Some non-food uses of palm oil

In most dietary vegetable oils, our focus is on preserving the structure of the oil molecule from oxidation. We take special precautions not to expose the oil to light or heat in order to avoid breaking the oil bonds and releasing the fatty acids linked to the ester bond. We always ask about the “percentage of free fatty acids” as a measure of oil quality (the lower the better).

But what I saw in Indonesia, specifically in North Sumatra at the “Musim Mas” (Musim Mas) factory, was just the opposite. The more vegetable oil has high free fatty acids (the raw material), the better it works. What is this contradiction?

Let's find out the details.

Between food and industry

Working with palm oil (the main raw material) is divided into a dietary aspect and a non-food aspect:

1. The nutritional aspect: Everyone knows it. It includes palm oil and its derivatives (first two, super olein, stearin, and palm kernel oil with its distinctive properties). The goal is to produce high-quality edible vegetable oils and keep the oil molecule as it is.
2. The non-food aspect: It is the focus of our conversation, as oil is converted into chemical and industrial products.

Production units in the factory

Let's learn about the industrial aspects of vegetable oils, starting with the production units in factories that use palm oil and its derivatives in the industrial aspect. The main components of the plant consist of:

• Splitting Towers
• Distillation Towers
• Separation Towers (Fraction Towers).
• Concentration and processing units and filling units.

What does this factory produce?

The plant produces vital materials used in several industries, the most important of which are:

1. Distilled Fatty Acids (Distilled Fatty Acids):

It is used in the manufacture of “soap noodles” (Soap Noodles). It is also used in personal care products (Cosmetics).

2. Distilled Glycerin (Distilled Glycerin):

Its scientific name is “glycerol” ($C_3H_8O_3$). It is a colorless, odorless, sweet, and viscous liquid.

• Its uses: It is widely used in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and soap industries due to its moisturizing and emollient properties.
• Other applications: It is included in processed food products, tobacco, and paints.
• NB It is used in the pharmaceutical industry in high concentrations, and in tobacco factories in low concentrations.

3. Palmitic acid (Palmitic Acid - $C_ {16} H_ {32} O_2$):

• It is used in the manufacture of solid soap.
• It is included in the composition of many cosmetic products as a conditioner or moisturizing agent.
• It is used as an additive in some food products.
• It is used in the production of candles due to its physical and chemical properties.

The scientific basis of the industrial process

All of these products come out of palm oil. What is the scientific basis for this?

The process begins with the phase of breaking down the oil molecule by Splitting Tower.

• Business idea: Breaking the ester bond that binds triglycerides to fatty acids through the “hydrolysis” of oil.
• Operating conditions: This is done under pressure up to 60 bar And the temperature is up to 260 degrees Celsius.
• Separation mechanism: Due to the difference in density, oil travels from the bottom of the tower to the top, while water travels in a reverse journey from the top to the bottom of the tower.

Results:

1. Crude fatty acids.
2. Glycerin water (Sweet Water).

After that, the processing and distillation stages begin:

• Glycerol: “Glycerin water” is processed from traces of oils and then concentrated in distillation towers to produce the “distilled glycerin” product.
• Fatty acids: Crude fatty acids also go through the distillation phase to produce “distilled fatty acids” and other by-products.

Separation technology (Fractionation)

It doesn't stop there, it gets separated palmitic acid In the Separation Towers (Fraction Towers). The process depends on the degree to which the acid evaporates at a specific temperature. It is separated and condensed, then passed on cold plates to scrape and pack it into bags. Separation units are used to purify palmitic acid from impurities and sediments to increase product purity for use in soaps, candles, and cosmetics.

Finally

Did you know that vegetable oils can produce synthetic materials that are completely away from food?

We reviewed the non-nutritive activity of vegetable oils, and highlighted palm oil Specifically, because of its balanced composition of fatty acids (between saturated and unsaturated). This makes it an ideal oil for extracting saturated acids (such as palmitic), as well as for concentrating and distilling glycerol, and producing soap pasta after separating and distilling fatty acids.

‍