50 TPD Palm Oil Refinery (50 tonnes/day; processes Crude Palm Oil [CPO]; primarily physical refining; based on an African project reference)
Note: The 50 TPD capacity refers to crude oil refining output and excludes the upstream palm fruit pressing plant. The feedstock is purchased CPO, and the output is RBD (Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized) palm oil. An optional fractionation module can be added to produce palm olein and stearin, thereby increasing product value.
Process Selection: 50 TPD is a threshold scale; semi-continuous physical refining is the preferred choice. The deodorization stage operates continuously, while degumming and bleaching are batch processes. This configuration offers a superior cost-performance ratio compared to fully continuous systems, making it ideal for small-to-medium-scale projects in Africa.
CPO → Phosphoric Acid Degumming → Bleaching (Adsorption & filtration with bleaching earth) → Physical Deacidification & Deodorization (High-vacuum distillation) → RBD Palm Oil → Storage Tank → Filling/Packaging
1. Degumming: Phosphoric acid is added to remove phospholipids; failure to remove phospholipids can cause the oil to become cloudy or smoke during later stages.
2. Bleaching: Activated bleaching earth adsorbs pigments, peroxides, and trace metals under heated vacuum conditions; spent bleaching earth is separated via plate-and-frame filtration. 3. Physical deacidification and deodorization (Core process: high vacuum and steam distillation at 240–260°C to directly strip away free fatty acids (FFA); fatty acid by-products can be sold as raw material for soap).
Advantages of physical refining: Minimal soapstock wastewater generation and high oil yield; Prerequisite: Incoming crude oil FFA content should ideally be <5%; if the crude oil acid value is too high, pretreatment costs will increase.
Optional expansion: Palm oil fractionation section (cooling crystallization and filtration separation) to produce palm olein (24°C) and palm stearin (52°C); these products can be sold separately for higher profits.
1. Degumming reaction tank, bleaching tank, plate-and-frame filter press
2. Deodorization tower system (core equipment; includes vacuum system and thermal oil heating)
3. Crude oil storage tank, refined oil storage tank, fatty acid storage tank (304 stainless steel)
4. Thermal oil heater, steam boiler; circulating cooling water system; vacuum unit
5. Laboratory testing equipment (for acid value, peroxide value, and color analysis; essential for African plants)
6. Optional: Fractionation crystallization tank, filtration/separation unit, semi-automatic filling line
Workshop area: 1,200–1,600 m²; additional space required for oil tank farm, warehouse, boiler room, power distribution room, and laboratory.
1) 50 TPD semi-continuous physical refining only (excluding fractionation)
Complete equipment set (FOB): US$220,000–320,000 (Chinese equipment, 304 stainless steel)
Ocean freight + import duties (CEMAC customs union tariffs: approx. 10% duty + 19.25% VAT)
Factory steel structure, oil tank farm, utilities (boiler, generator, cooling water system), installation & commissioning, local licensing: US$350,000–550,000
Working capital (for purchasing crude palm oil, auxiliary materials, etc.) ...months of operation): US$300,000–450,000
Total project investment: US$900,000–1,300,000
2) Adding a 50-ton/day fractionation section increases the total investment by US$250,000–350,000.
Important: Due to unstable power grids in Africa, on-site diesel generator sets are mandatory; one cannot rely solely on the municipal power supply. This budget item cannot be omitted.
- Steam: 360–420 kg/ton of oil
- Electricity: 22–28 kWh/ton of oil
- Bleaching earth: 8–15 kg/ton of oil (depending on crude oil color)
- Phosphoric acid: 0.8–1.0 kg/ton of oil
- Refining yield: 97–98.5% (depends on the FFA level of the incoming crude oil; higher FFA results in greater fatty acid distillation loss and lower yield)
Daily Output:
- Refined oil: approx. 48 tons; by-product crude fatty acids: 0.8–1.8 tons (saleable to soap factories).
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