Building the next-generation of high-performing palm oil refineries
Environmental stewardship and the well-being of its employees and local communities are core values to Guatemalan palm oil producer NaturAceites. With decades of experience in the sustainable cultivation and production of quality crude palm oil in Central America, the company is expanding into the United States, Mexican and the Caribbean. To support this next chapter of growth, NaturAceites has partnered with Alfa Laval to build a next-generation palm oil refinery.
DATE 2025-08-06
A partnership evolving with purpose
NaturAceites first turned to Alfa Laval in the early 2000s for palm oil clarification equipment. Strong performance, dependable support and shared values established trust, paving the way for deeper collaboration. The partnership has since played a key role in advancing NaturAceites’ operations into one of Central America’s most modern palm oil refineries, equipped to minimize food contaminants such as 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) and glycidyl esters (GE).
Together, NaturAceites and Alfa Laval developed the company’s first next-generation refinery. Purpose-built to reflect the company’s commitment to sustainability, community and quality, the new facility meets the highest global food safety standards. It is engineered for efficiency and precise contaminant control, cutting operating costs in half and significantly reduces environmental impact. By converting palm oil mill effluent (POME) into biogas, NaturAceites now powers the facility more sustainably, reducing waste and carbon emissions.
A smarter, cleaner, more competitive way to refine palm oil
In 2023, NaturAceites took a bold step forward with the launch of a refinery with a capacity to process its 500-tonnes of crude palm oil a day. Developed in close partnership with Alfa Laval, the facility meets global food safety and sustainability standards with cutting-edge equipment, including:
- Advanced crude palm oil washing, acid conditioning, bleaching, deodorization, and GE post-stripping
- A low-contaminant design that meets strict international food regulations
The impact is clear: product quality is up and processing costs are down. While the company’s older refinery operated at USD 45 per tonne, Plantas Fray delivers the same output at just USD 18 per tonne – a more than 50% reduction in operating costs while setting a new benchmark for sustainable, high-performance palm oil refining.
Cleaner energy, lower emissions, more flexibility
Sustainability is deeply rooted in NaturAceites’ operations, from seedling to finished product. With energy-efficient Alfa Laval clarification and refining systems and other equipment, NaturAceites not only integrates energy recovery across its processing lines but also powers Plantas Fray using renewable energy from biomass.
A standout feature of the new Alfa Laval refinery is its high-pressure boiler, designed to run on multiple fuels – including biogas captured from palm oil mill effluent (POME). By converting methane from wastewater into energy, NaturAceites employs circular resource use into action, reducing emissions.
Raising the bar for quality, cost and global readiness
With Alfa Laval as a partner, NaturAceites has:
- Achieved premium palm oil quality with reduced food contaminants
- Lowered operating costs by more than 50% compared to its legacy refinery
- Minimized environmental impact through energy-efficient design and biogas generation and use
Looking ahead
With its ongoing collaboration with Alfa Laval. NaturAceites is ready for what’s next. Plantas Fray is more than the company’s most recent palm oil processing mill; it is the first step in company’s 10-year plan to scale up operations across the region and beyond.
“We chose Alfa Laval because they could deliver a tailor-made solution to meet our capacity and quality goals,” says Luis Prieto, CEO, NaturAceites. “With their technology, we’re well-positioned to compete on a global scale.”
