CHAPTER ONE

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Palm kernel oil the second most consumed lauric acid group

oil is derived from the dried kernels of the oil palm

ElaeisGuinensis.

Palm kernel oil (co-product of palm oil) and coconut oil

comprises less than 5 percent of the total natural fats and oils but

they are important feed stocks of the oleochemical industry.

Coconut oil is commercially a major source of lauric acid together

with palm kernel oil and to small extent babassu oil. It belongs to

the so called lauric oils which are characterized by their high lauric

oil content of approximately 50 percent.

The lauric oils are highly desirable materials in the

oleochemical industry world-wide because of the important of the

lauric fraction especially in the manufacture of soap and

detergents.

1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Two distinctly different types of oils are produced from the

fruit of the south East Asia and African oil palm ElaeisGuinensis

Central American palm ElaeisOleifera.

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Palm oil is obtained from the fleshy part of the fruit which

resembles an over sized olive about the size of a small chicken

egg. Palm kernel oil is derived from that kernel within the nut. Well

over 98 percent of the fatty acids in palm oil belong to the C: 16

and C: 18 group where as approximately 64 percent of the fatty

acids in palm kernel oil consist of C: 12 and C: 14 lauric group.

A palm tree produces 10-15 fresh fruit bunches throughout the

year weighing 5-23kg (10-50lb) each. The bunches are cut from

the tree with knives attached to long poles and are transported to

the oil mill. There they are sterilized by steam at about 40psig for

56-75 minutes to deactivate lipase enzymes and loosen the fruits

from the stalk.

The fruits are knocked loose from the stalk in thresher drums

and passed through a digester to convert the fleshy pulp to mash.

Then the mash is pressed by twin-screw expellers or hydraulically

to yield red crude oil. The shells of the nuts cracked and the

kernels are separated dried and bagged for later solvent

extraction or mechanically pressed in a fashion similar to the

processing of raw crop oil seeds.

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For satisfactory release of the kernels from the fruits the

requirements are that the oil bearing mesocarp shall be removed

and the shells cracked without damage to the kernels.

Palm kernel oil is not usually extracted on the plantations

though occasionally mills contain press designed for this purpose.

The conditions for the release of palm kernel oil which is

liquid at tropical day temperatures are different from those of

palm oil but similar to those of copra and hand oil bearing seeds.

Very small quantities are extracted in producing countries by

primitive means but the greater bulk of the palm kernel produced

are subjected to industrial process.

Although the extraction of palm kernel oil from palm kernel

is not a new project this project is capitalized on using different

types of refining processes to determine the one that will yield a

higher output.

Further cultural and agricultural practices differ for its fruit

species depending on the type of soil different samples from

different localities were collected in consideration to its essential

commercial plantings on which each sample produces high quality

fruit/seed and profitable yield. Thus this research study is being

conducted.

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1.3 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Palm kernel oils consist mainly of glycerides and like other

oils in their crude form may consist of small and variable portions

of non-glyceride components as well. In order to render the oils to

an edible form some of these non glycerides need to be either

removed or reduced to an acceptable level so as to meet the

request of the buyers.

Therefore this project aims at reducing the non-glycerides

present in oil in their crude form using the chemical (alkali)

method of refining.

1.4 AIMS/OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

1. Reduction of the free fatty acids from 5.0 to 0.03 percent or

less.

2. Production of a fully deodourized product.

3. Operation without substantially greater utilities consumption

than a standard deodourizer.

4. Recovery of the fatty acids from the sparge stream.

5. Obtaining a mixture of traicylglycerols with the desired solid

content profiles over the range of product used;

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6. Preparation and storage of semi-solid products with desire

textures.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The refining of crude palm kernel oil is converting it to

quality edible oil renewing objectionable impurities to the desired

levels in the most efficient manner where possible losses in the

desirable components are kept minimal.

After refining of crude palm kernel oil a good quality has low

free fatty acid (FFA) content does not contaminate with water or

other impurities and has a good bleacheability.

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