Palm oil is one of the most consumed vegetable oils in the world and is widely used in the food, chemical and biofuel industries. However, crude palm oil contains impurities, free fatty acids, pigments and odors, and must be refined to meet edible standards. Henan Huatai Cereals and Oils Machinery Co., Ltd., as one of the leading oil equipment manufacturer, provides global customers with efficient, energy-saving and intelligent palm oil refining equipment. This article will comprehensively analyze the process flow, equipment selection and price factors of palm oil refining plant to help you make the best investment decision.
1. Palm oil refining process
The main purpose of palm oil refining plant is to remove impurities, free fatty acids, gums, pigments and odors from crude oil to make it meet food grade standards. Common palm oil refining processes include physical refining and chemical refining. The specific process is as follows:
1) Physical palm oil refining process (applicable to crude oil with low acid value)
Physical refining removes acid through high-temperature distillation, which is suitable for crude palm oil with low acid value (FFA < 5%). The process flow is as follows:
a. Degumming: Removal of phospholipids and gum (hydration degumming or acid refining degumming)
b. Decolorization: Use activated clay to adsorb pigments
c. Deodorization: High-temperature vacuum distillation to remove free fatty acids and odors
d. Filtration: Remove residual clay and impurities
Advantages:
1) Low amount of chemical reagents, environmentally friendly
2) Low refining loss (about 3-5%)
3) Suitable for small and medium-sized palm oil processing plants
2) Chemical palm oil refining process (applicable to crude oil with high acid value)
Chemical refining neutralizes free fatty acids through alkali refining, which is suitable for crude oil with high acid value (FFA > 5%) crude oil, the process flow is as follows:
a. Degumming: acid refining or hydration degumming
b. Alkali refining and deacidification: add NaOH to neutralize free fatty acids
c. Decolorization: activated white clay adsorbs pigments
d. Deodorization: high temperature vacuum distillation to remove odors
e. Filtration: remove residual impurities
Advantages:
1) Applicable to high acid value crude oil
2) More stable refining effect
3) Can remove heavy metals and residual pesticides at the same time
2. Palm oil refining equipment selection guide
Selection of suitable palm oil refining machine requires consideration of processing capacity, refining process, degree of automation and investment budget. Henan Huatai Cereals and Oils Machinery Co., Ltd. provides a full set of palm oil refining equipment from 1-600T/D to meet the needs of enterprises of different sizes.
1) Select by processing capacity:
1-10T/D small palm oil processing plant
10-100T/D medium-sized palm oil mill plant
100-600T/D large palm oil refinery
2) Select by degree of automation
Semi-automatic equipment: suitable for small palm oil plants with limited budgets and more manual operations
Fully automatic PLC control: suitable for medium-sized and above enterprises, reducing labor costs and improving refining stability
3) Composition of key equipment
A complete set of palm oil refining equipment usually includes:
Degumming tank → Neutralization/alkali refining system (chemical refining)
Decolorization tower → Deodorization tower
Filtration system → Vacuum system
PLC control system (optional)
3. Factors affecting the price of palm oil refining equipment
The price of palm oil equipment is affected by the processing capacity, process type, degree of automation and material. Huatai Oil Machinery provides a customized solution with high cost performance. The main factors affecting the price:
1) Processing volume: The larger the production capacity, the higher the price
2) Process type: Chemical refining equipment is more complex and more expensive than physical refining
3) Automation level: Fully automatic PLC control is 30%-50% more expensive than semi-automatic
4) Material: 304/316 stainless steel is more corrosion-resistant, but the cost is higher
4. Advantages of Huatai palm oil refining equipment
1) Energy saving and high efficiency: Optimize the heat exchange system and reduce steam consumption
2) High refining rate: Low refining loss and increase oil yield
3) Modular design: Flexible installation and strong scalability
4) Global cases: Exported to Southeast Asia, Africa, South America and other countries
5. How to choose a suitable supplier?
Investigate the strength of the manufacturer: Huatai Oil Machinery has 37+ years of industry experience and provides turnkey palm oil projects
Require trial service: provide small or medium tests to verify the refining effect
Focus on after-sales service: Ensure long-term and stable operation of the equipment
Conclusion
Choosing the right palm oil refining equipment is crucial for palm oil processing companies. Henan Huatai Cereals and Oils Machinery Co., Ltd. provides one-stop services from process design to equipment manufacturing, installation and commissioning, helping customers achieve efficient and low-consumption refining production. If you need a customized plan or quotation, please contact us.
Website: https://www.oilpresscn.com/
Email: info06@cnoilmachine.com