Palm oil is one of the world’s largest and most widely consumed vegetable oils, and is widely used in food processing, daily chemical products, pharmaceutical manufacturing and bioenergy. With the growth of the global population and the advancement of industrialization, the demand for palm oil continues to rise. The palm oil extraction process is a comprehensive engineering technology system that integrates agricultural harvesting, mechanical processing, physical separation and chemical refining.
Introduction to Palm Oil and Current Status of the Industry
What is palm oil?
Palm oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the fruit of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), mainly produced in Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia), Africa and tropical Latin America. The flesh of the oil palm fruit is rich in oil and can be used to extract crude palm oil (CPO); the kernel can be used to extract palm kernel oil (PKO).
Global palm oil industry structure
As of 2024, the annual production of palm oil in the world will exceed 80 million tons, accounting for more than 35% of the world’s vegetable oil market. Indonesia and Malaysia are the world’s largest producers and exporters of palm oil, accounting for nearly 85% of the total production.
Overview of palm oil production process
Palm oil starts from fresh oil palm fruit and needs to go through a series of mechanical and chemical treatments to finally obtain refined oil for edible or industrial use. The overall process includes:
Oil palm fruit harvesting and transportation
Enzyme killing (high temperature steam inactivation)
Fruit removal and crushing
Pulp pressing (primary pressing and secondary pressing)
Crude oil and pomace separation
Oil-water separation
Degumming, deacidification, decolorization, deodorization (refining)
Fracturing and product packaging
Detailed explanation of key processes
Oil palm fruit harvesting and enzyme killing treatment
Oil palm fruits should be harvested and processed within 48 hours after maturity to prevent oil rancidity. Enzyme killing treatment is carried out immediately after harvesting, usually using a 130℃ high-pressure steam enzyme killing pot to inactivate the lipase in the fruit and prevent the oil from being hydrolyzed into free fatty acids (FFA).
Function of centrifugal equipment: Before the subsequent pulp pressing, the centrifuge can be used to pre-separate some residual water to improve the pressing efficiency.
Fruit threshing and crushing
After enzyme killing, the fruit ears are detached from the fruit by the roller threshing machine and then crushed. The purpose of pulp crushing is to increase the surface area of oil and improve the subsequent oil extraction rate.
Pulp pressing
The crushed pulp enters the screw press for one or two physical pressings to obtain a crude palm oil mixture (containing oil, water, and residue). The crude oil at this time cannot be used directly.
The pressing residue is called “oil cake”, which still contains a certain amount of oil and can be further extracted or used as fuel.
Oil-water-slag three-phase separation process
The crude oil contains a large amount of water, solids (fiber, peel residue) and particles. The oil, water and residue must be completely separated through the three-phase separation process.
Principle of centrifugal separation
The tubular centrifuge or horizontal screw centrifuge generates a strong centrifugal force through high-speed rotation, so that the oil, water and solid particles of different densities are separated by layers:
Upper layer: palm oil
Middle layer: water
Lower layer: solid impurities
Application of three-phase separation equipment
Tubular centrifuge
Suitable for handling small amounts of high-precision separation tasks, such as laboratories or high-value-added processing. The speed is as high as 15,000~20,000rpm, which can efficiently remove colloids, particles and emulsions.
Horizontal screw centrifuge
Suitable for continuous production lines, high efficiency, especially suitable for handling large-volume juice residues and oil-water mixtures, with automatic slag discharge function.
Disc centrifuge
Widely used in the oil cleaning stage, compact structure, suitable for high-purity oil-water separation.
The core value of centrifuge in palm oil extraction
High-efficiency separation capability
Centrifuge replaces traditional sedimentation method and can complete the separation task that takes hours to complete in minutes, significantly improving process efficiency.
Adapt to high-temperature and high-viscosity materials
The slurry in the palm oil process has the characteristics of high viscosity and high solid content, which is difficult for traditional filtering equipment to handle, while horizontal screw centrifuge and tubular centrifuge can operate efficiently.
Improve oil purity and yield
Through fine separation, free fatty acids, impurities, and water residues can be effectively controlled to improve oil yield and product grade.
Reduce production energy consumption
Continuous operation, automatic slag discharge, and closed operation reduce labor, energy consumption, and losses, which is conducive to green production.
The production and extraction of palm oil is not only a traditional industry, but also a representative of the high integration of modern industrial technology. As the core separation equipment, the centrifuge plays an irreplaceable and important role in the entire oil extraction and refining process. For palm oil production companies, choosing efficient, stable and adaptable centrifuge equipment is not only the key to improving production and quality, but also a strong guarantee for reducing operating costs and enhancing market competitiveness.
As a professional centrifuge manufacturer in China, we are committed to providing comprehensive, efficient and reliable separation solutions for the palm oil industry, helping the global palm oil industry to develop green and upgrade intelligently.
