PFAD Explained: Palm Fatty Acid Distillate in the Oleochemical Chain

PFAD, short for palm fatty acid distillate, is the by-product stream that comes off the deodoriser during physical refining of crude palm oil. It is not a waste material in any practical sense. For soap makers, biodiesel producers and oleochemical plants, PFAD is a steady, well-understood feedstock that sits at the front of the value chain, one step before fatty acids, glycerin and fatty alcohols.

Where PFAD comes from

Crude palm oil is first degummed and bleached, then steam-stripped under vacuum in the deodoriser. That stripping step removes free fatty acids and volatile odour compounds, and what condenses out is PFAD. Because the deodoriser is doing exactly the job of pulling free fatty acids out of the oil, PFAD arrives with a high free fatty acid content, typically in the 70 to 85 percent range, and a correspondingly low triglyceride content. The refined palm oil leaving the same unit is what reaches the food industry.

What the specification actually tells you

Commercial PFAD is traded on a handful of numbers. Free fatty acid comes first. Iodine value comes next and normally lands in the mid-fifties for palm origin, which tells the buyer how much unsaturation is present and how the material will behave downstream. Saponification value, moisture and impurities, colour and unsaponifiable matter complete the picture. Melting behaviour matters too: PFAD is semi-solid at ambient temperature in most climates, so handling assumptions borrowed from liquid oils do not apply.

Where the volume goes

Soap is the traditional home for PFAD. The free fatty acid content is already high, so the neutralisation step is short and the glycerin load is low. Biodiesel is the second large outlet, particularly in Southeast Asia, where PFAD competes with refined oils as a feedstock and benefits from being a residue stream under several biofuel regulatory schemes. Feed fat powder and calcium soap production absorb another slice. The remaining volume goes to fatty acid splitting plants, where PFAD is hydrolysed and fractionated into stearic acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid cuts, with a small glycerin recovery.

What to check before you book

Consistency matters more than any single specification. PFAD from the same refinery can drift in free fatty acid and iodine value between campaigns, and a buyer running a continuous soap line or a transesterification unit feels that drift quickly. Ask for a certificate of analysis from the actual shipment lot, not a generic product sheet. Moisture and impurities deserve attention because they affect storage and downstream yield. Colour is largely a cosmetic matter for soap, but it becomes a real constraint if the material is going into a splitting plant that sells distilled fatty acids.

Storage and logistics

PFAD ships in flexitanks, ISO tanks, drums and IBCs. Because it sets at ambient temperature, tanks and lines need heating, and discharge at destination needs planning: a receiver without heated storage will lose time and material. Keep moisture out, keep the tank headspace dry, and rotate stock. Oxidation shows up as darker colour and a sharper odour, and it is not reversible.

SINOFO Group supplies palm-derived oleochemicals including PFAD, refined glycerin, stearic acid, lauric acid and fatty alcohols, working with refineries across Indonesia and Malaysia. If you are evaluating PFAD for soap, biodiesel or fatty acid splitting, send us your target specification and volume and we will come back with a workable lot plan.