Production, Refining, and Distribution of Palm Oil

Indonesia is a country that produces the largest palm oil in the world. Even palm oil from Indonesia can meet the needs of various industrial sectors around the world.

No wonder the number of palm oil exports to foreign countries continues to grow. Because palm oil dominates several important industries and palm oil made in Indonesia is one of the best.

There is so many palm oil mill in Indonesia in Indonesia. Such as in Palembang, Riau, North Kalimantan, North Sumatra and surrounding areas. No wonder Indonesia can produce millions of tons of palm oil every year.

Palm oil is a raw material that has many uses. Starting from food raw materials, toothpaste, cosmetics, shampoo, and biodiesel.

But do you know how the process of making palm oil is until the distribution process?

Palm Oil Production Process and Distribution

The beginning of palm oil production starts from oil palm seeds. So oil palm plants have a productive period of 25 to 30 years. This is why seed selection is a determining factor for palm oil quality.

Seeds planted in nurseries will go through an intensive maintenance process for 8 months during their growth period. After that, the seeds are transferred to the garden.

The following is the process of producing palm oil:

  • Factory Process

Previously, oil palm seeds had to go through a process in the nursery area for up to 12 months. After that, it was transferred to an oil palm plantation.

If it has passed 30 months, then the palm oil plant is ready to be harvested. Palm oil mill in Indonesia use tools that have been sterilized for the process of making coconut oil.

First, oil palm trees must go through a threshing process, namely cutting the fruit containing the fruit and releasing it from the bunch trunk. After that, the factory sterilizes the bunches by using high temperatures so that the fruit can be released.

After the fruit is released from the shell, then the oil palm fruit will be squeezed to take crude palm oil (CPO). Meanwhile, the palm kernels will be cracked and the kernels squeezed to extract palm kernel oil (PKO).

This process uses a pressing machine with high pressure to produce oil from palm fruit. After that, the resulting oil will go through a process of oil extraction and drying.

  • Refinery

After the fruit is extracted, the oil will then go through a process of refining. Oil palm fruit will be processed into two main products, namely CPO which is extracted from the pulp, and PKO which is extracted from hard seeds.

The fruit will go through a pressing process so that the CPO can come out and the oil will be filtered and purified to be free from contamination.

After that, the CPO will be transferred to a processing plant where it can be processed into vegetable oil, oleochemicals used in detergents, biodiesel, and lauric acid used in cosmetics.

Palm oil mill in Indonesia will process CPO into the main raw material for several products that are often used by humans. Meanwhile, to produce PKO, the oil produced from crushed seeds will go through a refining process and be made into medicinal and cosmetic products.

  • Distribution

Oil already stored in refineries will be distributed worldwide. This distribution process must also use tools that have been sterilized so that palm oil is not contaminated.

In making palm oil, palm oil mill in Indonesia use high temperatures to produce clear oil. So it is very important to cleanliness during the distribution process.

Because palm oil is the main ingredient in food that should be clean and safe for consumption.