Fractionation of Palm Oil and

Other Tropical Oils

ENG. LEON PABLO ESPINOSA

DESMET BALLESTRA GROUP

8th Advanced Palm Oilseed and Oil Processing - Costa Rica January 30 & 31 2012
 Oil Processing

Cleaning
Cleaning // Drying
Drying Mechanical
Mechanical Extraction
Extraction
Meal
Meal
Cracking
Cracking Flaking
Flaking Solvent
Solvent Extraction
Extraction
Seed
Seed
Dehulling
Dehulling Crude
Crude
Preparation Extraction Oil
Oil

Speciality
Speciality Fats
Fats Hydrogenation
Hydrogenation
Degumming
Degumming
Frying
Frying oil
oil Interesterification
Interesterification
Neutralising
Neutralising
Margarine
Margarine Fractionation
Fractionation
Refined
Refined Bleaching
Bleaching
Modification Oil
Oil
Soap
Soap Winterising
Winterising

Lubricants Deodorising
Deodorising
Lubricants
Oleochemical
Biodiesel Processes Refining
Biodiesel

De Smet Presentation 2
 Fat Modifications

INTERESTERIFICATION HYDROGENATION
Enzymatic or chemical chemical
No change of fatty acid profile saturation of FA
Redistribution of FA in glycerides trans fats

FRACTIONATION
physical (environmental friendly)
Redistribution of glycerides by
crystallization
De Smet Presentation 3
 Definition

Separation process in which a certain quantity

of mixture (solid, liquid, solute or suspension)
is divided in a number of small quantities
(fractions) in which composition is modified.
Fractional distillation: FA and FAME ( Volatility)
Supercritical Extraction; Lecithin deoling,
vitamin extraction (Solubility)
Fractional crystallization: Edible and not edible
applications

De Smet Presentation 4
 SOLVENT FRACTIONATION

Fat dissolved in a solvent ( acetone, hexane, isopropyl

alcohol)
Dilute conditions:
No liquid oil occlusion at the surface of the crystals.
Good selectivity, low tendency to form co-crystals.
High cost ( Solvent, explosion proof)
High energy consumption (Cooling at low temperatures,
evaporation of solvent) and environmental issues.
Continuous process ( Technology still applied for
specialty fats).

De Smet Presentation 5
 DETERGENT FRACTIONATION

Aqueous crystallization (surfactant (SDS) electrolyte).

Crystals easily suspended in aqueous phase.
Light liquid oil separated from heavy water phase
Containing crystals (centrifugation)
High costs, effluent problems, contamination of finished
Products (chemicals)
Continuous process
Technology still applied in oleo- chemestry for fatty
Acids Fractionation ( but moving to dry)
 DRY FRACTIONATION

Environmental friendly and cost effective process

(No chemicals, no solvent, no effluent, no losses)
Controlled crystallization from the melt by slowing cooling
Crystallization in the bulk, low degree of crystallization,
multi step operations, large range of fractions.
High improvement in the last years:
knowledge in crystallization
Design of new crystallizers
Highly efficient separation of the fractions
Batch (or Continuous) process
<< Dynamic>> or <<Static>> crystallization
 Dry Fractionation: Principle

crystallisers
Palm oil filter press

feed tank melting tank

Wash
Stearin Olein olein

80
rpm PALM OIL FRACTIONATION
COOLING CURVE
70
Viscosity
60
Temperature (C)

50 Oil temp

40

30 Water

20
Solid Fat Content
buffertank
10

0 1 2 3
Time (hrs)
4 5 6

crystallisation filtration

De Smet Presentation 10
 Key = controlled crystallisation

80
PALM OIL FRACTIONATION
COOLING CURVE
70 Crystallisation
= exothermic
60
Temperature (C)

50

40
H cooling =
30
0.5 kCal / C.kg
cooling
20 nucleation

10 crystallisation
H crystallisation =
agglomeration
50 kCal / kg
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Time (hrs)
Oil temp rpm
Viscosity Water temp Solid Fat Content
De Smet Presentation 11
 Crystallisation Technology

- two approaches: slow crystallisation / long cooling cycle TIRTIAUX

fast crystallisation / short cycle DE SMET

- continuous vs semicontinuous (batch)

winterising fractionation

<1% solids > 1%solids

- dynamic (agitation) vs static (block crystallisation)

eg. PO eg. PKO

De Smet Presentation 12
 Tirtiaux type crystalliser types
used in PO fractionation

Lipico-Oiltek Tirtiaux second Tirtiaux third

type with generation type generation type with
horizontal with vertical vertical cooling fins
cooling coils cooling pipes
(basically first
generation
Tirtiaux)
Internal views
De Smet Presentation 13
Improved Cooling Fins
Design (DBG)
25 Ton Crystalliser

De Smet Presentation 14
 Main engineering
Dimensions
Capacity (T)
25 42 52 62
Diam (mm) 2800 3100 3500 3500
Approx Heigth Cooling elements 4450 (pipes) 6000 5700 7000
Cylinder Height (mm) 5000 6500 6200 7500
Motor Power 4 7.5 7.5 7.5
Heat exchange surface (m/t) 5.1 5.3 5.3 5.1

Overall Weight (Kg)

5400 9300 9600 11900
De Smet Presentation 15
 Oil Crystallisation

- Determined by cooling profile

- Complex: polymorphism (, , )

intersolubility (phase behaviour liquid vs solid state)

- Stages: Supercooling nucleation

Crystal growth

Maturation / Agglomeration

- two approaches: slow crystallisation / long cooling cycle

fast crystallisation / short cycle

De Smet Presentation 16
 Oil controlled crystallisation
curve (Tirtiaux)

Dynamic
crystallizer with
vertical cooling
plates /coils
(Fractionnement
Tirtiaux)

oil temperature
controlled

De Smet Presentation 17
 Crystalliser types (short cycle) used in
dry fractionation: Concentric type

12 tons
(2 concentric rings)
25 tons
(3 concentric rings)
35 tons
(4 concentric rings)

De Smet Presentation 18
New Fractionation Technology

Desmet patented Mobuliser

We wanted to design
a crystalliser with less steel
easier to build / install
more versatile in its use (batch/cont)

meanwhile
keep general Desmet advantages
improve the performance
allow more gentle treatment of the crystals

De Smet Presentation 19
 New Fractionation Technology

Why is performance better?

less shear forces due to agitation
a higher specific heat transfer
improved filtration and fraction purity

It can perform where others fail

Status of MoBulizer technology?

4 years of pilot trials on all kinds of oil
Several industrial MoBulizers running smoothly
We sold 34 more , and counting

De Smet Presentation 20
 New crystalliser introduced in
dry fractionation: MOBULISER

De Smet Presentation 21
 New crystalliser introduced in
dry fractionation: MOBULISER

Capacity
(BxL) (m)
B
17 tons
(2x3 m)
25 tons
(3x3 m)
35 tons
(3x4 m)
45 tons
(3x5m)
L
De Smet Presentation 22
 New crystalliser introduced in
dry fractionation: MOBULISER

Picture 109.mpg

De Smet Presentation 23
 Mobulizer dimensions

4 Standard sizes
Size (ton)
17 25 35 45
Length (mm) 3050 2900 4000 5100
Width (mm) 2000 3150 3150 3150
Height (mm) 3920 3920 3920 3920
Amount of Pipe racks 5 5 7 9
Heat exchange surface (m/t) 5.6 5.5 6.1 6.1

Approx. Weight (ton) 8 10 13 15

De Smet Presentation 24
Cooling tower
Steam
Chiller
water

Palm oil fractionation: (eg. 7x35 tons)

Olein Q cycle time(hrs) cap(tpd).

56-57 6 1000
60-61 12 (11+1) 500

feedstock Palm olein refractionation:

Semi- Olein Q cycle time(hrs) cap(tpd)
automatic 64-65 20(19+1) 300

Stearin Olein
De Smet Presentation 25
 Separation of stearin from Olein

- centrifugation difference in density liquid vs solid

density appox.0.05 kg/l

- filtration difference in permeability

macromolecular crystals vs molecular liquid

- vacuum (belt / drum)

- membrane press

De Smet Presentation 26
 Separation systems used in
dry fractionation

Filtration Press filtration Centrifugal Vacuum filtration

data (16 bar)
(standard 6 bar) separation (drum / belt)

IV palm oil 52 52 52
IV olein 57 57 57
IV stearin 34
32 38 40
SFC slurry 12% 12% 12%
SFC cake 55%
65% / 41%
Yield olein 78%
82% 74-75% 65%

De Smet Presentation 27
Florentine filter

Scraping of the
stearin cake

De Smet Presentation 28
 Membrane filter presses used in
dry fractionation

Top bar
Cake
discharge

std 10 50%
extension

Cake
discharge
Side bar
De Smet Presentation 29
 Filtration sequence
http://www.lenser.de/cms/upload/Produkte/Membran-
Filterelemente/animation2safe_mit_ow.swf
Filling Squeezing

Slurry

filling O
L
cake squeezing
E
I
N
Mixed pack design cake blowing
for 6-30 bar

cake discharge

STEARIN
De Smet Presentation 30
 Effect pressure on separation efficiency and oil
quality from crude palm oil (IV 53) dry
fractionation

Commodity
Squeezing SFC(1) Yield IV
fractions
pressure cake stearin olein stearin olein
50 mm % % % %

6 bar 55 23.6 76.4 39.7 57.1

15 bar 61 20.0 80.0 36.6 57.1
30 bar 65 18.3 81.7 34.7 57.1

25 mm % % % %

6 bar 60 20.6 79.4 36.8 57.2

15 bar 66 18.8 81.2 34.9 57.2
30 bar 70 16.2 83.8 32.1 57.2

(1): SFC measured by NMR directly after cake discharge

Specialty
fractions
De Smet Presentation 31
 Dry Fractionation Of Palm Oil
Multi-step Process
Heterogeneous TAG distribution separation of compositionally distinct fractions

100% Palm Oil

IV 52
Commodity

15% Palm Stearin 85% Palm Olein Frying Oil

IV 36 IV 56

Margarine
Specialty Fats

45% Soft PMF 40% Super Olein

Margarine Salad Oil
IV 46 IV >64

15% Hard PMF 30% Mid Olein 20% Mid Olein 20% Top Olein
IV 35 IV 53 IV 60 IV >67
Fats

to CBE Very cold stable salad oil

De Smet Presentation 32
 PKO Fractionation

Palm Static or Dynamic

kernel oil
Block Slurry
crystallisation crystallisation
crude - refined crude - refined

De Smet Presentation 33
 History of PKO fractionation

-Traditional panning & pressing

* Proven process with stearin yield (IV 7-7.5) 35-40%
* Labour intensive, not consistent

- Multi-stage dry dynamic fractionation

* Two-three stage process with stearin yield (IV 7-7.5) 30-38%
* Long total cycle time : 2 to 3 x 6 hr Lot of manipulation

- Controlled static crystallisation using Statoliser technology

* Consistent two stage process
* High stearin yield (IV 7) : up to 38-44%

De Smet Presentation 34
 PALM KERNEL OIL FRACTIONATION
With STATOLISER technology

Palm kernel oil (RB)

IV 17-18 Palm oil
Palm
kernel oil 100 tpd

3/6 hrs

PKStearin PK Olein
IV 6-8 IV 23-25
35-40 tpd 60-65 tpd
(+hydrogenation)

CBS
De Smet Presentation 35
 PALM KERNEL OIL FRACTIONATION
Combined controlled dynamic-static crystallisation
dynamic static
1002D1 1002D2
static
1001 1002S2
1002S1

F1057/82C
K

dynamic PF1002D
PF1002S
1016

De Smet dry
fractionation
F1082B
using Statoliser
technology F1082S
T
PF1082D
PF1082ST

De Smet Presentation 36
 PKO fractionation (dynamic-static)

PKO
feed

Static postcrystallisation
Dynamic
precrystallisation

Filtration Fluidisation
De Smet Presentation 37
 Developments in
Crystallization- Statolizer
Static crystalliser for controlled
block crystallization

Filter press
 Single Stage PKO dry fractionation

Palm Kernel oil

IV 18

Single stage
SFC-content
Statoliser C %
CBS
18C 20 95
IV 1
25 90
30 50
35 5
PK Olein PK Stearin
IV 25 IV 7
60-64 % 36-40 % Full Hydrogenation

De Smet Presentation 39
 Two Stage PKO dry fractionation

Palm kernel oil

IV 18
Potential advantages
Two stage
- Higher stearin yield
Statoliser 1 - Less hydro capacity

PK Stearin I PK Olein
30% CBS 70%
IV 5 IV 23.5

Full Hydrogenation Statoliser 2

Direct use
as CBS PK Stearin II PK Olein
IV 7.5 IV 27
20% 80%
De Smet Presentation 40
 What is the next step??

BATCH PROCESS

TO CONTINUOUS PROCESS???
De Smet Presentation 41
 Leon Pablo Espinosa
Regional Sales Manager
Desmet Ballestra North America

Thank You lec@desmetballestra.com

De Smet Presentation 42