Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) as a clean technology for palm kernel oil extraction

Efforts towards application of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SCCO2) extraction in Malaysia are still at its infancy stage. More research has actively on-going to explore its potential performance on a bigger scale (industrial scale) so that it will provide a better alternative method of extraction compare to the present practice using organic solvent extraction. SC-CO2 has been proven on laboratory and pilot-scale as an effective extraction technique for large types of bio-materials such as herbs, natural plant materials like legumes, nuts and palm oil and others. Thus, this paper is aimed to highlights the application of SC-CO2 in extraction of oil from a single palm kernel and also to demonstrate its application in estimating or inventoried the amount of CO2 consumed and release to the atmosphere in relation to green house effect in compliance to Kyoto Protocol. Keywords: By-product, Solvent extraction, Kyoto protocol, Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, Palm Kernel Oil Received: 13 July 2008 / Received in revised form: 17 February 2009, Accepted: 28 February 2009, Published online: 12 March 2009