Optimization of screw press pressure toward oil losses in the crude palm oil industry.

This article focuses on the processing engineering and application of a screw press in the crude palm oil industry. The screw press is a machine designed to extract oil from palm fruit fibre and nut, aiming to minimize oil losses in the fibre. However, excessive pressure in the screw press can lead to broken nuts, negatively impacting oil quality. The objective is to determine the optimal pressure that ensures minimal oil losses while adhering to industry standards. The study reveals a logarithmic relationship between screw press pressure and oil losses, meanwhile, relationship between pressure and broken nut was polynomial. The industry standard sets a maximum oil loss limit of 5% and a broken nut limit of 15%. Therefore, finding the appropriate pressure is crucial for achieving optimal results in crude palm oil extraction. This study obtained 60 bar as optimum pressure from mathematical analysis. This research contributes to the understanding of processing engineering techniques in the palm oil industry and aids in enhancing oil yield and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]