On 20th of July 2005, twenty one (21) members of the SCSS convened in front of the i-hub center, old Jurong town hall building to visit an oil palm plantation, crude palm oil mill and the Naturals Oleochemical (NatOleo) plant in Johor, Malaysia.

The group made the first stop at the 1200-hectare palm tree plantation where everyone soaked in nature and its pristine ambience whilst receiving an informative lecture on palm growing and harvesting. The amazing palm tree can be productive up to its 25th year with proper nourishment (via organic fertilizers) and protection from pests. Palm fruits may be small but it is definitely rich in oils and active ingredients. Crude palm oil is extracted from the mesocarp while the crude palm kernel oil comes from the kernel itself. The group experienced first hand how the bunch of palm fruits is harvested. Our natural sportsmen, Livio Gravina (Licht Far East (S) Pte Ltd) and Adrian Jacklowsky (DSM Nutritional Products Asia Pacific Pte Ltd) had a try at harvesting palm fruits, with gusto.

Next stop was the crude palm oil mill, Kulim Malaysia Berhad Factory. Here, everyone was welcomed by the very prominent smell of crude palm oil. The milling process involves collection of bunches, sterilization (to deactivate enzymes and soften the fruit), pressing, separation of kernels, clarification and storage. Nothing is discarded as almost all processed materials such as empty bunches, fibers, empty shells and burnt ashes can be reused to make fertilizer, feed to boiler and cleaning materials. In short, there is no waste.

The trip to the NatOleo plant took another 45 minutes by road. Attendees were briefed on the company profile, current global status of oleochemical industry, their products and chemical processes, and plans for expansion. Doubling their plant capacity next year will make NatOleo the number one Oleochemical producer in Malaysia and possibly in the world. NatOleo range of products include fractionated fatty acids, distilled/topped fatty acids, hydrogenated fatty acids, fatty acid blends, BP/USP grade glycerin, hydrogenated triglycerides, soap noodles and basic esters. Processing crude palm oil involves hydrolyzing into fatty acids and sweet water. The fatty acids are further purified by distilled fractionation whilst sweet water is further refined to BP/USP grade glycerin. Soap noodles are made via saponification of fatty acids. The esters are manufactured by their French based sister company, Dubois Natural Esters. The plant tour gave the visitors a better picture on how these oleochemicals are made. It also provided proof of NatOleo’s commitment to provide high quality products to all its customers.

Overall, this plant visit provided SCSS members an inside knowledge and better understanding of the Oleochemical industry. Thanks to the opportunity given by NatOleo and congratulations to the SSCS officers who made this activity a success.

Everyone returned to Singapore after a sumptuous seafood lunch at Senibong Seafood Village. Yes, it was an action-packed day of discovery. This activity has been an excellent hands-on learning experience and everyone had a great time.

By Luna-Lumain, Maria-Theresa