Challenges in Processing Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB)

from Interspecific Hybrid Cultivars (OxG) in

Conventional Palm Oils Mills in Colombia

Jesus Alberto Garcia-Nuñez

Ingrid Liliana Cortes-Barrero
Kennyher Caballero-Blanco
Nidia Elizabeth Ramírez-Contreras

PIPOC 2017

CHEMISTRY, PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY & BIO-ENERGY

CONFERENCE

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

Table of content
• Introduction
• Methodology and Results
• Conclusions
 Introduction
• Bud rot is the most important disease affecting oil
palm plantations in Colombia and Latin America
• During the past 15 years, more than 70,000 ha have
been eradicated due to this disease
• To have more resistant palms at their plantations,
oil palm growers have been planting interspecific
hybrid cultivars (OxG) instead of E. guineensis
cultivars (DxP)
FFBs from DxP Cultivars FFBs from OxG Cultivars
 Oil palm areas affected by bud rot disease

Northern
Zone 2,000 ha

Central zone
37,900 ha

Eastern
zone

~550,000 ha of oil palm

~1,600,000 t of CPO Southwestern
Zone
32,200 ha

Fuente:http://www.quetiempo.es/fotos/mapa-de--4.jpg
Fedepalma, “Anuario estadístico 2016: La agroindustria de la palma de aceite en Colombia y en el mundo”
Research we have carried out processing OxG FFB

FFB Reception Sterilization

Threshing

Drying Clarification Digestion/ Nut – fiber Nuts

Pressing separation

Oil Storage POME Fiber Nut cracking

CPO Waste water Kernel

treatment separation
system
Kernel
Shells
drying

Kernel
Research we have carried out processing OxG FFB

FFB Reception Sterilization

Thresing

Drying Clarification Digestion/ Nut – fiber Nuts

Pressing separation

Oil Storage POME Fiber Nut cracking

CPO Waste water Kernel

treatment separation
system
Kernel
Shells
drying

Kernel
 Unifying FFB grading
Criterion Visual criteria

Criterion Visual criteria

Ripeness
Ripeness

Unripe bunch

overripe

Ripe bunche with

craked skin, but
without loose
sockets

Rotten and Empty

fruit bunches
Ripe bunches
without loose
sockets
 Unifying FFB grading

Criterion Description Visual criteria

FFB Conformation Fruit set

Type 1
> 90 %
(Clase 1)

Type 2
70 - 89 %
(Clase 2)

Type 3
50 - 69 %
(Clase 3)

Type 4
< 49 %
(Clase 4)

Source: Pictures from Palmeiras plantation

 Unifying FFB grading
Criterion Visual criteria

Lack of fruit formation or diseased bunch

Lack of fruit
formation

floral asynchrony

floral asynchrony
Research we have carried out processing OxG FFB

FFB Reception Sterilization

Thresing

Drying Clarification Digestion/ Nut – fiber Nuts

Pressing separation

Oil Storage POME Fiber Nut cracking

CPO Waste water Kernel

treatmen separation
system
Kernel
Shells
drying

Kernel
Evaluation of 4 sterilization cycles (methodology)

POM: 24 t/H
10 replicates for each cycle (trait)
Evaluation of 4 sterilization cycles (Results)
Sterilization cycles
Parameter
A (OxG) B (OxG) C (OxG) D (OxG) A (DxP)

Oil loss on EFB (% oil/FFB) 0.45 0.58 0.66 0.46 0.39

Oil loss due to unstripped
fruits from EFB (%) 0.036 0.021 0.010 0.086 0.076
Oil losses in press fiber (%
oil/FFB) 0.56 0.63 0.54 0.59 0.51
Oil losses sterilization
condensates (% oil/FFB) 0.05 0.07 0.09 0.07 0.10
Incomplete stripping bunches
(%) 1.13 0.83 0.53 2.83 7.53

Cage with DxP 2,000 kg vs Cage with OxG 1,800 kg

Research we have carried out processing OxG FFB

FFB Reception Sterilization

Thresing

Drying Clarification Digestion/ Nut – fiber Nuts

Pressing separation

Oil Storage POME Fiber Nut cracking

CPO Waste water Kernel

treatmen separation
system
Kernel
Shells
drying

Kernel
Evaluation of 3 pressing conditions (methodology)
• Pressing station: 2, 12 t/h screw presses
• Pressing conditions
• Low: 700 – 999 psi
• Medium: 1,000 – 1,499 psi
• High: 1,500 – 1,800 psi
• Number of replicates: 10
• Response variables
• Oil losses (dry basis)
• Press capacity (t/h)
• Economic assessment
Evaluation of 3 pressing conditions (results)
Oil losses on press fiber for the evaluated pressure levels for DxP and OxG bunches

16%

14%
Oil loss on press fibre

12%
(%oil∕dry basis)

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%
Low Medium High
Pressure level

DxP OxG
Evaluation of 3 pressing conditions (results)
Press capacity for the evaluated pressure levels for DxP and OxG bunches
25
24
Pressing capactiy (T/h)

23
22
21
20
19
18
Low Medium High
Pressure level

Nominal DxP OxG

Evaluation of 3 pressing conditions (results)
Economic assessment
25

20
Processing cost
Oil losses
(USD/t FFB)

15

10

0
low Medium High
Pressure condition
Research we have carried out processing OxG FFB

FFB Reception Sterilization

Thresing

Drying Clarification Digestion/ Nut – fiber Nuts

Pressing separation

Oil Storage POME Fiber Nut cracking

CPO Waste water Kernel

treatmen separation
system
Kernel
Shells
drying

Kernel
 Finding the best oil:water ratio during
clarification (methodology)
• Laboratory test. Oil-water separation test
• Temperature: 90 – 95°
• Five oil/water ratios were evaluated
• 1.2
• 1.4
• 1.6
• 1.8
• 2.0
• Replicates: 30
• Validation at POM
• POM capacity: 18 t/h
• Monitoring of the oil/water ratios during the
whole process
• Two oil/water ratios were evaluated:
• 1.4
• 1.8
• Repicates: 40
 Finding the best oil/water ratio during
clarification (results)
Oil separation efficiency at laboratory conditions using different oil/water ratios
100
90
Oil separation efficiency (%)

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Time (min)

1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0

 Finding the best oil/water ratio during
clarification (results)

• Best result were obtained when using a oil/water ratio

of 1.8
• A decrease in dilution water was obtained of 38.5 %
• The pre-clarifier efficiency went from 53 % to 86 %
respectively.
Research we have carried out processing OxG FFB

FFB Reception Sterilization

Thresing

Drying Clarification Digestion/ Nut – fiber Nuts

Pressing separation

Oil Storage POME Fiber Nut cracking

CPO Waste water Kernel

treatment separation
system
Kernel
Shells
drying

Kernel
 Nuts histograms obtained for OxG and DxP FFBs
(methodology)
• Histograms of palm nuts were
carried out for FFB from both
cultivars (OxG and DxP)
• Sample size: 500 g
• Replicates: 10 three different
cultivars of OxG
• Palm kernel oil potential at
laboratory conditions
 Nuts Histograms obtained for OxG and DxP FFBs
(Partial Results)
Histograms of Palm nuts for FFB from DxP and OxG cultivars

30%

25%
DxP OxG
Retention (%)

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Mean diameter (mm)
Research we have carried out processing OxG FFB

FFB Reception Sterilization

Thresing

Drying Clarification Digestion/ Nut – fiber Nuts

Pressing separation

Oil Storage POME Fiber Nut cracking

CPO Waste water Kernel

treatmen separation
systemt
Kernel
Shells
drying

Kernel
 Palm kernel oil potencial for OxG and DxP FFB

60%

-24,23 %
50%
Oil in kernel dry basis

DxP OxG
40%
%Oil/FFB %Oil/FFB
30%

20% 2.91 1.28

10%

0%
DxP
Guineensis OxG
Hibrido
Research we have carried out processing OxG FFB

FFB Reception Sterilization

Thresing

Drying Clarification Digestion/ Nut – fiber Nuts

Pressing separation

Oil Storage POME Fiber Nut cracking

CPO Waste water Kernel

treatment separation
system
Kernel
Shells
drying

Kernel
 Fatty Acids composition for CPO from OxG and DxP

70
DxP OxG
60

50
Fatty Acids (%)

40

30

20

10

0
Saturated Monounsaturated Polyunsaturated
OER and free fatty acids (FFA) for CPO from
OxG and DxP bunches

OxG DxP

Mean (%) S.D. (%) Mean (%) S.D. (%)

OER (%) 21.39 1.79 22.40 1.18

FFA (%) 1.94 0.36 2.66 0.38

 Conclusions
• FFBs from OxG cultivars require adjusting the POM
conditions processing to improve the crude palm oil
extraction, and the kernel and oil kernel extraction
• A specific sterilization cycle should be adapted to
minimize oil losses at the sterilization stage
• It is suggested to increase pressure levels for OxG,
compared to the one used for FFB from DxP cultivars
• The dilution water should be diminished in order to
improve the efficiency of oil separation
• When processing OxG bunches, it is expected lower OER
and less amount of kernel, and palm kernel oil
• It is not recommended to process altogether FFB from
OxG and DxP cultivars
• CPOs from OxG and DxP are intended for different uses
Thank you very much for your attention!!!