Application of nir spectrometer for oil loss monitoring in palm oil mill

A faster determination method for oil content in the samples of pressed fibre, sludge, steriliser condensate and empty fruit bunches in palm oil mill processing points is needed to monitor and control the oil loss so that the oil extraction rate (OER) could be increased. The spectroscopic method is based on molecular overtone and combination vibration bands which are typically very broad in the near infrared (NIR) region that produces spectra that are too complex for direct interpretation of the oil content in biomass components. Now with the progress made by computer aided NIR technology, it has become possible to conduct complex analysis of the data captured by the NIR spectrometer. The objective of this study is to generate a series of calibration curves for the residual oil content in press fibre, palm oil sludge, steriliser condensate and empty fruit bunches, using direct laboratory analytical data as the reference data. These curves can be used by the industry with measurable level of accuracy to analyse the oil loss in the biomass component to help the millers to implement corrective action immediately to control oil losses