Project
MesOil - Mesocarp oil mobilization and use
In a palm oil mill the fresh fruit bunches are processed to extract the oil. In the process, crude palm oil is produced together and a range of residues. These residues are underutilized and have few other uses than producing energy for the mill or serve as soil amendment, but a large part is discarded without generating added value.
In the mill the fresh fruit bunches are first sterilized to release the fruit which is then processed to separate the oil and fibre fraction. This mesocarp fibre is used as boiler fuel to produce steam for the oil palm mill. The fibre still contains 4 to 8% oil. Extraction of this oil can yield 1 to 2 million tons of additional oil, significant compared to 80 million tons palm oil currently produced globally. Extraction of the oil, using hexane or other solvents, is possible but this is hardly done in the industry. The mesocarp fibre oil contains hexane, and elevated amounts of chlorine and fatty acids. This makes it impossible to mix into crude palm oil for further processing as it would lower the quality and the value of the crude palm oil. The mesocarp oil contains elevated amounts of vitamins that may have a value in pharma or animal feed.