Engineering Bulletin #102 front cover - PALMOILISpalmoilis.mpob.gov.my/publications/POEB/poeb106.pdfobliged to carry out. They believe that apart from a few tests that can highlight

PALM OIL ENGINEERING BULLETIN NO. 106 1

Engineering Bulletin #102

front cover

LEMBAGA MINYAK SAWIT MALAYSIAMALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARD

KEMENTERIAN PERUSAHAAN PERLADANGAN DAN KOMODITI MALAYSIAMINISTRY OF PLANTATION INDUSTRIES AND COMMODITIES, MALAYSIA

Website: www.mpob.gov.my

ISSUE NO. 106 (Jan. - Mar. 2013)


EDITORIAL BOARD

ChairpersonDatuk Dr Choo Yuen May

MembersDr Lim Weng SoonAb Aziz Md Yusof

SecretaryIr N Ravi Menon

Malaysian Palm Oil BoardMinistry of Plantation Industries and Commodities,

MalaysiaP. O. Box 10620, 50720 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: 603-8769 4400Fax: 603-8925 9446

Website: www.mpob.gov.my

© Malaysian Palm Oil Board, 2013All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Products and services advertised in thisPalm Oil Engineering Bulletin do not

connote endorsement by MPOB.

Editorial

see page 2

CONTENTS

Editorial

TRAINING AND SEMINARSMPOB Training Programme 2013

MPOB Conferences/Seminars 2013

FEATURE ARTICLESSelf-dependent Mini Mills

Palm Oil Processing in Brazil: How It is Managed?

TITBITS

DATASHEET • PhysicalPropertiesofCrudePalmOil• OtherRelevantPhysicalProperties:CompiledfromVariousSources

• ApparentDensitiesforRefined,BleachedandDeodorisedPalmOil

1

7

11

27

35

33

9

T he laboratory practices in somepalmoilmills,particularlyprivatemillsareindireneedforchanges,

as the quality of practices and integrityofanalysisdonotseemtobesatisfactory.Somemillmanagementevenbelievesthatprivatemillsneednotgivemuchemphasisto the full range of laboratory analysisthat organised plantation companies areobliged to carry out. They believe thatapart from a few tests that can highlightthe oil losses in critical processing areastheremainingtestsareunnecessary.

One mill manager even mentionedthat no private mills should carry outall the tests as it is a waste of time andeffort, despite the fact that his mill hada reputation for poor oil extractionrate (OER) performance, which mostlyhoveredaround18%orevenbelow.Thiswasindeedashockingrevelation.Themillmanagerwasprobablyrightwhenhesaidthatmost privatemills do not believe inestablishingaproperfunctionallaboratory.

Perhaps, the private millers shouldconsider the whole issue regardinglaboratory analysis with an open mind.The process control laboratory resultsare extremely useful for optimummill performance. It helps the millmanagementtomonitortheperformanceofthemill.Italsofacilitatestheprocessingdepartment to take preventive actionsin time by rectifying erratic processingoperations, that if allowed to continueunchecked,wouldresultinhugelossesforthemill.Processengineersarequiteawareoftheneedforallthelaboratoryanalysisand most faithfully follow it as longasthey are in a large established companybutwhentheymoveto privatemillsallthe professionalism they have masteredsomehowleavesthemforgood.

Let us assume that the top manage-ment of a company discourages themillmanagement from conducting the estab-

PALM OIL ENGINEERING BULLETIN NO. 1062

from page 1

CALL FOR ARTICLESPersonnelofthepalmoilmillsareinvitedtosendinarticlesofrelevancetothepalmoilindustryinMalaysiaforpublicationinPalm Oil Engineering Bulletin.Bysharingyourexpertiseyouwillbehelpingtheindustryandthenationasawhole.Thetopicsofinterestare:

1.Plantmodificationsdoneinyourmillthatresultedinimprovementsinmillingoperationormain-tenance.

2.Innovationsdoneinyourmillthatproducedimprovementsintheoperationofthemillandthatyouarewillingtosharethemwithothers.

3.AnyspecialworkdoneinyourmillthatdirectlyresultedinimprovementsinOERandproductquality.

PleasesubmityourarticletousandweshallbepleasedtopublishtheminPalm Oil Engineering Bulletin.FeelproudtohaveyourarticlespublishedinthisBulletinthatiscirculatedthroughouttheindustryandMPOBofficesworldwide.

lished tests for obvious reasons. The testsconductedinthemilllaboratorycouldexposetheperformanceweaknessofthemillopera-tion and that could generate an unpleasantrelationshipbetween the fresh fruit bunches(FFB) supplier and the mill and finally thepriceofFFBitself.

It is assumed that if the mill oil lossesare high, the FFB supplier may not accepta low OER for his crop as he may wantto supply his crop to another mill that is

more professional and transparent. If thisassumptioniscorrectthenitwouldbebetterfor themillmanagement to shift itsmodusoperandi to be in-line with that practicedby the establishedplantation companies, inorder to survive,by remainingcompetitive.Theprivatemillershaveeverything togainif they can follow the systems adopted byestablishedcompanies.Theownersofprivatemills are therefore advised to reconsiderandstrivetoupdatetheirmillsandpractisescientific professionalism in processing andmillmanagement in order to increase theirincome.


Training & Seminars

MPOB TRAINING PROGRAMME SCHEDULE 2013

CODE NO. TITLE DATE VENUE

A COURSES 1 OIL PALM

A1.1 Kursus Kemahiran Menggred Buah Sawit

Bil. 1: Wilayah Utara 26 – 28 Mac Legend Inn, Taiping, Perak

Bil. 2: Wilayah Sabah * *Bil. 3: Wilayah Tengah 23 – 25 Apr Melang Inn,

Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan

Bil. 4: Wilayah Timur 21 – 23 Mei Crown Garden Hotel, Kota Bahru, Kelantan

Bil. 5: Wilayah Selatan 11 – 13 Jun Prime City Hotel, Kluang, Johor

Bil. 6: Wilayah Sarawak 25 – 27 Jun *Peperiksaan Bil. 17 Semenanjung 30 Okt *Peperiksaan Bil. 16 Sabah 20 Nov *

A1.2 Intensive Diploma in Oil Palm Management and Technology (IDOPMT)

Semester I 21 Apr – 9 May MPOB HQ

Estate Attachment 12 – 19 May MPOB HQSemester II 20 May – 14 Jun MPOB HQ

Estate Attachment 16 – 21 Jun MPOB HQSemester III 24 Jun – 4 Jul MPOB HQ

A1.3 Kursus Operator Mekanisasi Ladang

Tahap 1 dan 2 Mac PLASMA Keratong, Pahang

Tahap 1 dan 2 Sept PLASMA Keratong, Pahang


A1.4 Kursus Pengurusan dan Penyelenggaraan Tapak Nurseri Sawit

Bil. 1: Wilayah Sarawak 23 – 24 Apr Meritz Hotel, Miri, Sarawak

Bil. 2: Wilayah Timur/Selatan 14 – 15 Mei Jerantut Hill Resort, Jerantut, Pahang

Bil. 3: Wilayah Sabah 16 – 17 Apr Pavillion Hotel, Sandakan, Sabah

Bil. 4: Wilayah Utara 10 – 11 Sep Grand Court, Teluk Intan, Perak

Bil. 5: Wilayah Tengah 24 – 25 Sep De Palma Hotel, Kuala Selangor,

Selangor

2 PALM OILA2.1 Diploma in Palm Oil Milling Technology

and Management (DIPOM)Semester I 11 – 20 Mar MPOB HQSemester II 13 – 22 May MPOB HQSemester III 24 Jun – 3 Jul MPOB HQExam Semester III 2 – 3 Sep MPOB HQ

A2.2 The 27th MPOB Oil Palm Products Surveying Course

1 – 5 Jul *

A2.3 The 26th MPOB Oil Palm Products Surveying Examination

Oct* *

A2.4 Kursus Penyelia Kilang Minyak Sawit

Peperiksaan

23 – 27 Sep

11 Nov

PLASMA Lahad Datu, Sabah

PLASMA Lahad Datu, Sabah

A2.5 Kursus Pengendali Makmal Kilang Minyak Sawit 10 – 20 Jun MPOB HQ

A2.6 Margerine Course 25 Feb -1 Mar MPOB HQA2.7 Kursus Kemahiran dan Pengetahuan Asas

Rawatan Tertiari Efluen SawitWilayah Sabah Wilayah SarawakWilayah Semenanjung

2 – 4 Jul24 – 26 Sep29 – 31 Okt

***

A2.8 Kursus Penyelia Bengkel Kilang Sawit 30 Sep – 4 Okt MPOB HQA2.9 2nd Introductory Course on Oleochemical (ICOC) 6 – 7 May MPOB HQ

A2.10 Kursus Drebar Enjin 7 – 11 Okt MPOB HQ

Training & Seminars


For enquiry or further information, please contact:

HRD & Conference Management UnitTel. No. : 03-8769 4400 ext. 4865, 4867Fax No. : 03-8925 7549E-mail : [email protected]’s website : www.mpob.gov.my

All information are correct as at press time.

B MPOB CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

1. Palm Oil Economic Review and Outlook Seminar 14 Jan Doubletree by Hilton, Kuala Lumpur

2 Workshop: Branding of Malaysian Palm Oil 21 – 22 Jan IOI Marriott Putrajaya, Putrajaya

3 PAC Seminar 11 April MPOB HQ4 TOT Seminar 20 Jun MPOB HQ5 6th MPOB-GSAS Seminar 21 Jun MPOB HQ6 33rd Palm Oil Familiarisation Programme 1-8 Sep* *7 MICCOS Seminar Oct* MAEPS, Serdang8 International Seminar on Oil Palm Breeding 18 Nov Impiana KLCC Hotel,

Kuala Lumpur9 PIPOC 2013 19 – 21 Nov KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

Training & Seminars


Feature Article

* Malaysian Palm Oil Board, P. O. Box 10620, 50720 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. E-mail: [email protected]

Self-dependent Mini MillsAndrewYapKianChung*andNRaviMenon*

AABSTRACT

ll the mills in Malaysia were set up to serve plantations that are fairly large and can produce sufficient crop

for a mill capable of processing at least 20 t hr-1. This processing capacity would produce sufficient fuel for generating the required heat and power for the mill and as such may be termed an optimum sized self-supporting palm oil mill. Unfortunately, these mills used boilers and steam turbines that were custom-made to operate with minimum efficiency to address the issue of costly biomass disposal by burning it as a fuel in boilers. These boilers also doubled up as incinerators to burn away the surplus biomass. Unfortunately, nothing was done to find out the capacity of the smallest self-supporting mill. A new focus would invariably uncover new research areas where emphasis will be focused on maximum fuel efficiency and minimum waste. This article explores all the areas that would contribute in one way or other towards the development of the smallest self-supporting mini mill that can serve small plantations operating in isolation.

INTRODUCTION

In 2012, Malaysia produced 18.79 milliontonnes of crude palm oil (CPO) with anexportrevenuevaluedatRM71.40billion.Oilpalmplantedareasin2012totalled5.08millionhectaresandthefreshfruitbunchesproduced were processed by 425 mills inoperation, is as shown in Table 1 (MPOB,2013).

InordertoincreasetheCPOproduction,intensive effort has been focused on palmoilmillstohaveabetterextractionrateoftheoil,ashighlightedinEntryPointProjects(EPP)4thusaimingtoincreasenationaloilextractionrate (OER) to23%byyear2020.Oillossessurveyonpressedfibres,sterilisercondensate, sludge and empty fruitbunchesshowthatpalmoilmillspresentlyneedtodevelopanewsustainableprocessinvolvingprocessintegrationofecosphere,raw material logistics and stakeholdersoutside the industry rather than processoptimisation (Michael Narodoslawsky,2007).

THE EARLY FOCUS OF THE INDUSTRY

AsurveyoftheMalaysianpalmoilindustryshowsthatasoilpalmcultivationincreased,mill capacities gradually grew from 10 t


Feature Article

TABLE 1. MALAYSIA: OIL PALM PLANTED AREA AND MILLS CAPACITY IN YEAR 2012

State Mature (ha) Immature (ha) Total (ha) Mills t FFB yr-1

Johor 618353 95777 714130 67 17053600Kedah 76181 8342 84523 7 1 660 000Kelantan 91182 46497 137679 12 2039200Melaka 48718 3806 52524 3 636 000NegeriSembilan 143580 23496 167076 15 3389400Pahang 595799 104402 700201 72 15440200Perak 338100 41846 379946 47 10500800Perlis 197 87 284 0 0PulauPinang 13264 292 13 556 2 294000Selangor 124080 12 611 136691 22 3925600Terengganu 136509 34984 171493 14 3347600Sabah 1292757 149831 1442588 133 33 163 200Sarawak 874152 202086 1076238 65 13974000

hr-1 to20t,30t,45t,60t,80t,90tandeven120t. Smallplantationsalwayshadtobeclosely located to the existing mills thatweregenerallybig.Thesemillscateredforalargeinputofcropthatoftenexceeded400tperday andforwhichthemillneededaprocessingcapacityofatleast20thr-1.Thisdiscouragedthedevelopmentofsmallscaleplantationsinisolatedregionsthatwerefaraway from any large mills. The industryhas failed to look into the possibility ofestablishing small plantations in the smallsettlements that are widely scattered inmanyvillageswhere,thelandhasnotbeenfullyexploitedforgeneratingfarmproductsthatcouldincreasetheincomeofthepeopleinvillages.There is onlyoneobstacle thathas stood in the way and that was theconspicuous absence of self-dependentmini mills. Not much however has beendone to probe this area although there isgreat potential to grow oil palm in remote areas inMalaysia,whichcouldeven totalonemillionhectares.

Theearlymills,evenuntil recently,hadto perform the now unpleasant task ofdestroying the surplus biomass generatedby the mill. This was necessary becausethe accumulation of the biomass couldseriouslyobstructthemilloperationunless

the mill could clear it by either sellingit or burning. In the absence of a strongmarket demand for the biomass, biomassburning or incineration was adopted asthebestsolutionat thatpoint in time.Theboilersalsohadtobeinefficientasameansof reducing the biomass accumulation inmills.Theturbinesweredesignedforhighspecific steam consumption as additionalpower produced could not be sold astherewere no electricity consumers in theneighbourhood.

PARADIGM SHIFT

In the last decade however, the scenariotookawelcometurntocombattheadverseenvironmentalissuescausedbydangerouspollutants and greenhouse gases that leadto climate change and global warming.Withthat,theinterestingreenenergymadeitsdebutonagloballevellargelypromotedbytheescalatingcostofconventionalfossilfuel. In this respect, Europe particularlyDenmark, made great strides in thedevelopmentofgreenorrenewableenergy.

With a new approach, towards globalwarning issues, a different look at theoptimumsizeofamill thatwouldbeself-supporting in terms of fuel dependency


Feature Article

becamenecessaryas theparameters in theequationforsustainableenergyproductionhad also changed when fuel efficiencybecame the focal point. Self-dependencyin this case refers to theelectricityutilisedthat has tobegeneratedby themill itselfwithoutdependingon importedelectricityfrom national service provider or othersources.

Forbecomingself-supportivethepowergeneration equipment is also neededto undergo many technical changes toimproveefficiency.Theuntappedresourcesare targetedforuseasaresourcematerialthat can provide the fuel for powergenerationtherebyincreasingtheincomeoftheorganisation.

TABLE 2. BIOMASS COMPONENTS AND PRODUCTION RATE

Biomass components Production rateEmptyfruitbunches 23%tofreshfruitbunchesMesocarpfibre 13%tofreshfruitbunchesKernelshell 6%tofreshfruitbunchesPalmoilmilleffluent(POME) 65%tofreshfruitbunchesBiogas 24m3 t-1ofPOMEat34°C,1atmosphere

TABLE 3. MASS AND HEAT OF THE BIOMASS FROM A 5 t hr-1 PALM OIL MILL

Biomass Wet quantity (t hr-1)

Moisture(%)

Calorific value(kJ kg-1)

Net energy(kJ)

Emptyfruitbunch* 1.15 70 (dry)18795(wet)5638

6483700

Mesocarpfibre* 0.65 40 (dry)19055(wet)11433

7431450

Kernelshell* 0.30 10 (dry)20093(wet)18084

5425200

Totalbiomass 2.10 19340350Effluent 3.25thr-1

#Biogas(idealgas) V1=78m3

V2=69.36m3 22860kJm-3 1585605kJ

Grand total 20925955kJ

Note:*Thecalorificvaluesofemptyfruitbunch,mesocarpfibreandkernelshellweretakenfromanalysisconductedbyVijayaet al.(2004).

#ThecalorificvalueofbiogaswasobtainedfromMa(1999).

Inthefollowinganalysis,theemptyfruitbunch will also be considered as regularfuelunlikeconventionalmills,whichreliedonlyonmonocarpfibreandkernelshellasfuel. In this analysis, we have arbitrarilyselected the size of the mill and studiedits mass and energy balance so that wecould narrow down the optimum size byinterorextrapolation.ThevariousbiomasscomponentsarerepresentedasratiostothefreshfruitbunchesprocessedareshowninTable 2(Raviet al.,2003).

A5thr-1millhasbeenusedforcalculat-ingbiomassproduceditsheatgeneratedasshowninTable 3.

273V1V2=(273+34)


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With Biogas Tapping

Totalusableenergyfromthebiomassofa5thr-1 palmoilmill=20925955kJ(1)

Assuming a boiler efficiency of 80%whenconvertingwatertosteam.

Heatavailableforconversiontosteam=20925955x70%=14648168kJ(2)

Heat required to evaporate 1 kg water at217°Ctosteamat22barg,hfg=1880kJ(3)

Heatrequiredraisingthetemperatureoffeedwaterfrom34°Cto217°Cis

Cpθ=4.2x(217-34)=4.2x183=769kJ(4)

where Cp is the water specific heatcapacity.Thus,totalheatrequiredtoraise1kgofboilerfeedwaterfrom34°Cto217°Cand evaporate it to saturated steam is(Mayhew,1974):

1880+769=2649kJkg-1 (5)

Steam that couldbegeneratedwith theavailablefuel=14648168/2649=5.53thr-1.Amillusually requiresaminimumboilercapacityof65%ofthemillcapacity,thus

Theminimumboilercapacity=5x65%=3.25thr-1 (6)

Without Biogas Tapping

FromTable 3, the total energy availablefrom the biomass excluding biogas is19 340 350 kJ. Assuming a conservativeboilerefficiencyat70%,availableenergyforsteam generation is:

19340350x70%=13538245kJ(7)

From Equation (5), 2649 kJ of energyneeded for converting 1 kg of boiler feedwaterat34°Ctosaturatedsteamat22bar,thusamountofsteamcouldbegeneratedis:

13538245/2649=5111kg≈5.1thr-1 (8)

Therefore, a 5 t hr-1 boilerwill bemorethanadequateforthe5thr-1 palmoilmill.The boiler will be able to supply steamwithoutemittingblacksmokeasitwillnotberunningatfullcapacity.

Thepowerrequirementofamillmaybecalculated based on the unit consumptionthatvariesfromabout17to20kWt-1 offreshfruit bunches processed. For the presentcomputation, a conservative approach hasbeenadopted.

Powerrequirementofa5thr-1 palm oil mill =5x20=100kW (9)

Steam Turbine or Steam Engine

The steam turbo-alternators seldomcome at a capacity of 100 kW but it ispossibletomanufacturesuchunits if thereis sufficient demand for it. On the otherhand, steam engines of this size havinghigherefficienciesareeasilyavailable.Onesuchmachineis‘Spilling’steamengine.Byassuming the steam consumption for theisentropic expansion and electrical energyconversiontobe30kgperkWhr,andwithainputsteamof5100kgtheelectricalenergygeneratedistheequationasshownbelow:

Electricalenergygenerated==170kW (10)

Energy check:

The input energy to the turbine is13538245kJascalculatedinEquation(7).From the steam table (Figure 1), the workdoneinRankinecycle isHg1 - Hg2=2801-2739=62kJandavailableenergyisHg1 - Hf2 =2801–584=2217kJ(MayhewandRoger,1984). Thus, the fraction used for powergeneration is62/2217=2.79%say2.7%asaconservativefigure.Theelectricalenergyoutputis:

13538245x2.7%=365532kJ→ Power output= =101.54kW(satisfactory) (11)

510030

365 5323600


Feature Article

Based on Tables 2 and 3, data for differentmill capacities were derived as shownin Table 4 to enable extrapolation orinterpolation to derive appropriate valuesasshowninFigures 2 and 3.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Process sustainability has been evaluatedbased on three aspects consisting ofhumansociety,environmental impactandeconomic growth. Thepalmoil industryhasbroughtsignificantrevenuetothenationand has provided a livelihood tomillionsof people. Recently, the environmentalistsand thegovernmenthavebeenurging theindustry topreservenot only thequalityof the environment but also to ensure thenatural environmental balance of the ecosystems.

Palm oil mills with certain capacitieshave been built at various strategiclocations so that harvested fresh fruit

TABLE 4. POWER REQUIREMENTS AND POWER PRODUCTION CAPACITY OF SELF-SUPPORTING MILLS

Mill capacity (t hr-1) 1 2 5 7 8 10Emptyfruitbunch(kg) 230 460 1 150 1 610 1840 2 300 Netenergy(kJ) 1296740 2593480 6483700 9077180 10373920 12967400Mesocarpfibre(kg) 130 260 650 910 1040 1 300 Netenergy(kJ) 1486290 2972580 7431450 10404030 11890320 14862900Kernelshell(kg) 60 120 300 420 480 600 Nettenergy(kJ) 1085040 2170080 5425200 7595280 8680320 10850400Biomassenergy(kJ) 3868070 7736140 19340350 27076490 30944560 38680700Effluentvolume(t) 0.65 1.30 3.25 4.55 5.20 6.50Biogasvolume(m3) 15.60 31.20 78.00 109.20 124.80 156.00Sealevelvolume(m3) 13.87 27.74 69.36 97.11 110.98 138.72Biogasenergy(kJ) 317121 634242 1585605 2219847 2536969 3171211Totalenergy(kJ) 4185191 8370382 20925955 29296337 33481529 41851911Powerrequirement(kW) 20 40 100 140 160 200Rankineefficiency(%) 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7Withoutbiogas(kW) 29 58 145 203 232 290Withbiogas(kW) 31 63 157 220 251 314

bunches can be transported from nearbyestatesandplantations.In2012,Malaysia’saveragefreshfruitbunchesyieldwas18.89t-1 ha-1 yr-1 and average oil extraction ratewas 20.35% (MPOB, 2013). Thus, fossildieselhadtobeburnttohaultheloadwithonly 20.35% useful resources all the wayto the processing mill. Life cycle analysisshows that transport logistics contributesignificant carbon footprints and becomea shaping factor for process structures inthe future. This phenomenon shows thatthe determination of the right size andgeographicaldistributionarecrucial issuestobeconsidered.

A new approach proposes that all theharvested fresh fruit bunches have to beprocessed in a local mini mill powered by renewable resources so that only loosepalmfruitletswillbetransportedtonearbymills for furtherprocessing.Basedon thedata shown in Table 2, this approach willincrease the oil extraction rate to 26%and


Feature Article

Figure 1. Rankine cycle with t-s and p-v charts for steam.

Specificentropy(kJkg-1)

Specificvolume(m3kg-1)

Pressure(bar)

Temperature(o C

)

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

00 2 4 6 8 10

230

180

130

80

30

0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05


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Figure 2. Palm oil mill biomass production.

Millcapacity(kghr-1freshfruitbunch)

EmptyfruitbunchFibreShell▲◆ ■

Mass(kg)

2 500

2 000

1 500

1 000

500

0020004000600080001000012000


Figure 3. Palm oil mill energy production.

Millcapacity(kghr-1freshfruitbunch)

Energy(kJ)

40000

35 000

30 000

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

500

0020004000600080001000012000

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(‘000)


alltheemptyfruitbunchescanbeutilisedas fertiliser in the local estatewithout anylong distance transportation thus furtherreducing the carbon footprints in the lifecycleanalysis.

REFERENCES

MA,AN;TOH,TSandCHUA,NS(1999).Renewable energy fromoil palm industry.Oil Palm and the Environment, A Malaysian Perspective (Singh, G; Lim, K H; Teo, LandDavid, LK eds.).MalaysianPalmOilGrower’s Council, Kuala Lumpur. p. 171-181.

MAYHEW, Y R and ROGERS, G F C(1984). Vapour power cycles. Engineering Thermodynamics.p.198-231.

MPOB (2013).Malaysian Oil Palm Statistics 2012.MPOB,Bangi.

RAVI MENON, N; NASRIN, A B andENDANG, J (2003). Points to ponder inbiomass-based grid connected re-powerplant design. Palm Oil Engineering Bulletin Issue No. 69: 22.

VIJAYA, S; CHOW, M C and MA, A N(2004). Energy data base of the oil palm. Palm Oil Engineering Bulletin Issue No. 70: 15-22.

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Feature Article

Palm Oil Processing in Brazil: How It is Managed?MaAhNgan*

* No. 39, Jalan 3, Taman Bukit Cantik, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.

TINTRODUCTION

his isan interestingarticleaboutthewaypalmoilprocessingwascarried out in Brazil. Malaysianmillers will certainly gain some

insightbyreading thisarticle.This articleis a summaryof thefindings of a teamofresearch officers from the then Palm OilResearch Institute of Malaysia (PORIM)who visited a palm oil mill in Brazil inAugust1997tostudytheirmethodofpalmoilmilling. ItwascompiledbyDrMaAhNganwhowas part of the team andwaspublishedin1977.MrHararldBrunckhorst,ManagingDirector ofAGROPALMAS/A,arrangedthevisit.

The mill, Agropalma S/A, located atBelem, Brazil was a 100% Brazilian owncorporation.Itownedsome45000haoflandbut only allowed to plant 16 000 ha withoil palm, 2000 ha for infrastrucure, whichincludes two palm oil mills, laboratories,offices,aschoolandhealth-assistanceunits,whiletherestarepreservedasforestunderthestrictBrazilianlaw.

THE PLANTATION

The Planting Material

AstheAgropalmS/Adoesnothavethefacilitiestoproduceplantingmaterials,theyimport the germinated tenara seeds from IRHO, Harrisons and Crosfield PNG andCostaRica.Thepalmageisbetween3to10yearsold.Theaverageyieldis20tha-1yr-1.Atthenewde-forestedareas,theseedlingswereplantedwithoutuprooting the felledtreestopreservethefertiletopsoil.

Seasonal Yield

In the early years, before 1993, therewas a distinct two peak season falling inJuly and December. But the peak in Julyslowly subsided now and there was onlyone distinct peak in December. The yielddeviation between the peak and troughseasons may be as high as 31% and thismade the planning of mill operationsdifficult in terms ofmanpower utilisation.Themillworkerswereutilised in thefieldduringdroughtseasons.


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Harvesting Practice

The harvesting standard for fresh fruitbunches (FFB) stipulated two to threeloosefruitsontheground.HarvestingwasdonemanuallywithpolesandknivesasinMalaysia. A harvesting team consisted ofthreegroupsofpersonnel.

Harvesters were required to cut onlythe FFB. The harvesters and the collectorscomprising two workersanda tractor tocollectFFB.Thefemaleloosefruitcollectorswill collect only loose fruits, forming aharvestingunit.

The tractorswere used to transport theFFB from the field and load directly intoawaiting cagewith a holding capacity of8.2 t per cage stationedat selectedpointson the main road. The cages were thenhydraulically hooked onto lorries fortransportation to the mill for immediateprocessing.Theloosefruits,packedinbags,were sent separately to themill. They arepaidseparately.

The advantage of the transportationsystem ensured the least handling andbruising of FFB, eventually lead to theproduction of good quality crude oil. Theseparation of loose fruit collection andpayment system also ensured 100% loosefruit recovery, something the Malaysianplantation industrycouldadopt to reversethedecliningoilextractionrate.

In the field, the FFB collection andtransportation path for tractors andlorrieswere relativelywider than those inMalaysia. The planting density was 134palmsperhectare.Thefieldwasrelativelyflatandthismadetheinfieldtransportationsimple and reliable. There were about100 workers for 2500 ha, i.e. one workerfor every 25 ha, a figurewhichwasmorefavourablethanthatofMalaysia’s.

The average earning of a worker wasabout USD 525 per month! This includedthebasicpay,bonus,socialallowancesand

food subsidies. In order to earn the basicpayamountingtoUSD144permonth,theworkershavetoharvestaminimumof2tofFFBduringthepeakcropseasonand0.6tduringthedroughtseason.ExtratonnagewouldearnaworkerabonusattherateofUSD3.2ha-1.

THE MILL

The Hooka System

The company had two palm oil mills.The mill had no FFB hopper system asthe cages were delivered directly to thesterilisers through a system of rollerslinkingFFBdeliverypointtothesterilisers.Thecageswere speciallydesigned to slideon these rollers which were raised fromthe ground. They also had a hinged doorat front-end to facilitate opening for FFBdischargeanda cagehookat the rear endfor lifting of the cages. A capstan systemwasusedtochargeandremovecagesfromthe sterilisers. The cages were also usedfor FFB storage. The quality of the FFBappeared good and uniform in ripenessbut the bunches were not so compact ascompared to theMalaysian crop. Themillhad about 80 cages of 8.2 t capacity. Thecages had only bottom perforations withthesidesintact.

Sterilisation

Themillhadthree-twindoorsterilisers,which could hold three cages each. Thesterilisationcycleinusewas120mincycle(door close to open) with three peaks at3 bar-g for each peak. The duration ofthe first twopeakswasabout10minat3bar-gwhilethelastpeakfortheremainingcycle timewas alsomaintainedat 3bar-g.Sterilisation appeared efficient judgingby the low percentage of unstrippedbunches which were visually observed.Thesterilisedfruitbuncheswereconveyedto the thresher througha rubber conveyorbelt. Themill visited has three P9 pressesand they consistently processed 36 t FFBhr-1.The restof theprocessing suchas the


Feature Article

digestion,pressing,oilclarification,etc. are similar to the Malaysian practice exceptfor the drying of oil and crackedmixtureseparation,whicharediscussedbelow.

Drying of Oil

Instead of vacuum drying, the oilwas dried in a vertical column underatmospheric pressure by means of anexhaust fan located at the end of thecolumnafterheatingitto120OCbyusinglowpressuresteaminaheatexchanger.Themoisture content of the oil was less than0.15%.SomemillsinMalaysiausetheopencascadesystem,i.e.withouttheexhaustfan.

Cracked Mixture Separation

Nutswerecrackedbya ripplemillandcrackedmixture separation wholly by thedryseparationsystem.Thecrackedmixturewas charged into a slightly tilted (in twoplanes) vibrating screen. The separationof the kernel and the shell could be seentakingplacethroughthescreen.Threeclearboundariescouldbeseen,i.e.thekernelatthehigherside,themixedkernelandshellinthemiddleandtheshellatthelowersideof the screen. These were discharged intothree receivers respectively. The mixtureof kernel and shell was recycled for re-separation. The kernelwas sent for kernelextractionandtheshelltotheboilerasfuel.Thekernelseemedtobeofgoodqualityintermsofthetextureandthedirtcontent.

Boiler House

Itwas locatedslightlyoutside themainmillcomplexthathousedtwoboilerswithasteamingcapacityof15thr-1at21bar.Thesurroundingsappearedneat.

Waste Disposal

There were either no environmentalregulations on the disposal of wasteproducts or theywere not enforced yet in1997.Intheabsenceof incinerators,emptyfruit bunches was not incinerated but are

loadedontotheemptycagestogetherwithexcessfibre,shellandwasdisposedoffinthefieldformulchingorforopenburning.

Palmoilmethylesterswasappliedtothefield.Raweffluentafterthede-oilingpitwaspumped to the estate for landapplication.From the de-oiling pit, the dischargecontainedlittleoil.Notmuchoilremnantswereseeninthemillsurroundings.

Oil Extraction Rate

The oil extraction rate was observedto fluctuate between 18% to 23% in 1996and 1997. The year to-date, at the timeof visit, was 19.4% with no indication ofany declining trend. The reason for suchdifference is not known. Oil losses invarious by-products, i.e. oil losses onfibreandeffluentwerenormal, i.e. less than4%and1%onsamplerespectively.

Quality of Palm Oil

The mill produced good quality crudepalmoilasindicatedbythefollowing:

Freefattyacids : lessthan2%(1.5%)Iodinevalue : 52–55(high)Carotene : 650–800ppmTocopherol : 600–800ppmDOBI : 3–3.6

The iodine value of the crude palm oilwashighcomparedtothatoftheMalaysianone, which rarely exceeds 52 nowadays.Thetocopherolcontentseemedalittlelow,asitneverexceeded800ppmsofar.

Kernel Extraction Rate

The kernel extraction rate was about4%with lowdirt and acceptablemoisturelevels.Thekernelwascrushedatthesamemill complex using an old cooker andexpeller system.Thekernel crushingplanthad a capacity of 1.8 t kernel hr-1. The oilextractionratewasverylowatabout30%.Thecompanywasplanningtoupgradetheplant.


Feature Article

CONCLUSION

In general, the mill was well operatedand maintained with a relatively clean,less noisy and less humid environment.Thiswasdue to theabsenceofaneffluenttreatment plant nearby, no rotten crop,residualoil,emptyfruitbunchesorfruitsinthecompound.Thede-oilingtankthatwaslocatedfartherfromthemillwasalsowellmaintained.

The whole plantation was relativelyflatwhichmade farmmechanisation, crop

transportation and maintenance muchsimpler and easier. The plantation waswell planned for farm mechanisation attheearlystage itself.Therewasverygoodco-operation between the estate and themill operation as they were both undera common General Manager. Being alatecomertotheindustry,theyenjoyedthebenefit of getting the latest informationin plantation management and milling technology. They had also done much inimprovingtheadoptedtechnologiesbothintheplantationandmillingsectors,andwereratherinnovativeinthisrespect.


Titbits

A numberofpalmoilmilllaboratoriesin Malaysia present a sad stateof affairs in terms of the task it

is expected to perform. It is time forthe palm oil mills to take some positivesteps to improve the quality of analysisthat is carried out in their laboratories. Amajor review is needed to achieve themuch desired improvement. A person,preferably a dedicated chemist, should beassignedthetaskofreviewingtheexistinglaboratory practices and recommendlaboratory practices that would reflectstandards and practices that would blendwith the time. Currently, the tests carriedoutarefarfromsatisfactory,asthemethodspracticed are highly questionable in termsof the degree of accuracy of the tests thatare desired. There is a need to examinethemainlaboratorypracticestogainsomeinsightonhowthetestsarecarriedout.Thetechniquesemployedhavetobeexaminedinordertoanalysethefollowing.

THE OIL LOSS IN EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH

There may be many ways of doing thisand as such, the systems may vary frommill to mill.We havemade the followingobservations:•most of the privatemills do not carryoutthistest;

OIL LOSS IN EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH • somemills assigna zerovalue for thislossastheydonotconductthistest.Thecredibilityof the samples is important.Thesampleselectionisbasedonpickinguponesampleevery2or3hr;

• the selected bunches are cut into fourportionsandone-quarteroftheselectedbunchesispickedupasasample;

• the selected quarter bunches arechopped and mixed together to makeit homogenous. These bunches arefurtherquarteredto500g;and

• the 500 g sample is now thoroughlygroundinablenderand15gisselectedfor oil content analysis in the normalsoxletextractor.

Theabovemodeofanalysingoilcontentin the empty fruit bunches has been theonly system in the industry ever since oilloss analysiswas adopted as a useful toolfor process monitoring. The question iswhether the industry is satisfied with theexistingsystem.Themillmanagersinwellreputed companies most probably mayliketohaveabettermethodofconductinglaboratoryanalysesonemptyfruitbunchesthantheexistingmethod.Astheoillossinempty fruit bunches is one of the highestamongthelosses,anaccuratemeasurementofitwouldbeusefulforthemillers.

MPOB has been conducting a seriesof successful trials for analysing all theoil losses inapalmoilmillusing thenear


infra-red analyser (NIR). The analysis canbe conducted within 2 min. The trials onsludgeandmesocarpfibrehavebeendonesuccessfully.As theempty fruitbunches issimilartothemesocarp,thereshouldnotbeanyissueswithemptyfruitbunchesforoillossanalysis.Theonlyproblemhereis thesamplingmethodthatneedsimprovement,asthecurrentmethoddoesnotseemtobethebestmethod.TheNIRmethodalsoreliesonthecredibilityofthesamplingmethod.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

In situ Bunch Strippers

Two inventors have come upwith twodifferent systems designed to do awaywithbunchstripping in themills. If it canbe done in the field, we can expect thefollowingbenefits:• adropinthetransportcostofthefreshfruit bunches, at least by 23%, of theweightofthefreshfruitbunches;

• a rise in the oil extraction rate due tothepossibilityofincreasedcollectionofloosefruits;

• lesstrashthanwhatitisnow;• an improvement in the quality of thesmallholder’s crop leading to a higherOERforprivatemillers;

• thepurchaseofmore landforoilpalmcultivation regardless of remoteness ofthearea;and

• increasedearningsforthesmallholdersas theycansetupminimill toprocesstheircrop.

Virgin Palm Oil Processing Plant

One of the two inventors in in situ bunch stripper has also came up with aninnovativewayofextractingvirginpalmoilusing purely mechanical processing. Thisisworth consideringbecauseoliveoil andcoconut oil alreadyhave a ‘virgin oil’ andsomepeoplehaveraisedthequeryonwhywedonot produce virginpalmoil. Untilnow,noonehasseriouslythoughtaboutitbecausethecrudepalmoilproducershavebeen in a comfort zone. Perhaps the timeis now ripe to pursue the niche virgin oilmarkettokeepupwiththepresentmarkettrend.

Titbits


Datasheet

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF CRUDE PALM OIL

Temperature (oC)

Apparent density(g ml-1)

Kinematic viscosity (centipoise)

Sp. heat(k.cal/kgoC)

Sp. heat(kJ/kgoC)

45505560657075100

0.8930.8890.8860.8830.8790.8760.873

-

28.723.719.916.914.612.711.26.7

0.4830.4860.4900.4940.4970.5010.5040.522

2.022.032.052.072.082.102.112.19

OTHER RELEVANT PHYSICAL PROPERTIES: COMPILED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES

1.Refractiveindex

1.4546to1.4560at40oC

4.Heatofcombustion

41868kJkg-1 (10000k.calkg-1)

2.Meltingpoint 32.3oCto39oC(Mean 36oC)

5.Flashpoint 250oC to 260oC

3.Solidificationtemperature

25oCto40.5oC

APPARENT DENSITIES FOR REFINED, BLEACHED AND DEODORISED PALM OIL

Temp.(oC)

Density (g ml-1)

Temp.(oC)

Density (g ml-1)

Temp.(oC)

Density (g ml-1)

Temp.(oC)

Density (g ml-1)

4041424344

4546474849

0.89660.89590.89520.89460.8939

0.89330.89260.89200.89130.8907

5051525354

5556575859

0.89000.88940.88870.88800.8874

0.88670.88610.88540.88480.8841

6061626364

6566676869

0.88350.88280.88220.88150.8808

0.88020.87950.87890.87820.8776

7071727374

75----

0.87690.87630.87560.87500.8743

0.8736----

Note: Interpolatedusingthefollowingexperimentalregressionequation: App.density=0.92274–0.0006545t


ADVERTISEMENTue to the increased cost of printing, the advertisement rate is RM 700 per issue for an A4 size page of black and white, whereas the cost for colour is RM 900. One year of complimentary Vendor’s List advertisement for every one page A4-size colour or black & white advertisement. Advertisers are required to submit to us either their own black and white or colour artwork in CD. Cheque should be made payable to the ‘Malaysian Palm Oil Board’. If you have any queries, please contact the following at MPOB.

Tel: 03-87694400 Fax: 03-89262971

Dr. Lim Weng Soon ext: 4406 • Ir. N. Ravi Menon ext: 4467 • Lim Soo Chin ext: 4676 E-mail: [email protected]

Advertising Schedule for MPOB Palm Oil Engineering Bulletin

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REPLY-SLIP

Dr. Lim Weng Soon/Ir. N. Ravi MenonEngineering and Processing Division Palm Oil Engineering BulletinMPOB6, Persiaran InstitusiBandar Baru Bangi43000 Kajang, Selangor

PALM OIL ENGINEERING BULLETIN ADVERTISEMENT – FULL PAGE ADVERTISEMENT

1. We confirm our intention to advertise in the MPOB Palm Oil Engineering Bulletin.

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# * Made payable to ‘MALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARD’.


MPO

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ollowing a decision by the Editorial Board to further increase the role of Palm Oil Engineering Bulletin to serve the industry better, a new addition called Palm Oil Mill Vendor’s List has been introduced similar to Telekom Yellow Pages to assist mill engineers to know where to source materials or services pertaining to the industry. In order to make this useful, we need the co-operation of the mill engineers/managers to persuade their vendors to advertise in the Vendor’s List for a nominal fee of RM 100/year. If you have any queries, please contact the following at MPOB.

Tel: 03-87694400 Fax: 03-89262971

Ir. Ravi Menon ext. 4467 or e-mail: [email protected] Ms. Lim Soo Chin ext. 4676 or e-mail: [email protected]

REPLY SLIP

Dr. Lim Weng Soon/Ir. N. Ravi MenonEngineering and Processing Division Palm Oil Engineering Bulletin AdvertisementMPOB, 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.

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Documents

Engineering Bulletin #102 front cover - PALMOILISpalmoilis.mpob.gov.my/publications/POEB/poeb106.pdfobliged to carry out. They believe that apart from a few tests that can highlight