationally recognized physical refining method (Physical Refining), which offers significant advantages such as high refining yield, no soapstock wastewater generation, and stable product quality, particularly suitable for the refining of crude palm oil with high free fatty acid (FFA) content.

• Degumming: The purpose of degumming is to remove phospholipids from crude palm oil. First, citric acid or edible phosphoric acid is added to the crude oil to convert hydrated phospholipids into hydrated phospholipids. Hot water is then added to the acidified oil for a delayed reaction, causing colloidal substances like phospholipids to precipitate. These are filtered out using a filter machine, followed by vacuum drying to complete the degumming process.
  
  
• Decolorization Section: The dried oil is mixed with a certain proportion of white clay and enters the decolorization tower. Utilizing the adsorption properties of white clay, pigments, saponification products, and metal ions are removed from the oil.
  
  
• Deacidification and Deodorization: This stage employs the principle of high-temperature steam distillation under deep vacuum conditions to simultaneously remove free fatty acids, aldehyde and ketone-based odor compounds, and tocopherol oxidation products.
  
  

• Oil Fractionation: The refined oil is sent to a crystallization tank for cooling, causing high-melting-point triglycerides to crystallize and precipitate. A filter separates the solid palm stearin from the liquid palm oil, yielding two products with different applications.

Technology

• High-precision automated control system:
  This solution employs fully integrated automation technology, leveraging the synergistic collaboration of PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), DCS (Distributed Control System), and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems to achieve precise control over the entire refining process. It automatically optimizes process parameter settings based on the quality of the feedstock oil, ensuring consistent product quality.
  
  
• Energy-saving and environmentally friendly technology integration:
  Energy consumption is the primary cost component in palm oil refining. This solution employs multi-level thermal energy recovery technology, a combination of mechanical supercharging and liquid ring vacuum pumps, reducing overall energy consumption by over 30% and completely eliminating process wastewater generation; Deodorization vacuum exhaust gas undergoes two-stage treatment via low-temperature condensation and activated carbon adsorption, ensuring exhaust gas emissions far exceed international environmental standards.
  
  
• Oil quality enhancement technology:
  Utilizes mild deodorization technology to maximize retention of natural antioxidants such as tocopherols (vitamin E) and carotenoids; Using antioxidants and a nitrogen sealing system to control dissolved oxygen concentration in the oil.

Equipment

• Vacuum drying system: Includes a film-type drying tower, water ring vacuum pump set, and condensate recovery tank. The system adopts a modular design to accommodate different factory layouts, with a mirror-polished surface (Ra ≤ 0.4 μm) for easy cleaning and maintenance.
  
  
• High-Efficiency Centrifuge Unit: Equipped with disc-type centrifuges from German Westfalia or Swedish Alfa Laval to ensure efficient separation of gum. The housing is made of duplex stainless steel, offering excellent corrosion resistance and suitability for high-acid-value palm oil environments.
  
  
• Fully Enclosed Decolorization Tower: Designed by Yahu engineers, the multi-layer agitated decolorization tower features a tower body divided into 3-5 independent reaction zones, each equipped with a variable-speed agitator and a baffle plate system to prevent clay settling.
  
  
• Combined deodorization tower: The innovatively designed dual-tower structure features a packed bed acid removal section in the front tower and a plate-type deodorization section in the rear tower. The tower body is made of 310S stainlesssteel, with the inner walls of the high-temperature section undergoing electrolytic polishing treatment. The heat transfer system uses high-temperature thermal oil circulation, achieving energy savings of 15%-20% compared to direct steam heating.

Project Implementation and Services

We provide professional services and support throughout the entire project lifecycle.

• Pre-sales consultation and design: Our engineers assess customer needs through analysis and develop a comprehensive process solution based on this assessment.
  
  
• Project implementation: Services cover the entire “turnkey” project process, from detailed design, equipment manufacturing and procurement, installation and construction, system commissioning, to final delivery.
  
  
• Installation, Commissioning, and Start-up: We dispatch experienced engineers to provide on-site installation guidance, conduct comprehensive system commissioning until standards are met, and offer systematic training for clients' operators combining theory with practical operations.
  
  

• Spare Parts Supply and After-Sales Service, including guaranteed supply of original spare parts, 24/7 technical hotline support, regular equipment inspections and maintenance recommendations, remote diagnostic services, and rapid on-site response for emergency faults.

  
  

• Process Optimization and Upgrade Services: Through analysis and diagnosis of operational data, we tailor optimization solutions for customers to achieve energy savings, efficiency improvements, and enhanced product quality, and provide technical renovation and upgrade services for existing facilities.