Palm is the undisputed leader among all types of vegetable oils; it is widely used in the food industry, in manufacturing of household chemicals, cosmetics and bio-diesel fuel. The palm oil extraction process inevitably involves irreversible product losses (e.g., for a factory with a capacity of 60 tons of fresh fruit bunches per hour product losses are estimated at 1%-2%). The processing waste in the form of an aqueous mixture of fruit fragments and oil is not suitable for watering palm plantations and is discharged into settling ponds, where it decomposes for decades.
SPC BioMicroGel offers a way to address these problems. The company's
reagent for oil extraction Biomicrogel® BMG-C4 helps to separate oil from the fruit particles. The developers emphasize that
BMG-C4 performs a transport function for oil droplets, without chemically interacting with oil, which is confirmed in an independent accredited laboratory. This increases the rate of oil separation and improves the efficiency of extraction process, while reducing the contact time of the oil with a hot aqueous medium (which affects the quality of the product; the shorter – the better), and increasing the level of oil recovery in the system as a whole.
Results obtained at the factories correspond to the previous laboratory studies at the Scientific Research Center of SPC BioMicroGel with samples from Indonesia, which confirms the high efficiency of
BMG-C4 as an enhancement agent to increase the oil extraction yields. The research has shown that when added to a mixture of water, oil and fruit particles the reagent reduces the loss of oil during its production by more than half – from 1.03%, which is typical for this enterprise, to 0.46%.
Besides, it increases the oil extraction rate by 5% -10%. Moreover, accelerated extraction occurs at a temperature of 80
оC, while usually oil extraction is carried out at the plant at 95
оC – this opens great opportunities for reducing energy costs in the production of palm oil.
According to the estimates of SPC BioMicroGel, the economic effect of using
BMG-C4 for a factory with a capacity of 60 tons of fruit bunches per hour is
up to extra 300-500 thousand dollars per year.
It is also important that
BMG-C4 is based on polysaccharides and obtained through complex processing of plant raw materials. This biodegradable coagulant is environmentally friendly and fully complies with the principles of green agenda and decarbonization of production formulated at the global level by both governments and businesses.
Today, there is no doubts that mankind has no alternative to the transition to ESG practices. Taking a course towards a radical reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the international community has set clear targets on this path: by 2030, the amount of greenhouse gases should be at least halved compared to the level of 2010, and by 2050, it should reach net zero. Pushed towards carbon neutrality through taxes, emissions trading and other measures, businesses no longer see any other way forward.
The efficient eco-friendly solutions offered by SPC BioMicroGel allow companies around the world to reduce their carbon footprint and stay aligned with the global ESG agenda.
