DIPLOMA IN PALM OIL MILLING

TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT 2012

LECTURE NO 14
13 April 2012

KERNEL RECOVERY
MOHD YUSOF BIN ABDULLAH
FELDA PALM INDUSTRIES

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 CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. CAKE CONDITIONING AND
DEPERICARPING
3. NUT CONDITIONING
4. NUT CRACKING
5. WINNOWING AND SEPERATION OF
SHELLS and KERNELS
6. KERNEL DRYING
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 KERNEL RECOVERY

Fibre Cake Conditioning

Fibre / Nut Separation

NUT
CONDITIONING
Nut Polishing

destoner

Nut Drying

Nut Cracking

Light Shell/Kernel Separation

KERNEL
RECOVERY
Heavy Shell/Kernel Separation

Kernel Drying

Winnowing

Storage 3
 1.0 INTRODUCTION
 Kernel recovery plant starting from pressing station onwards.
 To enhance the operation of kernel plant, the operation of the
following processes are effectively and efficiently carried out:
 1. Sterilization

Good and effective sterilization will give FFB are well

cooked.
 2. Digestion

To detached the pericarp from the nuts and broken

down into a homogenous mash.
 3. Pressing

The digested mash is well deoiled and dewatered to produce a

fairly dried and not to excessively oily cake.

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KERNEL = FRUITLET X NUT X SHELL X KERNEL
FFB FFB FRUITLET NUT SHELL

= NUT X KERNEL
FFB NUT

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 NUT
FFB
 LOADING RAMP – LOOSE FRUITS
 STERILIZER AND THRESHER – USB AND HB
 PRESS – NUT AND BROKEN KERNEL
 DEPERICARPER - LOSSES

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 KERNEL
NUT
 PLANTING MATERIALS – THIN SHELL
 CRACKING EFFICIENCY – MAXIMUM
CRACKING EFFICIENCY WITH MINIMUM
BROKEN KERNEL
 GOOD STERILIZATION WILL GIVE
KERNEL EASY TO SHRINKING.

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 2.0 CAKE CONDIOTIONING
AND DEPERICARPING

 Discharged press cake goes to CBC.

 Consists of the following machineries:
i. Cake breaker conveyor(CBC)
ii. Depericarper

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 i. CBC
 The CBC plays an important role.
 Breaking up of the compact press cake.
 The conveyor normally trough type.
 Paddle tip speed of at least 2.4m/s.
 Rotational speed of paddle shaft conveyor
based on a paddle tip speed of 2.4m/s
would be as follows:

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 CBC
BASED ON 2.4m/s
THROUGH PADDLE SPEED
DIAMETER DIAMETER rpm
(mm) (mm)

550 500 92
575 525 87
600 (2’) 550 83
625 575 80
650 600 76
675 625 73
*Mongana/MPOB – Dip. In Palm Oil Mill
 Nut Conditioning
 To reduce moisture content
 Initial moisture content 20-22% reduced
to 10-14%
 Retention time about 14 hours
 Air temperature at 60oC

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Factors affecting nut conditioning

Sterilization Nut/fibre Nut Nut

Digestion
process separation polishing silo

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 Nut cracking
 Objective to cracked the nuts into kernels and
shells
 2 types
i. Centrifugal
a. Nuts are spin and strike a
fixed surface
a. cracking efficiency 94-98%
b. broken kernel 6-10%
c. Speed from 900-1600rpm

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ii. Crushing

a. Ripple mill
- cracking efficiency 96-98%
- insensitive to nut moisture
content
- required to remove foreign
matters first
- high maintenance cost
- higher power consumption

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b. Roller cracker
- 200-500kg/hr limited by
grading
- 2 fluted rollers in opposite
direction
- slipping of nuts at the
rollers
- high wear and tears
- 98% cracking efficiency

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5. Winnowing and Separation of
kernels and shells
 2 regimes of seperation
i. Light shell (LPTS)
- dry seperation
- pneumatic
- air velocities different
- losses from 2-4% on sample
- losses mainly broken kernel
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ii. Heavy and thick shell
- wet separation
- water as a medium
- differing density principle
- losses from 0.5-4% on sample
- housekeeping is difficult

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Heavy/thick shell separation

1. Hydrocyclone
2. Claybath

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 Hydrocyclone
 Main objective to separate shell and kernel
 Concept of hydrocyclone is using pressure
and centrifugal force
 2 stage and 3 stage
 Allowable impurities < 6%
 Losses < 2% on sample

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 Factors Affecting Losses and
Quality in Hydrocyclone
I. Pump pressure
I. Kernel side 10-15psig
II. Shell side 5-10psig
II. Outlet pressure < 50% of inlet pressure
III. Material recycling
IV. Feeding rate
V. Water condition
VI. Parameters settings inside hydrocyclone
VII. Shell kernel ratio
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 Factors contributes to pump
pressure drops
 Worn impeller and liners
 Worn out pulleys
 Poor bearing condition
 Insufficient water
 Partial chokage
 Foreign matter in suction line
 Low cycle in power supply
 Foreign matter in delivery line

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 Daily watchout for optimum
performance of Hydrocyclone
 Washing
drum/tray
 Feeding rate
 Hydrocyclone tank
 Input material

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 Claybath
 Based on the specific gravity principle
 Specific gravity for kernel is 1.06-1.09
 Specific gravity of clay slurry is 1.15-1.17
 Specific gravity of shell is 1.25-1.45
 Less usage of power [17.2kW vs 39.4kW]
 Losses < 1% on sample
 5-12 cent clay per mt FFB processed
 Low maintenance cost

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 Item Hydrocyclone Clay bath
Labour One operator One operator
Power Between 33 to 45 Hp Between 15 to 20 Hp
Water Between 10 to 15% to Lower than 10% to FFB
FFB
Loading 100% loading with shell Partial dry separation
to input material below
20%
Operating cost Between 10 to 14 cent Between 5 to 20 cent per
per tonne FFB tonne FFB – depend on
loading
Kernel loss From 0.01 to 0.06% to On sample less than 1%
FFB – on sample less
than 4%
Maintenance Complicated Less
Housekeeping Easy to clean Messy and dusty
Safety High risk Lower risk
Health Noise level > 85 dBA Noise level > 85 dBA
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 6.0 KERNEL DRYING
 To obtained desired kernel moisture < 6%
 To avoid kernel become mouldy (vm>8%)
 Acidity tend to increase if kernel is wet
 Temperature ideally 50oC – 55oC
 Temperature for kernel silo:
top – 70oC
middle - 60oC
bottom - 30oC
 Temperature can be adjusted by using thermostat
 Retentation time for kernel 14-16 hours
 Kernel silo must be kept full at all times

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 Kernel Drying Process
 2 processes in drying of kernel

I. Surface drying
Externel of the kernel has to be dried
first. Mainly depends on air
temperature, air humidity and
surrounding of air movement and to
some extent time factor

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II. Diffusion drying
i. Drying of kernel internal.
ii. Moisture from inside will move to the
surface and evaporates.
iii.Mainly depend on time or retention
time.
iv.Rate of evaporation will depend on
surface drying conditions.

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 Kernel
storage

Bulk Bag
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 Kernel Storage
1. Bulk
faster loading.
further drying of kernel.
mouldy kernel unlikely.
FIFO basis.
low or no labour requirement.
low operating cost.
difficult to recycle.
stock check inaccurate.

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2. Bag
mouldy if not well dried.
need larger storage space.
accurate stock check.
ease of recycling off quality kernel.
labour intensive.
high operating cost.
fifo difficult to apply

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 How To Maximize KER?

KER NUT/ FFB KERNEL/ NUT

How to improve? How to improve?

Ripe ffb >25 kg

Unripe
Tandan Ripe
fruitlet
kosong fruitlet

Abn
Parth. Norm
Parth
Calyx
leaves
 7

4
3

2 1
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 CONCLUSION
For minimum losses and consistent kernel
quality, the followings need to be ensured:

 Sterilization – well sterilized, triple peak OR equivalent

 Digestion and pressing – level, temperature, pressure
and screw change in time
 Nut conditioning – cleaned and dried nuts
 Feed rate – consistent and correct loading
 Equipment parameters are set correctly
 Equipment – well maintained and correctly installed
 Operating procedures - SOP

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Thank you

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