SILICA REFINING OF PALM OIL

The amount of bleaching earth required in the physical refining process of palm oil depends on the activity of the earth, quality of the oil and final color specification of the refined products. The use of silica (Trisyl) in combination with bleaching clay in palm oil refining has been investigated. The optimum conditions required for Trisyl and bleaching clay are 95-105 degrees C for a period of 30-40 min. Improvements in color performance for palm oil products are noted with the addition of small quantities of Trisyl (0.060.24%) to the bleaching clay. Addition of 0.12% Trisyl to 0.4% bleaching clay improved the color of the refined oil by as much as 1.7 Red Lovibond units. Lower phosphorus levels (18.4 and 16.9 ppm) were obtained in the refined oils with an addition of 0.12 and 0.24% Trisyl, respectively, as compared to a level of 36.2 ppm of phosphorus when no silica was added to the earth. Better color stability was also obtained with oils treated with Trisyl. An additional advantage was the reduction in filtration time, leading to possible higher throughput in refining.