RECOVERING OIL FROM PALM MESOCARP FIBRES

摘要

THE INVENTION DISCLOSES A PROCESS AND APPARATUS TO EXTRACT REMAINING OIL FROM MESOCARP FIBRES OF OIL PALM AFTER INITIAL EXTRACTION OF OIL. THE PROCESS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STEPS: REDUCING THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE MESOCARP FIBRES TO BELOW 10BY WEIGHT; SUBJECTING THE MESOCARP FIBRES TO A SOLVENT IN AN ENCLOSED CHAMBER AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 45 TO 55°C TO YIELD A MISCELLA AND DEOILED MESOCARP FIBRES; REMOVING THE MISCELLA CONTAINING OIL, SOLVENT AND MOISTURE; REMOVING THE SOLVENT FROM THE DEOILED MESOCARP FIBRES PRODUCED; SEPARATING OIL, SOLVENT AND MOISTURE RESPECTIVELY FROM THE MISCELLA. THE SOLVENT USED IS FOOD GRADE HEXANE. CONTENT OF HEXANE IN THE EXTRACTED PALM OIL IS BELOW 0.1 BY WEIGHT. REMAINING OIL CONTENT OF THE DEOILED MESOCARP FIBRES IS BELOW 0.5BY WEIGHT.FIG. 1