A comprehensive guide to the palm oil chemical refining process

Palm oil refining is a critical step in transforming crude oil into a high-quality, market-ready product. At Henan Glory Oils & Fats Engineering Co., Ltd, we offer comprehensive solutions for palm oil chemical refining, ensuring your palm oil meets industry standards for purity, taste, and shelf life. This comprehensive guide will take you through the key processes involved in the palm oil chemical refining: degumming, deacidification, decolorization and deodorization, each step plays a crucial role in refining process.

Palm oil chemical refining process flow chart

Degumming: This initial step of palm oil chemical refining involves removing gums and other phospholipids from the crude oil. These impurities can affect the oil’s stability and quality. Our degumming systems utilize water to effectively separate the gums, leaving behind cleaner oil ready for the next stage.

Deacidification: Also known as neutralization, deacidification is the process of removing free fatty acids (FFAs) that contribute to off-flavors and a shorter shelf life. During this step, we use alkali solutions to neutralize the FFAs, converting them into soap stock that can be easily separated. The acidity of the separated oil will be greatly reduced. This step ensures a smoother and more stable final product.

Palm oil degumming and deacidification equipment

Decolorization: The stage involves removing unwanted color pigments and other compounds that affect the color of the oil. Using specially designed filters and absorbent materials, this step guarantee a brighter, more appealing oil without affecting its nutritional value.

Deodorization: The final step in the chemical refining process is deodorization, which eliminates remaining volatile compounds responsible for undesirable odors and flavors and suitable for various cooking purposes. This process needs to be carried out under vacuum and at very high temperatures in order to remove odors in the best possible way.

Palm oil deodorization equipment

According to the type of refining, Henan Glory divides it into Batch type palm oil refinery plant (0.5-20tpd), Semi-continuous palm oil refinery plant (10-50tpd) and Full-continuous palm oil refinery plant (≥30tpd).

The palm oil chemical refining requires a lot of equipment, including refining tank, centrifugal, vacuum pump, thermal oil furnace, vacuum filter, deodorization tower, crystallizing tank, etc. It should be noted that different types of refining require different equipment.

Comparison chart of three palm oil refining equipment

Henan Glory chemical refining plants are tailored to meet the needs of small, medium, and large-scale producers. Whether you're refining palm oil for retail or industrial use, our technology ensures a high-quality end product that meets all regulatory standards. Contact us for more information on how our advanced chemical refining solutions can elevate your palm oil production!