A sustainable in situ treatment method to improve the quality of crude palm oil by repurposing treated aerobic liquor

The production of crude palm oil is a resource-intensive process because it requires a considerable amount of clean water during milling and generates a large amount of wastewater. The goal of this work was to improve the process sustainability by repurposing the treated wastewater (i.e. aerobic liquor, AL) for improving the quality of crude palm oil (CPO). The AL was first pre-treated by filtration and heating before it was used to wash the CPO under mixing. Critical quality parameters of CPO, i.e. free fatty acid, anisidine value and Deterioration of the Bleachability Index, showed improvement after washing with AL. The level of phytonutrient present in the CPO was not affected by washing. Furthermore, the amount of undesirable trace elements phosphorus, iron, copper and chlorine showed a significant reduction. By repurposing the AL to treat CPO, the quality of the CPO can be improved. This practical and sustainable treatment process can be performed in situ in a palm oil mill without the need for clean water and chemical.