Palm oil, refined

1. Scope and Applicability

This PCR governs foreground data packages for bulk refined palm oil produced from crude palm oil at a refinery. It covers physical refining to refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) palm oil and chemical refining to neutralised, bleached and deodorised (NBD) palm oil when the route is explicitly declared. The representative route is conventional physical refining because it produces RBD palm oil and palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD), and it is the route documented by the category-specific refinery evidence.

The foreground boundary starts with crude palm oil received at the refinery inlet and ends with conforming bulk refined palm oil in refinery storage, ready for dispatch. Inbound crude-palm-oil transport may be included as a conditional foreground process. Oil-palm cultivation, palm-oil milling, fractionation into palm olein or palm stearin, retail packaging, distribution, use, biodiesel conversion, and end-of-life are outside the default foreground boundary. Upstream crude palm oil and other purchased inputs remain linked product inputs and require appropriate upstream datasets.

2. Product Category Identity

Field	Value
canonical_pcr_id	pcr.food-products-beverages-and-tobacco-textiles-apparel-and-leather-products.meat-fish-fruits-vegetables-oils-and-fats.palm-oil-refined
classification_refs	CPC 3.0:21652 Palm oil, refined
covered_products	Bulk refined palm oil derived from the fleshy mesocarp oil of Elaeis guineensis, including RBD palm oil from physical refining and NBD palm oil from chemical refining when the route and grade are declared
excluded_products	Crude palm oil; palm-kernel oil; palm olein, palm stearin, palm superolein, and other fractionated products; blended cooking oils; margarine and formulated fats; biodiesel; packaged retail products
representative_product	Bulk refined, bleached and deodorised palm oil at the refinery gate
production_route	Crude palm oil receipt and storage, degumming, bleaching and filtration, physical deacidification/deodorisation or declared chemical neutralisation/deodorisation, cooling, polishing filtration, and bulk storage
market_state	Bulk finished product at refinery gate, normally semi-solid at room temperature; edible or technical grade must be declared

3. Reference Flow

Field	Value
What	Production of bulk refined palm oil from crude palm oil at a refinery
How much	1,000 kg of conforming refined palm oil
How well	The declared physical or chemical refining route, product grade, specification, geography, and bulk state are met; edible product claims must identify the applicable food specification, such as Codex CXS 210-1999
How long or cycle	One production batch or the declared reporting period, normalised to 1,000 kg of conforming output; no use duration is assigned
reference_flow_link	The reference product output of palm_oil_refining, before fractionation or retail packaging

Field	Value
Reference amount	1,000 kg
Reference product flow	Palm oil, refined 029b6008-a809-4d77-8612-47451f7c98fa
Reference flow property	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66
Reference unit group	Units of mass 93a60a57-a4c8-11da-a746-0800200c9a66
Reference unit	kg
Required qualifiers	refining_route; product_grade; applicable_product_specification; production_geography; reporting_period; bulk_or_packaged_state; fractionation_status; allocation_basis

When constructing a foreground data package, the items listed in Required qualifiers must be declared in dataset metadata, process notes, reference flow comment, product description, or an equivalent data package field. Missing required qualifiers make the reference flow definition incomplete for that data package.

4. Measurement and Unit Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Required property	Required unit	Rule
reference_mass	Reference refined palm oil output	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Set the quantitative reference to exactly 1,000 kg of conforming bulk refined palm oil and scale all foreground quantities to that mass.
material_mass_conversion	Crude palm oil, refining aids, co-products, and solid wastes	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Convert measured masses to kg using documented conversion factors; do not infer mass from volume without a recorded density and measurement condition.
energy_carrier_separation	Purchased electricity, steam, and boiler fuels	Declared carrier property	kWh, MJ, kg, or m3 as applicable	Keep purchased electricity, purchased steam, and each boiler fuel as separate flows in their measured units; record any energy conversion factor and heating-value basis used.
water_volume	Process water and wastewater	Declared volume property	m3	Convert metered litres to m3 with 1,000 L = 1 m3 and retain the original meter readings.
transport_service	Inbound crude palm oil transport when included	Transport service	tkm	Calculate tonne-kilometres from transported crude-palm-oil mass in tonnes multiplied by loaded distance in kilometres; separately disclose empty return travel when modelled.

5. System Boundary

rule_id	Applies to	Rule	source_ids
boundary_refinery_operations	Foreground palm oil refinery	Include crude palm oil receipt and storage, degumming, bleaching and spent-earth removal, route-specific deacidification or neutralisation, deodorisation, cooling, polishing filtration, bulk storage, utilities, direct emissions, wastewater, wastes, and co-products.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
boundary_inbound_transport	Crude palm oil delivery	Include inbound transport when controlled by the refinery or included in the declared study scope; otherwise disclose its exclusion and retain the upstream delivery condition.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
boundary_upstream_linkage	Purchased crude palm oil and other product inputs	Keep upstream production outside the foreground refinery process but link every purchased input to a geographically and temporally appropriate upstream dataset.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
boundary_route_specificity	Physical and chemical refining	Declare the route. Physical refining must represent PFAD from deodorisation; chemical refining must represent caustic neutralisation and its soapstock or palm-acid-oil route when present.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
boundary_downstream_exclusions	Fractionation and downstream stages	Exclude fractionation, retail packaging, distribution, use, biodiesel conversion, and end-of-life from the default foreground system; add them only as explicitly separate processes for an expanded study scope.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
boundary_completeness	Foreground inventory	Do not omit crude palm oil, electricity, steam or boiler fuel, refining aids, refined oil, route-specific co-products, spent bleaching earth, wastewater, or direct fuel-combustion emissions. Disclose and justify any other omitted flow and assess its materiality.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Boundary Abstraction

Field	Value
declared_starting_condition	Crude palm oil is received at the refinery inlet with supplier, origin, delivery condition, mass, grade, and transport inclusion status declared.
starting_condition_role	Upstream product input to the foreground refining system
product_classification_scope	Refined palm oil before fractionation, blending, formulation, or retail packaging
recursive_input_rule	Any refined palm oil entering the foreground system remains an explicit product input linked to a separate upstream dataset; it must not be merged into the reference output or recursively re-modelled as its own production.
upstream_dataset_requirement	Crude palm oil and other purchased product inputs require upstream datasets matching declared geography, technology, time, and delivery condition; cultivation and milling burdens must not be silently treated as zero.
disclosure	Declare physical or chemical refining, edible or technical grade, product specification, crude-palm-oil origin, inbound transport treatment, boiler-fuel mix, wastewater treatment, co-product status, allocation basis, reporting period, and whether any fractionation or packaging is added.

6. Process Inventory Structure

Process Map

process_id	process_name	inclusion	inclusion_condition	role	quantitative_reference
cpo_inbound_transport	Inbound transport of crude palm oil	conditional	Include when controlled by the refinery or selected by the declared study scope	Delivery of crude palm oil from mill or supplier to refinery inlet	tkm of crude palm oil delivered
palm_oil_refining	Crude palm oil refining to bulk refined palm oil	required	Always	Receipt, degumming, bleaching, route-specific deacidification or neutralisation, deodorisation, cooling, filtration, and bulk storage	1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
wastewater_treatment	Treatment of refinery wastewater	conditional	Include when operated or controlled by the refinery; otherwise link wastewater to an external treatment dataset	Treatment of aqueous effluent before discharge or transfer	m3 wastewater treated
fractionation	Fractionation of refined palm oil	excluded_by_default	Add only for an explicitly expanded scope; it produces distinct palm olein and palm stearin products	Downstream separation of liquid and solid fractions	Not applicable to this PCR reference flow

Process: Inbound transport of crude palm oil (cpo_inbound_transport)

Inputs

Product flows

Crude palm oil transport service (cpo_transport_service)

Record the loaded movement that brings crude palm oil to the refinery when this process is in scope.

• Selected flow: Freight transport service by the actual mode
• Flow property / unit: Transport service / tkm
• Amount rule: transported CPO mass in tonnes multiplied by loaded distance in kilometres
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Route-specific (route_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Transport service (transport_service)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_cpo_transport
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Outputs

Product flows

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Process: Crude palm oil refining to bulk refined palm oil (palm_oil_refining)

Inputs

Product flows

Crude palm oil feed (crude_palm_oil_feed)

Record all crude palm oil crossing the refinery gate for the reporting period, reconciled for opening and closing tank stocks.

• Selected flow: Palm oil, crude c25748fe-ebcf-4a0e-bcf9-544edb1645b1
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured accepted CPO mass adjusted for inventory change and normalised to conforming refined palm oil output; compare the result with the MPOB multi-refinery benchmark of 1.055 kg CPO per kg RBD palm oil without substituting that benchmark for foreground data
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_material_balance
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Refining aids (refining_aids)

Record each refining aid separately, including phosphoric or citric acid, bleaching earth or clay, caustic soda for chemical refining, and any other route-specific chemical.

• Selected flow: Route-specific refining aid
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured issue or dosing quantity by named material; do not aggregate different substances into one mass
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Technology-specific (technology_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_material_balance
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Purchased electricity (purchased_electricity)

Record metered electricity used by refining, pumps, vacuum systems, cooling, filtration, storage, and allocated common utilities.

• Selected flow: Electricity supply matching the declared grid and voltage
• Flow property / unit: Energy / kWh
• Amount rule: meter readings or documented sub-meter allocation for the reporting period
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_energy_and_water
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Steam and boiler fuels (thermal_energy_inputs)

Record purchased steam and every fuel used to produce refinery steam separately; do not double count boiler fuel and purchased steam.

• Selected flow: Purchased steam or named boiler fuel
• Flow property / unit: Declared carrier property / MJ, kg, or m3 as measured
• Amount rule: measured purchase, tank balance, or calibrated flow-meter quantity by carrier
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_energy_and_water
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Process water (process_water)

Record freshwater and other supplied water used for steam generation, washing, cooling make-up, and route-specific refining operations.

• Selected flow: Water supply matching the actual source
• Flow property / unit: Volume / m3
• Amount rule: metered withdrawal or documented tank balance by water source
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_energy_and_water
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Outputs

Product flows

Refined palm oil reference product (refined_palm_oil_output)

Record only conforming bulk refined palm oil before fractionation or retail packaging as the reference product.

• Selected flow: Palm oil, refined 029b6008-a809-4d77-8612-47451f7c98fa
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: exactly 1,000 kg after rejection, rework, and tank-stock adjustments
• Value mode: Fixed value (fixed_value)
• Specificity: Product-specific (product_specific)
• Normalization basis: 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Identity reference (identity_reference)
• Sources: codex-cxs-210-1999; mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Physical-refining co-product PFAD (pfad_output)

Record PFAD separated during physical deacidification and deodorisation when it leaves the process for sale, recovery, transfer, or further use.

• Selected flow: Palm fatty acid distillate 3c7cf631-4a11-4b19-a183-b19aa396dab3
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured PFAD tank, weighbridge, or dispatch mass adjusted for stock change
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Technology-specific (technology_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs_and_wastes
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Chemical-refining co-products (chemical_route_coproducts)

For chemical refining, separately record soapstock and palm acid oil when generated, recovered, sold, or transferred.

• Selected flow: Soapstock or palm acid oil matching the actual material
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured output by named co-product and destination
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Technology-specific (technology_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs_and_wastes
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Waste flows

Spent bleaching earth and filter residues (spent_bleaching_earth)

Record spent bleaching earth and other filter residues with oil recovery, sale, treatment, or disposal destination distinguished.

• Selected flow: Spent bleaching earth or named filter residue
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured outgoing mass adjusted for storage change and recovered oil
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs_and_wastes
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Refinery wastewater (refinery_wastewater)

Record wastewater sent to onsite or external treatment; keep volume and measured quality parameters such as BOD and COD with the receiving treatment route.

• Selected flow: Wastewater to the declared treatment route
• Flow property / unit: Volume / m3
• Amount rule: measured discharge volume after internal recycle and before the selected treatment process
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Reference flow (reference_flow)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs_and_wastes
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Elementary flows

Direct boiler and process emissions (direct_refinery_emissions)

Calculate direct emissions from measured fuel use and controlled emission factors or stack measurements; keep biogenic and fossil carbon flows separate.

• Selected flow: Substance-specific elementary emission to the correct compartment
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured stack emission or measured fuel quantity multiplied by a documented carrier-, technology-, and geography-specific emission factor
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per 1,000 kg conforming refined palm oil output
• Basis kind: Fuel inventory (fuel_inventory)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_energy_and_water
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Process: Treatment of refinery wastewater (wastewater_treatment)

Inputs

Product flows

Wastewater treatment services and inputs (wastewater_treatment_inputs)

Record purchased treatment services, electricity, chemicals, and other inputs when wastewater treatment is within the foreground boundary.

• Selected flow: Treatment input or service matching the actual system
• Flow property / unit: Property and unit appropriate to each input
• Amount rule: measured or invoiced quantity assigned to refinery wastewater
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per m3 refinery wastewater treated
• Basis kind: Process output (process_output)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_wastewater_treatment
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Outputs

Product flows

Waste flows

Treatment sludge and residual wastes (wastewater_treatment_residues)

Record sludge and other treatment residues by measured mass and destination.

• Selected flow: Treatment residue matching the actual material
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: measured outgoing mass adjusted for storage change
• Value mode: Foreground record (foreground_record)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per m3 refinery wastewater treated
• Basis kind: Process output (process_output)
• Evidence kind: Collected record (collected_record)
• Collection protocol: cp_wastewater_treatment
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Elementary flows

Treated-water emissions (treated_water_emissions)

Record measured pollutant loads discharged to water after treatment using concentration and flow data for the same period.

• Selected flow: Substance-specific elementary emission to water
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: matched-period treated-water volume multiplied by measured discharge concentration, with unit conversion documented
• Value mode: Calculated value (calculated_value)
• Specificity: Site-specific (site_specific)
• Normalization basis: per m3 refinery wastewater treated
• Basis kind: Process output (process_output)
• Evidence kind: Calculated from collection (calculated_from_collection)
• Collection protocol: cp_wastewater_treatment
• Sources: mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

7. Allocation and Co-product Handling

rule_id	Applies to	Rule	source_ids
allocation_avoid_where_separable	Separately metered processes and product campaigns	Prefer subdivision or direct measurement so burdens are assigned to the process or product that causes them before applying allocation.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
allocation_pfads_economic	RBD palm oil and PFAD from physical refining	When PFAD is a marketable co-product and subdivision is not possible, allocate shared refining burdens by the contemporaneous economic value of RBD palm oil and PFAD using masses and representative prices from the same declared period and market.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
allocation_chemical_route	Soapstock, palm acid oil, and other chemical-refining outputs	Classify each output as co-product, internally recovered material, or waste from documented destination and market evidence; apply the same economic-allocation rule to marketable co-products and assign treatment burdens to wastes.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
allocation_internal_recovery	Internally recycled oil or material	Do not allocate burdens to an internally recycled flow as a separate product; keep recovery operations and any displaced fresh input visible in the foreground mass balance.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
allocation_price_evidence	Economic allocation	Retain product masses, price sources, currency, price basis, averaging period, and calculation. Do not reuse the historical 96.2:3.8 RBD-palm-oil:PFAD ratio without demonstrating that its market period represents the study.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
allocation_sensitivity	Material multi-output results	Report a mass-allocation sensitivity when the allocation choice materially affects interpretation, and disclose the result beside the primary economic-allocation result.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

8. Foreground Data Collection, Calculation, and Quality Rules

Data Collection Protocols

protocol_id	process_id	flow_role	record_type	raw_fields	collection_method	unit	frequency	temporal_coverage	site_scope	aggregation_rule	quality_evidence
cp_cpo_transport	cpo_inbound_transport	crude palm oil delivery	weighbridge and logistics records	shipment_mass_t; origin; destination; loaded_distance_km; mode; vehicle_class; empty_return	Match shipment-level weighbridge tickets to route or carrier records	t; km	Per shipment	Same reporting period as refinery output	All included CPO deliveries	Sum shipment mass times loaded distance; treat empty returns separately	Weighbridge tickets, carrier invoices, route evidence, and reconciliation to CPO receipts
cp_material_balance	palm_oil_refining	crude palm oil and refining aids	weighbridge, tank, invoice, and dosing records	opening_stock; receipts; issues_or_dosing; returns; closing_stock; rejected_or_reworked_mass; material_identity	Reconcile calibrated meters, tank measurements, weighbridge tickets, invoices, and batch dosing logs	kg by material	Per batch with monthly reconciliation	Complete declared reporting period and representative operating conditions	All refinery lines and storage tanks serving the declared product	Consumption equals opening stock plus receipts minus closing stock minus documented transfers; normalise by conforming output	Calibration records, stock reconciliation, supplier identity, batch logs, and exception records
cp_energy_and_water	palm_oil_refining	electricity, steam, boiler fuel, water, and direct emissions	meter, purchase, tank, boiler, and stack records	meter_readings; purchases; stocks; carrier_identity; heating_value; steam_import; water_source; emission_measurement_or_factor	Use calibrated sub-meters where available; otherwise document allocation of common utilities from plant totals	kWh; MJ; kg; m3; emission kg	Continuous or per shift, aggregated monthly	Same reporting period as product output	All utility systems serving the declared refinery process	Reconcile purchases and stocks, prevent steam/fuel double counting, and normalise by conforming output	Meter calibration, invoices, boiler logs, fuel analysis, factor provenance, and reconciliation
cp_outputs_and_wastes	palm_oil_refining	refined oil, co-products, wastes, and wastewater	tank, weighbridge, dispatch, waste-transfer, and laboratory records	opening_stock; production; dispatch; closing_stock; destination; market_status; wastewater_volume; BOD; COD	Reconcile production and dispatch records with tanks and waste manifests; sample wastewater using the applicable site method	kg; m3; mg/L	Per batch or shipment; wastewater per permit or operating plan	Same reporting period as material and utility inputs	All output tanks and waste routes for the declared product	Sum net output after stock change by named product or waste and preserve destination	Calibrated scales or tanks, sales records, waste manifests, sample chain of custody, and laboratory reports
cp_wastewater_treatment	wastewater_treatment	treatment inputs, residues, and treated-water emissions	treatment meter, chemical, sludge, and laboratory records	influent_volume; effluent_volume; chemical_use; energy_use; sludge_mass; analyte; concentration; sampling_time	Match influent, effluent, chemical, energy, sludge, and laboratory records for the same treatment period	m3; kg; kWh; mg/L	Continuous or per treatment batch; sampling per permit	Same reporting period as refinery wastewater	Onsite system or documented external treatment route	Calculate loads from matched flow and concentration; normalise treatment inventory per m3 treated	Meter calibration, treatment log, laboratory QA/QC, waste transfer record, and mass/load reconciliation
cp_product_quality	palm_oil_refining	refined palm oil conformity	batch certificate and laboratory results	batch_id; route; grade; specification; test_method; result; acceptance_status; rework_or_rejection	Sample and test each declared product according to the applicable specification and site quality plan	specification-dependent	Per batch or lot	Entire reporting period	Every lot counted as conforming output	Only accepted output enters the reference amount; rejected or reworked oil remains in the mass balance	Certificate of analysis, test method, laboratory QA/QC, and release record

Calculation Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Formula or rule	Inputs	Output	source_ids
calc_normalize_reference_mass	Every refinery inventory quantity	normalised_quantity = reporting_period_quantity / conforming_refined_palm_oil_kg * 1000	reporting-period flow quantity; conforming refined palm oil output in kg	Flow quantity per 1,000 kg reference product	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
calc_cpo_transport	Inbound transport	tkm = CPO shipment mass in tonnes * loaded distance in kilometres	shipment_mass_t; loaded_distance_km	tkm per shipment and per reference flow	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
calc_wastewater_load	Pollutant discharged to water	load_kg = treated_water_volume_m3 * concentration_mg_per_L / 1000	matched treated-water volume; analyte concentration	kg pollutant discharged	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
calc_economic_allocation	Shared refining burdens for marketable co-products	allocation_share_i = mass_i * representative_price_i / sum(mass_j * representative_price_j) for all marketable co-products j	co-product masses; representative prices; price period; currency and basis	Allocation share for each marketable co-product	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
calc_mass_balance	Refinery material balance	balance_gap = total_mass_inputs - total_mass_outputs - net_inventory_change, with separately documented evaporation or measurement terms where material	measured material inputs; products; co-products; wastes; stock changes	Mass-balance gap and reconciliation statement	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

Data Quality Requirements

requirement_id	Applies to	Requirement	Evidence
dq_product_identity	Reference output	Demonstrate refined palm oil identity, route, grade, specification, bulk state, and exclusion of fractionated products; edible claims must identify the applicable specification.	Batch release and certificate of analysis; codex-cxs-210-1999
dq_temporal_alignment	All foreground flows	Inputs, outputs, stock changes, utilities, wastes, and prices must cover the same declared period; disclose shutdowns, abnormal campaigns, missing months, and seasonal limitations.	Reporting calendar, completeness matrix, and exception log; mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
dq_site_coverage	Facility data	Include every line, tank, utility, and controlled waste route serving the declared product or document an allocation from complete facility totals.	Process map, meter map, tank list, and site reconciliation
dq_mass_completeness	Material inventory	Reconcile crude palm oil, refined oil, co-products, refining aids, solid residues, wastewater, rework, and inventory changes; investigate material balance gaps before publication.	Signed mass-balance worksheet and source-record cross-check
dq_utility_completeness	Energy and water	Keep electricity, steam, each boiler fuel, water source, and direct combustion emissions visible; prevent double counting of steam and its generating fuel.	Meter and fuel reconciliation, boiler log, and calculation workbook
dq_allocation_evidence	Multi-output process	Preserve current mass and market evidence for economic allocation and provide the required sensitivity when material.	Price references, product quantities, allocation workbook, and sensitivity result; mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
dq_background_match	Linked upstream datasets	Match geography, technology, time, grade, delivery condition, electricity mix, fuels, water source, chemicals, transport, and waste treatment as closely as available; disclose material mismatches.	Dataset metadata and mismatch register
dq_traceability	Foreground dataset	Every normalised value must trace to a source record, collection protocol, conversion, and calculation version.	Record identifiers, calculation workbook, reviewer sign-off, and retained QA evidence

9. Validation Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Rule	source_ids
validate_reference_identity	Reference flow	The reference output must use Palm oil, refined 029b6008-a809-4d77-8612-47451f7c98fa, Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66, Units of mass 93a60a57-a4c8-11da-a746-0800200c9a66, and exactly 1,000 kg.	codex-cxs-210-1999
validate_required_qualifiers	Dataset identity	All required qualifiers must be present and must identify the refining route, grade, specification, geography, time, bulk state, fractionation status, and allocation basis.	codex-cxs-210-1999; mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
validate_route_inventory	Process inventory	Physical refining must include degumming, bleaching, spent bleaching earth, deodorisation, PFAD, electricity, thermal energy, water, wastewater, and direct emissions; chemical refining must replace the FFA-removal and co-product rules with its documented caustic-neutralisation route.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
validate_boundary_links	System boundary	Upstream crude palm oil and every purchased input must have an upstream dataset or an explicit unresolved gap; fractionation and packaging must not be silently included in the reference process.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
validate_mass_balance	Material balance	The normalised material balance must include stock changes, rework, co-products, wastes, and documented measurement terms, and every unexplained gap must be reported as a finding.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
validate_allocation	Co-products	PFAD and any other marketable co-product must have documented status and allocation; economic allocation must use representative study-period evidence and must not copy a historical ratio without justification.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
validate_foreground_evidence	Data production	Every foreground-record or calculated value must link to its collection protocol and retained source evidence for the declared period.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca
validate_completeness	Publication readiness	Validation must report accepted inputs, checks performed, checks skipped, findings, and completeness; missing identity, unresolved mass balance, missing required flow, unsupported allocation, or absent source record is an error or an inconclusive result.	mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca

10. Published Dataset Profile

Field	Value
dataset_role	Foreground refinery data package and unit-process dataset for bulk refined palm oil production
downstream_use	secondary_dataset; background_dataset
allowed_use	Attributional product systems requiring declared bulk refined palm oil at refinery gate; linkage to matching upstream CPO and downstream users; regionalised studies when geography and technology are represented
excluded_use	Direct representation of crude palm oil, palm-kernel oil, fractionated palm olein or stearin, blended or packaged cooking oil, biodiesel, or a refinery route and geography not disclosed by the dataset
required_metadata	PCR id and version; Tiangong reference flow UUID; process UUID when available; refining route; grade and specification; geography; reporting period; technology; bulk state; fractionation status; CPO origin and delivery condition; transport scope; boiler-fuel mix; wastewater route; allocation basis; source ids; collection protocol ids
required_quality_disclosure	Site and line coverage; temporal coverage; meter and stock reconciliation; mass-balance result; product conformity; background-data mismatches; co-product status and price evidence; allocation sensitivity; missing or estimated records; wastewater and direct-emission calculation methods
update_trigger	Material change in refinery route, product grade or specification, reference flow identity, CPO supply geography, energy or fuel system, wastewater treatment, co-product market status, allocation evidence, reporting period, or external method evidence

11. Data Sources

Source id	Type	Reference	Used for
codex-cxs-210-1999	standard	Codex Alimentarius, Standard for Named Vegetable Oils, CXS 210-1999, amended 2024 and corrected 2026, https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FStandards%252FCXS%2B210-1999%252FCXS_210e.pdf (retrieved 2026-08-10)	Palm-oil product identity, edible-product scope, specification disclosure, and product conformity
mpob-yung-2020-refining-lca	literature	Yung, C. L.; Subramaniam, V.; Yusoff, S. Life Cycle Assessment for Palm Oil Refining and Fractionation. Journal of Oil Palm Research. DOI: 10.21894/jopr.2020.0029. https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joprinpress2020-chee.pdf (retrieved 2026-08-10)	Functional unit, physical-refining process decomposition, gate-to-gate boundary, inventory coverage, foreground collection practice, co-product allocation, quantitative benchmark context, data quality, and validation rules