Small Palm Oil Mill Plant

Invest in Palm Oil Processing Business

Small palm oil mill plant mean a reduction in capacity, working capital and operating costs. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean large decrease of production efficiency.

• Small Scale Palm Oil Mill Plant: Small-scale mills are processing units that can handle a maximum capacity of 2 tones of fruit bunches that are freshly cut in a period of one hour.
• Medium Scale Palm Oil Mill Plant: Processing units that process a minimum of 3 tones and a maximum of 8 tones of freshly cut palm fruit per hour are called as medium scale mills. Large industrial mills are the largest mills and can process 10 tones and more per hour. (See More about Large Palm Oil Pressing Project)

Feel free to contact us if you are interested in starting a small palm oil mill or buy small scale palm oil pressing unit. We are always at your services!

How to Build A Small Palm Oil Mill?

Why invest in small scale palm oil manufacturing mill? More and more small palm oil extraction factory are constructed in the local countryside to break transporting restrictions of palm fruits. Poor road networks in the rural areas affect transportation of FFBs from the palm plantations or farms to palm fruits processing plants. Placement of processing plants near the farms also reduces production cost and postharvest losses that may occur through fruit spoilage. 

Mini Palm Oil Processing Plant

The above palm oil processing unit is designed for 1-20 ton/day mini palm fruit processing factory. The main equipments include palm fruits sterilizer, thresher, screw palm oil machine, conveyor and tower crane. For 20-100 ton/day small to medium scale palm oil mill, you can take the following project for reference.

Small to Medium Palm Oil Factory (20-1000TPD)

Here are some factors need to be considered before building a small palm oil mill or starting your palm oil manufacturing business: The prime electric power should also be put into consideration before setting up a small palm oil plant in the country. Most villages rely on diesel-powered engines as the main source of power. The diesel-powered engines may be used to produce electricity to run different operation units in palm oil production plant. The number of operation units relies on the power needed to run them. (Related post: Setup A Palm Oil Mill in Nigeria)

Turnkey Palm Oil Extraction Equipment

Process of Small Palm Oil Mill Plant

There is a wide range of techniques used for processing palm oil fruits into edible oil, cooking oil or bio-diesel oil. These techniques are categorized according to the complexity degree of the machinery being used in the operational unit. This categories include use of traditional methods with more manual involvement and automatic industrial mills in which very few workers are needed. It is generally divided into large industrial palm oil mills, medium scale mills and small scale mills. There has been adequate literature about large and medium scale palm oil mill plant. However, limited information about the small-processing units has been shared. The following is some experiances in starting a small scale palm oil pressing plant. (Read more about palm kernel oil business plan)

Small Scale Palm Oil Pressing Factory

• 01. Bunch Reception

Processing of palm oil fruits starts by bunch reception. Palm Fruit Bunches Reception involves receiving freshly cut fruits from the field. The fruits may be in form of bunches or at times loose fruits. At the bunch reception point the fruits are carefully emptied into wooden boxes which help in weighing on a weighing scale .The use of weighbridges make work easier and efficient especially if the fruits are carried in trucks and in large installations.

The fruit bunches received are then threshed manually by removing the spikelets which are fruit-laden from the bunch stem. The spikelets are cut from the bunch stem with a machete then the fruits are separated by hand.

• 02. Sterilization

Sterilization of the threshed fruits is done by cooking the fruits in water. This is mostly done in small-scale processing mills which can not generate their own steam. During the cooking process most of the water is absorbed by the whole bunches .While heating the bunches, high-pressure steam heating is recommended because it is reduces water loss. Sterilization using high-pressure system usually thresh the bunches after fruits are cooked. On the other hand, operations that are small scale, the fruits are threshed prior being cooked.

• 03. Digestion

Digestion of the palm fruit comes after sterilization. Digestion is a process involving rupture of cells that are responsible for bearing oil. The digester that is commonly used for this stage is coupled with a shaft enclosed in a cylindrical vessel that is steam heated. The shaft has stirring arms that ensure proper pounding of the fruit. Steam injections and heat insulations, which help in maintaining contents in the digesters during elevated temperatures are not fitted in small scale digesters due to maintenance and cost issues.

• 04. Oil Extracion (Small Palm Oil Screw Press)

Extraction of the oil is then done after digestion of the fruits. Extraction can be done using two methods that are the 'dry' method and 'wet' method. The dry method involves the use of mechanical presses while the wet method uses hot water, which leaches oil out.  Welcome contact us for cost of palm oil processing machine.

• 05. Clarification

The process of palm oil clarification follows extraction. This process involves separation of the impurities from the pure oil. The extract is comprised of water, debris and other fibrous material. Wastewater is achieved from the clarifier as waste and is later led into a nearby sludge pit. In small mills the sludge that accumulates is not treated, it is collected in buckets and used as a herbicides to kill weeds around the area where processing takes place.

• 06. Storage

Storage of the processed palm oil is the final step of the process. In this step, the small scale mills pack the oil that has dried in used plastic drums and stored in warm temperature.

The final quality of palm oil manufactured by small palm oil processing equipment is key especially when determining the price. The quality of palm oil extracted is influenced by different factors. Some of the factors affecting the composition and quality of palm oil may be genetic make up of the plant, environmental conditions, the technique of harvesting and transportation and fruit handling.

Video: Primitive Palm Oil Processing Method