Crude Palm Oil

About This Product

Crude palm oil (CPO) is extracted from the fleshy mesocarp of the oil palm fruit. At the mill, fresh fruit bunches are sterilised with steam, threshed, digested and pressed, and the crude oil is clarified, dried and stored. The kernels are separated for palm kernel oil, and the mill's wastewater, palm oil mill effluent, is treated separately. The time from harvest to sterilisation largely determines CPO quality, because bruised fruit develops free fatty acids quickly. CPO is roughly half saturated, mainly palmitic acid, with oleic acid as the main unsaturated component, which gives an iodine value of about 50–55 g I2/100 g. It is semi-solid at ambient temperature in temperate climates and carries the carotenoids that give its deep orange-red colour. Standard trade terms commonly set FFA at 5 % maximum as palmitic acid and moisture and impurities at about 0.25 %, and refiners also use the deterioration of bleachability index (DOBI) as a quality indicator. For biodiesel, CPO is refined, or at least degummed, bleached and deacidified, before transesterification; high-FFA lots may be esterified first. Palm methyl ester has excellent oxidation stability and a high cetane number but a high cold filter plugging point, which restricts its use in cold climates. For HVO and HEFA-SPK (SAF), the C16/C18 profile converts efficiently and isomerisation takes care of cold-flow properties, while phosphorus, metals and chloride must be reduced in pretreatment. CPO is a food and feed crop oil and is not listed in Annex IX; POME oil, a residue from the same mills, is a separate material with a separate status. In the EU, palm oil is also classed as a high indirect land-use change (ILUC) risk feedstock, and its contribution to renewable energy targets is being phased down to zero by 2030 unless a lot is certified as low ILUC risk. Several Member States have restricted palm-based fuels earlier, and ReFuelEU Aviation excludes crop-based biofuels. Buyers should confirm how their destination treats CPO, and the certificate scope for the lot, with their certification body; deforestation-free and land-use evidence may also be requested. CPO is shipped in heated bulk parcels, ISO tanks with steam coils and flexitanks with heating pads, and is commonly discharged at around 50–55 °C. Heat gently and steadily: overheating raises FFA and reduces bleachability. At sea, vegetable oils are carried as MARPOL Annex II cargoes, and previous-cargo rules apply. In an enquiry, give your FFA, moisture and impurities, DOBI and iodine value requirements, the conversion route, volume, packaging, heating and discharge arrangements, delivery terms and the sustainability documents your market requires.