Key Features:

- No of Pages: 05

- No of Chapters: 15

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Introduction:

Abstract

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Table of Content

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction

Methods of palm kernel cracking and separation

Brief description of the machine

Design Consideration

Uses of palm kernel oil

Introduction

Palm kernel is the edible seed of the oil palm tree. It is an indigenous plant to West Africa. It is the highest oil yielding crop per hectare in the plant kingdom. The palm tree bears its fruits in bunches which vary in weight from 10 to 40kg. The individual fruit ranging from 60 to 70g, is made up of an outer skin (exocarp), a pulp (mesocarp) containing the palm oil in a fibrous matrix, a central nut consisting of a shell (endocarp) and the kernel which itself contain an oil, quite different to palm oil, resembling coconut oil (FAO, 2004).





Palm kernel is an important by-product from oil palm mill. They constitute about 45%-48% (by weight of palm nut of the oil palm. On a wet basis the kernels contain about 47%-50% by weight of oil whose

properties and characteristics are quite different from palm oil but rather resembles coconut oil. The processing of the palm kernel entails cracking the shell to produce the nut for industrial use. Cracked kernel produced must be separated from its shell to make it convenient for further processing in the industries. Separation of cracked mixture which results from the nut cracking stage and consists of kernels, broken shells, unbroken nuts and dusts requires the recovery of each of these constituents of the mixture. It is a very important activity in the kernel recovery process of palm mills. Palm kernel is also known as lauric acid (C12H24O2), because lauric is the major fatty acid it contains. Lauric acid (C12) accounts for about 48% of the fatty acid compositions. Other constituents include muriatic acid (C14) about 16% and oleic acid (C18) about 15%.