Development of an Aqueous Palm Oil Extraction System

Continuous attempts have been made to re-examine the aqueous extraction of palm oil (through pit technology) and device a means of improving the technology particularly for the small-scale processors. A novel aqueous batch extraction system was developed and was subsequently evaluated for its performance in palm oil processing. The crude oil produced from the traditional pit technology and aqueous batch extraction system were compared and evaluated using a 23 factorial experimental design. The factors considered were fruit sterilization time, variety of fruit and processing technology. The crude oil produced at different factor levels was assessed for its solid impurities, moisture content and oil content. The result indicates that the crude oil yield from batch extraction system are higher with values of 30.4%, 30.9%, 42.0% and 43.2% compared with pit technology method with 26.8%, 27.7%, 38.6% and 39.6% respectively. The throughput of the batch extraction system (120kg of mash/ h) was found to be higher than pit technology that could take only 65kg of mash / h. Keywords: palm oil, aqueous-extraction, traditional-method, mechanical system, efficiencyDiscovery and Innovation Vol. 19 (3) 2007: pp. 202-207