PALM OIL MANUFACTURING AND APPLICATION (CHE 323)

Prepared by:

2019432654 MOHAMAD AMIRUL HAIKAL BIN ZAKARIA EH110-5B

Prepared for: MISS NORKAMRUZITA

Date of submission: 11th November 2021

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Content Pages
Background of the company 3
Brief description on the key processes in the plant 4-5
Characteristic of palm oil products 6-7
Palm oil utilization and demand of the company 8-9
The overview of palm oil supply chain 10
Sustainable framework that being applied in the plant 11

Appendices 12-13

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1.0 Background of the company.

Prosper Palm Oil Mill Sdn Bhd (PPOM) is a fully integrated palm oil mill company in
Peninsular Malaysia, conveniently positioned in the state of Negeri Sembilan. Its main business
is the processing of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) into main products such as Crude Palm Oil
(CPO) and Palm Kernel Oil (PKO). The company was founded and successfully commissioned
in 1982. Since then, the company shown to be a dependable and consistent crude palm oil and
palm kernel supplier to all of the major palm oil and palm kernel oil downstream processors
across a wide range of industries, including Palm Oil Refineries, Oleochemicals, Biodiesel,
Animal Feed, and Kernel Crushing Plants.

In Pahang, PPOM manages roughly 21,000 hectares of oil palm plantation. This will
secure the long-term viability of its palm oil milling operation, as well as commercial and
quality assurance competitiveness. Other companies participating in the upstream and
midstream divisions of the palm oil industry, such as oil palm plantations, palm oil mills, and
kernel crushing, have created various business allies and joint venture agreements with the
corporation. The company affiliates and joint venture firms are localized to Peninsular
Malaysia.

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2.0 Brief description of involved key processes in the plant.

Palm oil milling is a mechanical procedure used to extract palm oil from fresh fruit
bunches. The primary products of a palm oil mill are crude palm oil and kernels, with biomass
as a secondary product. The milling process include quite many operations. This include main
process such as sterilization, stripping, digestion, pressing and crude oil clarification.

To begin with, sterilization help to reduces the development of free fatty acids and
inactivating the lipases in the fruits (FFA). It also condition nuts to prevent kernel fracture and
softens the fruit mesocarp for digestion and oil release. Bunches are steam cooked for 60-90
minutes in horizontal cylindrical autoclaves. The sterilizer's length is determined by the number
of cages required for the meal's operation. Each cage can hold approximately 2.5 ton to 10 tons
of fresh fruit bunch. For a single peak cycle, steam usage ranges from 140 kg/ton fresh fruit
bunch to 224 kg/ton for a triple peak cycle.

In addition, stripping process is separating the sterilised fruits from the bunch stalks is
known as threshing. Fresh fruit bunch are sterilised and fed through a drum stripper, which
rotates, separating the fruits from the bunch. Because the bunch stalks do not contain any oil,
they are removed. It is critical to keep oil loss in the bunch stalk to a bare minimum. The stalks
are frequently incinerated, yielding ash for potash fertiliser and boiler fuel. Hard bunches are
stalks with fruits still attached to them that must be recycled back into sterilisers for further
cooking. Detecting hard clusters requires a visual assessment.

Furthermore, digestion and stripping process. used to crush sterilized palm fruits to fruit
pulp in palm oil production. The fruits are transferred to a digester and warmed to release the
pericarp. The stirring arms are coupled to revolving shafts in the steam-heated vessels. The
fruits are rotated, forcing the pericarps to separate from the nuts. The digester is kept full, and
fresh stripped fruits are brought in as the digested fruit is taken out. The fruits are fed into a
screw press, which squeezes out the oil, water, press cake or fibre, and nuts. Fruits can now be
pressed once or numerous times because to advancements in press design. More oil can be
extracted by pressing the press cake fibres a second time.

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 Lastly, clarification is a process that removes contaminants from crude palm oil and
reduces the amount of effluent discharged, and it may give the drive for treatment
revolutionization. The presser sends a mixture of oil, water, and solids from the bunch fibres
to a clarifying tank. The oil is separated from the rest of the liquor in the traditional procedure
using gravity-based settling tanks. To lower the viscosity of the crude oil mixture, it is diluted
with hot water. A vibrating screen aids in the removal of certain particles. In the clarity tank,
the oil mixture is heated to 85-90°C and allowed to separate. Oil from the top is skimmed off
and purified in the centrifuge prior to drying in vacuum dryer. The final crude palm oil is then
cooled and stored. The lower layer from the clarification tank is sent to the centrifugal separator
where the remaining oil is recovered. The oil is dried in vacuum dryers, cooled and sent to
storage tanks.

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3.0 Characteristic of palm oil products that had been produced.

Crude palm oil is including a form of tropical vegetable oil produced from the mesocarp
of oil palm fruits called crude palm oil. At room temperature, it is an orange liquid that is semi-
solid. To broaden its application in the food sector, CPO can be refined, separated, and
processed further. It can also be used as a feedstock for biodiesel, oleochemicals, and animal
feed, among other things.

Crude Oil Specification.

Test Parameters Specification Unit

FFA (AS PALMITIC) 5.0 MAX %
Moisture & Impurities 0.25 MAX %
DOBI 2.31 Mins Minutes
Table 1.0

Based on the table, the crude oil specification can be seen as above. Free fatty acids
released spontaneously in crude palm oil (CPO) and can be boosted by the action of palm fruit
enzymes and microbial lipases. Free fatty acids were formed during storage as a result of the
interaction of oil with water. FFA released spontaneously in crude palm oil (CPO) and can be
boosted by the action of palm fruit enzymes and microbial lipases. FFA were formed during
storage as a result of the interaction of oil with water.

Moisture and impurities in palm oil, the effect of moisture content on free fatty acid
values appears to be increasing, reducing, and then increasing. The amount of moisture in the
air has an upward and downward effect on the acid value. It was discovered that when the
moisture content of the oil increased, the colour of the oil changed from brown to dark brown.
The moisture and impurities is 0.25% which is matching the standards for palm oil.

The Deterioration of Bleachability Index (DOBI) is an analytical method for checking

crude palm oil quality. The DOBI of palm oil reflects the sample's rate of oxidation as well as
the simplicity with which it can be processed. A higher DOBI number implies that the fruit is
fresher, riper, and contaminant-free.

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 Palm oil also contain high level carotenoids (500–700 mg/kg) and tocopherols (800
mg/kg) are found in crude palm oil. Palm oil's main carotenoids are α- and β- carotenes, which
account for more than 80% of the total carotenoids in the oil. Plants and algae produce yellow,
orange, and red organic pigments. Antioxidants are useful antioxidants that can help your
immune system and protect you from disease.

Next, palm oil contain triglycerides. This active form of fatty acid storage is made up of
three FAs and esterified with glycerol. Because each group had its own physiological and
metabolic routes, the carbon number of fatty acids in TAG could be categorised depending on
their length. It cholesterol free and give your body energy.

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4.0 Palm oil products utilization and demand of the company.

Some of the palm oil products that being process by the company is crude palm oil,
crude palm kernel oil, oleochemical, biofuels and biomass. Palm oil fruits and processed wastes
are used in a variety of sectors, including pastries, confectioneries, medications, and dietary
supplements for general health. In comparison to lard fats or other vegetable oils, palm oil
consumption has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. Palm oil-based substances can be
found in about half of all grocery products, including both food and non-food items. Palm
kernel and palm oil have a wide range of applications since they may be processed and
combined to create a large range of goods with various properties.

Palm Oil Utilization.

Industry Utilization
Confectionery, baking, food • Baking fats
• Fat substitution in chicken nuggets
• Margarine
• Ice cream
• Butter
• Imitation meat emulsifier
• Biscuits
• Chips and crackers

Medical Properties • Lubricants in human joint.

• Antioxidants for diabetes.
• Replacement for vitamin E
• Improving oral absorption of drugs
for pharmaceutical.
• Brain disease

Industries • Mixed biodiesel

• Hydrogenated biofuel.

Personal Care • Toothpaste

• Soap
• Shampoo
• Lip balm
• Body scrub
• Cosmetic

Table 2.0

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 As the world known, palm oil demand high globally not just in south east Asian. On
slightly under 6% of the area used to produce all vegetable oils, palm oil provides 40% of the
world's vegetable oil demand. It produces 4-10 times the amount of oil per hectare as other
vegetable oil sources like soybeans or coconut palms. The domestic consumption of palm oil
shows that palm oil being consume by multiple country all round the world, highest
consumptions is by Indonesia. Not just consumptions by production as well. Between 2007 and
2035, palm oil production is expected to increase by nearly 55 percent, from 15.8 million
tonnes in 2007 to 20.5 million tonnes in 2020.

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5.0 The overview of palm oil supply chain.

The palm oil supply chain can include numerous steps, such as from the plantation to
the mill, then to the refinery for further chemical processing and manufacture, and lastly to the
items we use on a daily basis. First and foremost, plantation an upstream industry. Oil palm
saplings are cared for in a nursery until they are ready to be planted in a plantation (Figure1).
Agrochemicals (fertilisers and herbicides) are deemed essential for good palm oil production
due to acidic soils and a tropical environment. Workers will cut bunches of palm fruit from the
tree using a long-handled sickle and collecting the fresh fruit bunch (Figure2). The workers
stacking the fresh fruit bunch and ready for transportation.

After that, milling an upstream industry. Palm fruit must be taken to the mill within 48
hours of harvesting to avoid rotting. Fresh fruit is sanitised, steamed and pressured, filtered,
and extracted for crude palm oil at the mill (CPO). Milling process take many steps such a
sterilization, stripping, digestion, pressing and clarification. After the milling, it transported for
refineries a downstream industry. Physical and chemical refining are the two procedures used
to refine crude vegetable oil. FFA are removed from crude palm oil during refining to obtain a
maximum FFA level of 0.1 percent. Chemical refining has a higher environmental impact than
physical refining.

The final step is manufacturing a downstream industry. Palm oil is used to manufacture
food or non-food products. As example frying and cooking oils, shortenings, vegetarian ghee
or vanaspati, margarines and spreads, confectionary, and non-dairy goods are all created from
palm oil and palm kernel oil, either entirely or in combination with other oils. Do not forget
non-food products like cosmetics. Soaps, shampoos, conditioners, cosmetics, skincare,
fragrances, and other similar items. Other things like household cleaning. detergents,
dishwashing, laundry products and biofuel.

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6.0 Sustainable framework that had being applied in the plant.

PGC Management Services Sdn. Bhd. (PGC) is the business tasked by PPOM with
ensuring the company's and its linked companies' full sustainability compliance. By
committing to the sustainability principles which is follow all appropriate legal guidelines,
protect the environment, human and labour rights must be respected, keep the palm oil supply
chain clear and traceable, produce high-quality goods and deliver excellent service to our
clients.

Palm oil sustainability can be divided to three sections such a people (social), planet
(environment) and profits (economics). Firstly, concerns for people in term of social is illegal
land grabs is widespread open. In the early 1980s, the land that was previously used
astoundingly for cocoa and rubber production purposes has been subjected to palm oil
production right after unprecedented price collapse for both commodities. Worker’s right and
labour issue get neglected because of the growing business of the palm oil.

Secondly, issues with the environment, threat to species survival. The removal of land
area of rainforest threatens the rich biodiversity in these finely balanced ecosystems. Over the
previous few decades, endangered creatures' habitats and biodiverse tropical forests of Borneo
and Sumatra have been replaced. Other than that, forest clearance sends carbon into the
atmosphere, speeding up global warming. Pushing animal toward extinction especially the
orangutans and disrupting the world ecosystem. Greenhouse gas emissions. of the installed
various biogas capture systems to reduce the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Lastly, the challenges in profit or economics is palm oil investment in downstream

potential. Palm oil may provide a considerable contribution to national economies in the major
producing countries, resulting in rapid economic expansion. Price competition between the
other palm oil manufacturing company is so risky. Furthermore, the palm oil business has been
badly impacted by the complexity and multifaceted sustainability challenges.

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8.0 Appendices.

Figure 1

Figure 2

• https://lipidlibrary.aocs.org/edible-oil-processing/palm-oil
• https://prosper.com.my/products-crude-palm.html
• https://chinadialogue.net/en/food/11627-palm-oil-the-pros-and-cons-of-a-
controversial-commodity/
• https://www.rxlist.com/palm_oil/supplements.htm
• https://www.nationmaster.com/nmx/ranking/domestic-consumption-of-palm-oil

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• https://greenpalm.org/about-palm-oil/why-is-palm-oil-important
• https://www.iopri.org/is-palm-oil-safe-for-our-
health/#:~:text=Just%20like%20other%20vegetable%20oil,carbons%20in%20the%20glycerol
%20molecule.
• https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/6/3110/pdf

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