harvesters collect and deliver the loose fruits to the mill for processing as soon as possible to minimise the de-terioration of the oil. The typical processing capacity of a palm oil mill in Malaysia ranges from 10 tonnes to 120 tonnes of FFB per hour.
How can Malaysia improve the oil extraction rate?
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. Based on the world production of palm oil in 2018, approximately 3 million tonnes of additional palm oil can be produced globally with a 1% increase in OER.
Where is palm oil produced?
Currently, palm oil is primarily produced in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia and Malaysia account for approximately 84% of the worlds production (USDA 2019). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the demand for palm oil is anticipated to hit 156 million tonnes by 2050 (Officer 2016).
How does palm oil recovery affect OER in Malaysia?
The oil recovery from PPF can contribute to an OER increase of approximately 0.46% to 0.6%. Out of approximately 450 palm oil mills in Malaysia, only about 10 to 15 mills are installed with the PPF solvent extraction plants. The total production capacity is ap-proximately 1500 to 2000 tons of crude fibre oil monthly.