palm kernel oil proceesing plant

Palm Kernel Oil Processing Plant

There are several ways to extract oil from palm kernels, Mechanical extraction processes are suitable for both small- and large- capacity operations. The three basic steps in palm kernel oil processing plant, they are kernel pretreatment, palm kernel pressing, and oil purification.

In the palm kernel oil processing plant, first of all, palm kernels should be well pretreated in order to extract the oil from the kernels efficiently. The feed kernels must first be cleaned of foreign materials that may cause damage to the oil presses, magnetic separators commonly are installed to remove metal debris, while vibrating screens are used to sieve sand, stones or other undesirable materials. A swinging hammer grinder, breaker rolls or a combination of both then breaks the kernels into small fragments. The kernel fragments subsequently are subjected to flaking in a roller mill. The kernel flakes are then conveyed to a stack cooker for steam conditioning, the flakes that leave the bottom nip are from 0.25 to 0.4 mm thick. In the palm kernel oil processing plant, the meals are normally cooked to a moisture content of 3 percent at 104-110°C.

The properly cooked meal is then fed to the oil press machine. The volume axially displaced by the worm diminishes from the feeding end to the discharge end, thus compressing the meal as it passes through the barrel.The expelled oil drains through the perforation of the lining bars of the barrel, while the de-oiled cake is discharged through an annular orifice.

Last but not least, the expelled oil invariably contains a certain quantity of ‘fines and foots’ that need to be removed. The oil from the presses is drained to a reservoir. It is then either pumped to a decanter or revolving coarse screen to remove a large part of the solid impurities. The oil is then pumped to a filter press to remove the remaining solids and fines in order to produce clear oil prior to storage. The cakes discharged from the presses are conveyed for bagging or bulk storage.

Palm kernel oil is used in the production of vegetable oils, soaps and candles. Oil palm tree grows in the coastal belt of Nigeria which varies in depth from 100 to 150 miles and a riverine belt which follows the valleys of the Niger and Benue for a distance of about 450 miles from the sea and naturally production of palm kernel oil usually occur along this locations. The main palm oil producing states in Nigeria includes Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Cross River, Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia, Ekiti, Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Rivers.

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