• How does a palm oil mill work?
  • A palm oil mill typically adopts a solvent-free process that uses steam and water for oil extraction. Interestingly, the process to extract the oil from the palm fruitlets has remained relatively unchanged for the past 50 years. Figure 1 shows the block flow diagram of a typical palm oil mill for the production of crude palm oil.
  • What is the processing capacity of a palm oil mill in Malaysia?
  • The typical processing capacity of a palm oil mill in Malaysia ranges from 10 tonnes to 120 tonnes of FFB per hour. It is of utmost importance that during harvesting, FFB is collected immediately and transported to the nearby palm oil mills for processing.
  • What factors affect the performance of a palm oil mill?
  • Although the milling process is well established in the industry, insufficient research and development reported in optimising and analysing the operations of a palm oil mill. The performance of a palm oil mill (e.g., costs, utilisation and flexibility) is affected by factors such as operating time, capacity and fruit availability.
  • What is a typical palm oil milling process flow?
  • The typical palm oil milling process flow is best described through a series of activities conducted in different stations (Figure 2). It all begins with the transportation of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) from plantation sites to the palm oil mills.
  • Are palm oil mills sustainable?
  • In contrast to other oil crop processing facilities, palm oil mills have established themselves as environmentally conscious entities, pioneering a sustainable approach to energy generation. These mills have eschewed reliance on conventional energy sources, such as electricity from the national grid and fuel oil.
  • How to improve the sustainability of palm oil production in Malaysia?
  • Presently, tremendous efforts have been devoted to improving the sustainability of palm oil production. One strategy is to improve the oil extraction rate (OER) during the milling process. The average OER in Malaysia has remained stagnant between 19 and 21% for the past 40 years.