Sterilizer

Sterilizer is the first process in every palm oil mill, so it is vital to ensure it been operated correctly. By doing so it will produce minimum oil loss and produce proper oil extraction rate. Oil loss that correspond from sterilising process are as below.
1. Oil loss in condensate.
2. Empty bunch
3. Unstriped bunch (usb)
4. Partly striped bunch (psb)

Now days we have few types of sterilizer design such as.
1. Conventional sterilizer
2. Conventional sterilizer mounted with hydraulic cylinder for door opening and locking device.
3. Continued steriliser.
4. Vertical steriliser
5. Sphrical sterilizer.

Most oil mill still stick with conventional sterilizer design due to its proven performants, but the advantages of vertical and spherical sterilizer are the oil mill  will not have ffb cages and transfer carriage and will have lower maintenance cost and activity. Ffb will be feed via conveyors.

Objective of sterilizing are as below.
1. To inactivate the lipolytic enzymes     responsible for the FFA rise.

2. To loosen the fruitlets in the bunch and facilitate their removal from the bunch during threshing process.

3. To condition and soften the monocarp for optimum oil recovery in the digestion and pressing process.

4. To precondition the nuts prior to cracking. During sterilization, the kernel within the nut is dehydrated causing the kernal to shrink and detach partially or fully from the shell.

Sterilizing Technique

1. Three techniques being adopted to suit varying degree of fruits ripness.
a. Single peak
b. Double peak
c. Triple peak
d. Multy peak.

2. The number of peak in the sterilization cycle is defined by the number of opening (or closing) of steam inlet or exhaust valves within a sterilization.

3.