Why does crude palm oil need to be refined and what equipment is used in the refining process?

Crude palm oil (CPO) needs to be refined primarily to remove impurities and undesirable components that can affect its quality, safety, taste, and shelf life. The refining process not only improves the oil's appearance and taste but also ensures it meets regulatory standards for consumption and industrial use. Next, I will introduce why does crude palm oil need to be refined and the palm oil refining equipment used in the refining process.

1.Reasons for Refining Crude Palm Oil

Removal of Impurities:

Free Fatty Acids (FFA): High levels of FFA in crude palm oil can lead to an undesirable taste and odor. They also contribute to the oil’s acidity, which can shorten its shelf life and make it unsuitable for some food products.

Dirt and Debris: Crude palm oil may contain small particles, traces of the oil palm fruit, or other physical contaminants from the extraction process.

Color and Odor: CPO has a strong red color due to the presence of carotenoids and tocopherols, which are naturally occurring in the palm fruit. The oil may also have a distinctive odor that is not suitable for some culinary or industrial uses.

Phospholipids (Gums): These are water-soluble components that can cause cloudiness in the oil and affect its stability.

Improve Oil Quality:

The refining process helps enhance the overall quality of the palm oil, making it more suitable for cooking, frying, and further processing into other food products.

It also eliminates any toxic substances or undesirable components that could be harmful to consumers.

Increase Shelf Life:

Refined oil has a longer shelf life because refining helps remove the compounds that may promote oxidation and spoilage.

Compliance with Regulatory Standards:

Various food safety and quality regulations require that palm oil meets certain standards before being sold for consumption or industrial use

Palm oil refining equipment

2. Steps in the Refining Process of Crude Palm Oil and Palm Oil Refining Equipment

Degumming section

Refining tank: By adding hot water, the colloid phospholipids in the palm oil absorbs water, expands and condenses, which is convenient for subsequent separation.

Hot water mixing box: There is a mixing box of alkali solution and hot water. Hot water is used to remove colloid-soluble impurities in oil.

Separation equipment: Centrifuges or sedimentation tanks are used to separate hydrated colloid precipitates and improve the clarity of oil products.

Deacidification section

Alkali refining tank: Under heating, add an appropriate amount of NaOH to neutralize the free fatty acids in the oil and reduce the acid value.

Neutralization reactor: Ensure that the acid-base reaction is fully carried out.

Separation equipment: Sedimentation tank can separate the neutralized soap stock from the oil.

Decolorization section

Decolorization tank: Decolorizationtank is usually the tool used in palm oil refining process to remove impurities such as pigments, metals, and residual soap from the palm oil. Inhale definite amount of decoloring agent (white clay) into the refined palm oil, continuously stirring and heating for a period of time.

Filter: After that, pump the mixture of oil and white clay into filter to separate oil and waste white clay，ensuring the quality of the oil.

Deodorization section

The palm oil deodorization section uses steam distillation to remove odorous substances in oil under high temperature and high vacuum conditions. The general operating temperature can reach 200℃.

Deodorization tower: Steam is introduced under appropriate air pressure, and the difference in volatility between odorous substances and triglycerides in oil is used to remove odorous substances under high temperature and high vacuum conditions by means of steam distillation.

Vacuum pump: It provides a vacuum environment for the deodorization and decolorization sections to ensure that the deodorization process is carried out in a low-oxygen environment, improving the deodorization efficiency and oil stability.

Cooling system: The deodorized oil needs to be cooled quickly to prevent oxidation and maintain the quality of the oil.

Henan Glory has modern equipment production machines and a group of experienced equipment production workers, which can provide customers with high-quality palm oil refining responding refining equipment. According to different specifications, palm oil refining equipment can be divided into three types: large, medium and small. Manufacturers with a refining capacity of 1-20 tons/day can choose small palm oil intermittent refining equipment; manufacturers with a refining capacity of 10-50 tons/day can choose medium-sized palm oil semi-continuous refining equipment; manufacturers with a refining capacity of more than 30 tons/day can choose large palm oil fully continuous refining equipment.

As a manufacturer of palm oil refining equipment for ten years, Henan Glory has provided palm oil refining equipment solutions for hundreds of customers. With rich experience, you can rest assured and we look forward to your consultation.equipment. Henan Glory oil refining equipment has been installed in Indonesia, Chile, Peru, Kenya, Congo and other places. It has accumulated rich project experience and can design refining plans according to the different situations of customers and equip cor