The development of expeller for palm Kernel based seed and its oil characterization

Abstract

Palm kernel oil (PKO) is under-exploited and the rural-based oil extraction equipment has a low efficiency in Nigeria. Therefore, development of a palm kernel oil expeller and investigation of the suitability of the oil extracted are presented. The expeller is modified in such a way that the expulsion unit and palm kernel cake section are carried out simultaneously thereby minimizing tardy time and boosting productivity. The key principal units of the machine namely, hopper, upper and lower barrel, hand wheel, etc. are designed. The expeller is robust and easy to operate. The efficiency of the expeller and production capacity were detected to be 60.3% and 35 kg/h, respectively.The basic properties of the PKO concur with those of vegetable oils and Jatropha oil extracted from expeller machine in literatures but are not within the ranges of ASTM and EU standards. Proper utilization of the oil can be ensured by blending it with diesel fuel or subjecting it to transesterification process. The adapted oil expeller is feasible for the extraction of oil from palm kernel seed.