This paper introduces the present and future problems on the palm oil industry in Malaysia. The author was dispatched as an expert to the Malaysia Palm Oil Laboratory which is a governmental investigation organization. The cultivation area of oil palms were increased with the production of palm oil in 1990 - 1985. The oil mills produce average 20,000 tons/year of raw palm oil. 38 refining factories of the approved 75 factories are in work. The treatment capability of raw palm oil is 8.86 million tons/year. The palm oil is a solid vegetable oil at room temperature. For use the palm oil is fractionated into liquid palm olein, solid palm stearin, and palm oil with an intermediate melting point. About 90% of palm oil is edible. The leaves contain about 0.49% of alpha-tocopherol. The future problems to be solved lie in that the palm oil is improved to have a high liquid content, the production cost is reduced, and new uses for the palm oil are developed. (15 tabs, 37 refs)

An assessment of palm fruit processing technologies in Abia State palm oil industry was carried out in this study. About 95% of the mills were in the small scale category with capacities in the range 0.2-3.0 t/hr. Majority (80-90%) of the mills still utilized local drums for sterilisation of fruit and clarification of oil. Palm fruit digestion and oil extraction operations have been mechanised to some extent with about 90% of the mills having one device or the other to handle the operations. Hand-operated screw press was predominant (80%) in most of the mill as a device for palm oil extraction. Fruit stripping was manually carried out. Nut/fibre separation by mechanical method is adopted by small group (40%) of the mills and 90% of the mills utilize nut cracker to crack their nuts. Most of...

Malaysia is currently the world's largest producer and exporter of palm oil. Malaysia produces about 47% of the world's supply of palm oil. Malaysia also accounts the highest percentage of global vegetable oils and fats trade in year 2005. Besides producing oils and fats, at present there is a continuous increasing interest concerning oil palm renewable energy. One of the major attentions is bio-diesel from palm oil. Bio-diesel implementation in Malaysia is important because of environmental protection and energy supply security reasons. This palm oil bio-diesel is biodegradable, non-toxic, and has significantly fewer emissions than petroleum-based diesel (petro-diesel) when burned. In addition to this oil, palm is also a well-known plant for its other sources of renewable energy, for example huge quantities of biomass by-products are developed to produce value added products such as methane gas, bio-plastic, organic acids, bio-compost, ply-wood, activated carbon, and animal feedstock. Even waste effluent; palm oil mill effluent (POME) has been converted to produce energy. Oil palm has created many opportunities and social benefits for the locals. In the above perspective, the objective of the present work is to give a concise and up-to-date picture of the present status of oil palm industry enhancing sustainable and renewable energy. This work also aims to identify the prospects of Malaysian oil palm industry towards utilization of oil palm as a source of renewable energy. (author)

A palm oil mill produces palm oil and kernel palm oil as main products and biomass residue (fiber and shell). This excess biomass residue can be used as fuel in boilers to meet energy and process heat demand in the industries. Quality of the palm oil waste (POW) is characterized by low fixed carbon and relatively high moisture content which may affect the heating value (HV). By applying the principle of calorimetry, a bomb calorimeter is utilized to evaluate the heating value of POW. From the experimental results, it is found that higher heating value (HHV) varies with the moisture content (MC) and it is observed as a function of MC. (author)

Tree palms are a promising source of fuel extenders and substitutes. They are perennials which bear oil for a period of two to three decades after a roughly four year preliminary growth period. Tree palms are now one of the most efficient energy crops: the best modern varieties can provide up to 6 tonnes per hectare per year of mesocarp and kernal oils. Palms are particularly attractive in areas where more conventional farming would pose a significant threat of laterization of cause major ecological problems. Technology for palm oil production is can range between village level manual operations and highly industrialized mills. Process energy is often supplied by combustion of byproducts. Although palm oil is a good energy crop, its physical and combustion properties preclude most use in conventional diesel engines, although palm oil could be directly blended with residual fuel oils for use in some large engines. At present, two uses for palm oil as a diesel fuel extender or substitute appear attractive: microemulsion blends using palm soapstock and monoesters produced by exchanging small alcohols for the glycerol in triglycerides. The amount of alcohols required for conversion of a substantial fraction of palm oil or palm oil soapstock to fuel extenders or substitutes is proportionately small, and, to a major extent, can be supplied by palm processing waste materials. Fermentation and gasification produced alcohols in the one to four carbon range are suitable for use in formulating palm oil based fuels. On a stoichiometric basis, it appears that the value of the palm oil and alcohols are very close to their value as export items. Use of these palm oil fuels could help to decrease balance of payments problems for developing countries, as well as provide a secure market for agricultural products and improved rural employment.

In the last decade, there has been an increasing awareness of the use of by-products and wastes from palm oil mills with the dual objective of reducing their environmental impacts and enhancing the economic viability of the crop. The recycling aspects of palm oil cultivation and palm oil processing have been reviewed and have provided an indication of the present and future use of palm oil biomass current applications being mainly for organic fertilizers and fuel. In the present work, the emissions from incineration of two types of palm oil wastes (POW) fibre and shell are considered, and compared to fuel oil. The results, which indicate less pollutant emission from incineration of POW compared to that of fuel oil, have been presented graphically. (author)

Palm oil production is one of the major industries in the south of Thailand. A study of the quantity and potential usage of palm oil mill wastes was carried out. Sixteen palm oil mills in the region generate 386,930 tons/yr, 165,830 tons/yr and 110,550 tons/yr of empty fruit bunches, palm press fiber and palm kernel shell, respectively. In addition, 1,202,260 tons/yr of waste water is being treated anaerobically. Only the pericarp fiber is used for boiler feed. Empty fruit bunches and the shell are disposed of by the land filling method, which is very costly. In some factories the empty fruit bunches are burnt in the furnaces, which cause air pollution. The study suggests potential usages of the solid and liquid wastes. (author)

Man???s increased demand for food and better living conditions has led to over exploitation of resources and the consequent generation of enormous amounts of liquid and solid waste materials. This is one of the global challenges for mankind. In Malaysia, palm oil mill waste (POMW) contributes the highest proportion of industrial solid wastes produced yearly. Wastes from the mills include palm oil mill effluent, decanter cake, empty fruit bunches, seed shells and the fibre from the mesocarp. Direct application of POMW into agricultural soil has resulted in a number of problems such as water pollution, leaching. However, with application rates specific for targeted plant species, land application can be employed as a permanent solution to the problem of waste from palm oil mills. This review...

The report discusses the ecological, agronomic, and industrial factors affecting the economics of palm oil production. It begins by describing the characteristics of palm oil and palm kernel oils, and the cultivation and harvesting of oil palm. The curren...

This article is a case study to compare the economic viabilities of biogas generation and compost projects in a palm oil mill in Malaysia with and without clean development mechanism (CDM). Biogas is captured from anaerobic ponds or digester tanks treating palm oil mill effluent (POME) and converted to green renewable electricity for grid connection, while compost is produced from the shredded empty fruit bunch and raw untreated POME. The both technologies were compared by considering the changes of the materials flow and energy balances. A palm oil mill with a capacity of 54?t fresh fruit bunch per hour has the potential to produce either 6.9?GWh of electricity from biogas or fertilizer equivalent to 488?t of nitrogen, 76?t of phosphorus and 1,065?t of potassium per year. The economic ana...

This study performed an assessment on the beneficial of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) application on waste treatment system in a local palm oil industry in Malaysia. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to assess the environmental impacts of the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction from the CDM application. Calculations on the emission reduction used the methodology based on AM002 (Avoided Wastewater and On-site Energy Use Emissions in the Industrial Sector) Version 4 published by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). The results from the studies showed that the introduction of CDM in the palm oil mill through conversion of the captured biogas from palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment into power generation were able to reduce approximate 0.12 tonnes CO2 equivalent concentration (tCO2e) emission and 30 kW x hr power generation per 1 tonne of fresh fruit bunch processed. Thus, the application of CDM methodology on palm oil mill wastewater treatment was able to reduce up to 1/4 of the overall environment impact generated in palm oil mill. PMID:22482288

The palm oil mills are characterized by the availability of considerable amounts of by-products of high-energy value such as empty fruit bunches (EFB), fibers, shells and liquid effluents with high content of organics called palm oil mill effluent (POME). A palm oil mill produces residues equivalent to almost three times the amount of oil produced by biomass, showing a huge potential for increasing the power efficiency of the plants and installed power, mainly by the use of by-products in cogeneration plants with high steam parameters and by reducing steam consumption in process. The objective of this paper is to present the results of the study about the cogeneration potential for three representative palm oil mills located in two important palm oil producing regions in Colombia (South-America), fifth palm oil producers of the world. The sizing of the cogeneration system was made assuming it operation during the greatest possible number of hours throughout the year (based on the seasonal availability of fruit) considering parameters for the steam at 2 MPa and 350 C, using a condensing-extraction turbine. The balance of mass and energy was made by using the Gate Cycle Enter Software, version 5.51, to estimate the potential of electricity generation. The results showed that for fresh fruit bunch (FFB) processing capacities between 18 and 60 t FFB h{sup -1}, it is possible to have surplus power ranging between 1 and 7 MW, if the plants are self-sufficient in electric energy and steam for process. With an average Capacity Factor (approximately 0.4), it is possible to expect a generation index of 75 and 160 kWh t{sup -1} FFB when the processing plant is operating or shutdown, respectively, 3 or 4 times better than when a traditional system with a back-pressure steam turbines is used. This analysis used up to 60% of EFB produced in plant as fuel, considering its value as fertilizer for the palm crop. Several economic conditions were considered to estimate the economic and technical feasibility of cogeneration systems in palm oil mill for Colombian palm oil sector. (author)

The palm oil industry is one of the agro-industrial sectors producing the highest quantities of residues in Malaysia. Approximately 1.4 million metric tonnes of palm fruit were are produced by palm oil mills throughout Malaysia in 1993. Its utilisation is merely confined to producing heat in furnaces for steam raising and the sterilization of oil palm fruits. A small gasification plant using palm fruit shells as fuel feed has been developed to address the issue of disposing this excessive agricultural residue. The system is capable of producing gaseous fuel with heating value of 4.5 MJ/m{sup 3}. The plant consist of a 15kg-capacity downdraft gasifier, a gas cleaning tray, a gas combustion chamber and an engine-dynamometer arrangement. Metered quantity of the gas is supplied to the engine whilst the balance is flared in the gas combustion chamber. With the engine subjected to the gaseous and liquid fuels alternately, a comparative study was made pertaining to its performance. The early findings have indicated that the palm oil mills by-product is a potential fuel for internal combustion engines as well as for heating if it is properly synthesized. (author)

The world currently obtains its energy from the fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal. However, the international crisis in the Middle East, rapid depletion of fossil fuel reserves as well as climate change have driven the world towards renewable energy sources which are abundant, untapped and environmentally friendly. Malaysia has abundant biomass resources generated from the agricultural industry particularly the large commodity, palm oil. This paper will focus on palm oil mill effluent (POME) as the source of renewable energy from the generation of methane and establish the current methane emission from the anaerobic treatment facility. The emission was measured from two anaerobic ponds in Felda Serting Palm Oil Mill for 52 weeks. The results showed that the methane content was between 35.0% and 70.0% and biogas flow rate ranged between 0.5 and 2.4 L/min/m{sup 2}. Total methane emission per anaerobic pond was 1043.1 kg/day. The total methane emission calculated from the two equations derived from relationships between methane emission and total carbon removal and POME discharged were comparable with field measurement. This study also revealed that anaerobic pond system is more efficient than open digesting tank system for POME treatment. Two main factors affecting the methane emission were mill activities and oil palm seasonal cropping. (author)

Similarity between the properties of biodiesel and petroleum-derived diesel has made the former one of the most promising alternatives to a renewable and sustainable fuel for the transportation sector. In Malaysia, palm oil can be a suitable feedstock for the production of biodiesel due to its abundant availability and low production cost. However, not many assessments have been carried out regarding the impacts of palm biodiesel on the environment. Hence, in this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted for palm biodiesel in order to investigate and validate the popular belief that palm biodiesel is a green and sustainable fuel. The LCA study was divided into three main stages, namely agricultural activities, oil milling and transesterification process for the production of biodiesel. For each stage, the energy balance and green house gas assessments were presented and discussed. These are important data for the techno-economical and environmental feasibility evaluation of palm biodiesel. The results obtained for palm biodiesel were then compared with rapeseed biodiesel. From this study, it was found that the utilization of palm biodiesel would generate an energy yield ratio of 3.53 (output energy/input energy), indicating a net positive energy generated and ensuring its sustainability. The energy ratio for palm biodiesel was found to be more than double that of rapeseed biodiesel which was estimated to be only 1.44, thereby indicating that palm oil would be a more sustainable feedstock for biodiesel production as compared to rapeseed oil. Moreover, combustion of palm biodiesel was found to be more environment-friendly than petroleum-derived-diesel as a significant 38% reduction of CO{sub 2} emission can be achieved per liter combusted. (author)

Global demand for palm oil has stimulated a 7-fold increase in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantation area in Indonesia since 1990. Expansion will continue as Indonesia plans to double current production by 2020. Oil palm fertilizers, effluent from oil palm mills, and erosion from land clearing and roads threaten river water quality near plantations. These rivers provide essential ecosystem services including water for drinking, cooking, and washing. Robust empirical measurements of plantation expansion impacts on water resources are necessary to discern the effects of agribusiness on local livelihoods and ecosystems. In Ketapang District, West Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, we evaluated the effects of land cover change on water quality by assessing water chemistry in streams draining four end-member watersheds ( ~600-1900 ha watershed-1): Logged forest, mixed agro-forest dominated by rubber and upland rice fallows, young oil palm forest (0-5 years), and old oil palm forest (10-15 years). To assess land cover change, we used CLASLite software to derive fractional cover from a time series (1989-2008) of Landsat data. Nearest neighbor classification and post-classification change detection yielded classes including primary forest, logged forest, secondary forest regrowth, smallholder agriculture, and oil palm. Stream water quality (temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, optical chlorphyll, and pH) and quantity (discharge) were quantified with the YSI 6600-V2 sonde. The sonde was deployed in each stream for month-long intervals 2-3 times from 2009-2010. Such extended deployment captures episodic events such as intense storms and allows examination of interdiel dynamics by sampling continuously and at high frequency, every 10 minutes. We find that across the Ketapang District study region (~12,000 km2), oil palm has cleared mostly forests (49%) and agroforests (39%). What are the impacts of such land cover changes on water quality? Compared to forests and agroforests, streams draining oil palm show greater biological activity, as indicated by elevated pH and reduced dissolved oxygen levels. Moreover, turbidity is elevated in young oil palm plantations watersheds compared to forest, agroforest, and old oil palm land covers. We discuss the implications of these findings for communities and ecosystems.

The aim of this paper is to study the heat of hydration of blended cement containing ground palm oil fuel ash and treated ground palm oil fuel ash (without unburned carbon), with and without superplasticizer (SP). The palm oil fuel ash (POFA) was ground in a ball mill to produce ground POFA (GPOFA). Unburned carbon, which is a major part of unburned residue in GPOFA, was removed by heat treatment at 500^oC for 1h, producing treated GPOFA (TGPOFA). This result shows that the total heat of hydration of blended cement pastes containing GPOFA and TGPOFA are lower than OPC paste, proving that GPOFA and TGPOFA are good pozzolanic materials which can be used in massive concrete for preventing volume change and micro-cracks (caused by thermal stresses). Also, GPOFA and TGPOFA have low pozzolanic r...

The study assesses the environmental sustainability of palm biodiesel production systems in Thailand by focusing on their energy efficiency and environmental impact potentials. The Net Energy Balance (NEB) and Renewability indicate energy gain for palm biodiesel and its co-products as compared to fossil energy inputs. In addition, life cycle assessment also reveals lower values of environmental impact potentials of biodiesel as compared to conventional diesel. For example, palm biodiesel can provide greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction of around 46-73% as compared to diesel. Nitrogen-fertilizer production and application in the plantation and the air emissions from the ponds treating palm oil mill effluent (POME) are found to be the major environmental aspects. However, the energy and environmen...

Characterization of activated carbon prepared from oil-palm shell, an abundant agricultural solid waste from palm-oil processing mills in some tropical countries, by carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) activation was carried out in this paper. The effects of activation temperature on the textural and chemical properties of the activated carbon were studied. It was found that significant weight losses occurred during the activation process due to continual release of volatile matter and carbon burn-off through weak carbon-CO{sub 2} oxidation, resulting in an increase of solid density and a decrease of apparent density. Hence, the activated carbons prepared from oil-palm shells possessed well-developed porosities and predominant microporosities, which were verified by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), respectively. The development of microporosity for the oil-palm-shell activated carbon would lead to potential applications in gas-phase adsorption for the removal of air pollutants. Adsorption test results showed a linear relationship between the BET surface area and the adsorptive capacity for both nitrogen dioxide (NO{sub 2}) and ammonia (NH{sub 3}) gases. This could be elucidated by the neutral surface functional groups of the oil-palm-shell activated carbon, as detected by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) with average chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of 70,000 and 30,000mg/L, respectively, can cause serious environmental hazards if discharged untreated. There are conventional palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment systems that require large footprint, long HRT and fail to meet the Malaysian Department of Environment (DOE) discharge limit. Hence, the current research is aimed to design a novel integrated anaerobic-aerobic bioreactor (IAAB) for POME treatment in order to overcome these shortcomings of the conventional system. IAAB is a new bioreactor configuration which integrates anaerobic and aerobic digestion in one reactor. The overall removal efficiencies in steady state condition in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), bio...

Aim and background: The use of palm oil for bioenergy has become increasingly important for Europe in the last years because of its favourable proportion of yield to area under cultivation. Thus, palm oil presents a low-priced alternative to other energy sources, e.g. rapeseed oil. Currently, however, palm oil gets a bad press due to new studies about the negative environmental consequences of cultivation practices. Due to the high demand for palm oil, land is becoming scarce. This results in the clearing of primary forests and consequently in the loss of biodiversity and in an increase of greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce the latter, not only the process of oil palm cultivation has to be optimised but also the practice of establishing new plantations by clearing natural forests has to be questioned. The aim of this article is to disclose potentials for greenhouse gas reductions in existing as well as in newly-planned oil palm plantations. Results and discussion: For existing oil palm plantations, two main fields for possible optimisation can be identified: one is improving the plantation management, the other is increasing the efficiency of the utilisation of waste products such as fibres and husks or oil mill effluents. For newly-planned oil palm plantations alternative land use scenarios have to be considered. The results show a big potential for optimisation. Thus, the greenhouse gas balance improves slightly if plantations are run more efficiently. If the waste products are used to generate energy, there are significantly positive effects on the greenhouse gas balance, especially through the reduction of methane emissions. By running a plantation in a professional best-practice way, 4.8 t of greenhouse gases can be saved annually per hectare cultivation area, expressed as CO{sub 2} equivalents. If newly-planned oil palm plantations are established on fallow land, greenhouse gas emissions can be further reduced by an additional 4.8 t of CO{sub 2} equivalents per hectare and year. From an economic perspective, this may be more costly than clearing primary forest but it is advantageous for both the greenhouse gas balance and the biodiversity of the concerned areas. All in all, exploiting the whole potential for optimisation could result in the saving of 10.2 t CO{sub 2} equivalents per hectare and year more than it is the case in the existing mode of cultivation. Conclusions and perspectives: Due to the high demand of palm oil by the world market, cultivation areas for oil palms are becoming increasingly scarce. Thus, it is vital to exploit the fuel potential of oil palm cultivation in an environmentally and economically sustainable way. The management of plantations has to be optimised and a generally valid waste management system must be implemented in existing and future plantations. New plantations should preferably be established on fallow land, not by the clearing of primary forests. It is essential for a sustainable palm oil production to tap the full potential for optimisation. This, however, is currently not happening due to the high start-up investments. It is thus recommended to introduce an internationally valid certification system which may provide an incentive for more sustainable and effective production methods. (orig.)

The Adja plateau (Benin) is densely populated by tenant and landowner farmers engaged in oil palm based cropping. Landowners use oil palm sap for the production of sodabi (a local spirit), and an oil palm fallow (if no crops are grown beneath the palms) to restore soil fertility. In this area, growing oil palm for its oil is uncommon. Tenants access the land under specific contracts but are not allowed to plant oil palm. They grow food crops beneath the oil palm and extend the cropping period by severely pruning the palms because their right to grow food crops terminates when the palms reach a height of 2m. The competing claims between landowners and tenants and between oil palm and annual food crops result in conflicts over practices that either degrade or restore soil fertility. Using a ...

The recovery of carotene from extracted oil of palm oil mill effluent (POME) was optimized by the simultaneous maximization of the carotene recovery in hexane fraction, carotene concentration and oil recovery. A central composite design consisting of 20 runs was then applied to study the factors of temperature, solvent amount and oil:adsorbent ratio. A second-order polynomial model was used to describe the experimental data regarding the responses. The main factors, solvent amount and oil:adsorbent ratio were the significant model terms for carotene and oil recoveries whereas oil:adsorbent ratio was the significant model term for carotene concentration. The optimum conditions for carotene recovery were predicted to be 40^oC, 200mL solvent and 1:4.36 of oil to adsorbent ratio and the corres...

Novel heterogeneous catalysts from calcium oxide (CaO)/calcined calcium carbonate (CaCO3) loaded onto different palm oil mill boiler ashes were synthesised and used in the transesterification of crude palm oil (CPO) with methanol to yield biodiesel. Catalyst preparation parameters including the type of ash support, the weight percentage of CaO and calcined CaCO3 loadings, as well as the calcination temperature of CaCO3 were optimised. The catalyst prepared by loading of 15wt% calcined CaCO3 at a fixed temperature of 800degreeC on fly ash exhibited a maximum oil conversion of 94.48%. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the CaCO3 was transformed into CaO at 770degreeC and interacted well with the ash support, whereas rich CaO, Al2O3 and SiO2 were identified in the composition usin...

Background - Phenolic compounds have been shown to exhibit bioactive properties, and in particular antioxidant effects. A phenolic-rich fraction has been isolated from the aqueous by-product obtained during the milling of oil palm fruits. Objective - To characterise the phenolic compounds obtained from crude and ethanolic extracts of oil palm fruits and to evaluate the antioxidant properties of these extracts. Design - Characterisation of the profile of phenolics by NMR spectroscopy and evaluation of antioxidant properties using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH.), reducing power, and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays. Outcomes - NMR studies indicate that both extracts consist of mixtures of sugars and phenolic compounds, of which gallic acid and 4-hydroxybenzoate predominate. The antiradical power (ARP, mole ratios expressed in arbitrary units) of the crude extract (3.14) and ethanol extract (3.31), measured by the DPPH. assay were comparable to the ARP of ascorbic acid (3.78). Crude and ethanol extracts of 1mM gallic acid equivalence (GAE) had reducing powers comparable to that of 0.3 mM gallic acid. In the hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay, 100% scavenging was achieved at concentration of 0.3 mM GAE for both crude and ethanol extracts. Conclusions - These findings suggest that oil palm fruit extracts are able to act as primary antioxidants by their hydrogen- and electron-donating capacity. Similar findings have been reported for extracts from olives and tea. These preliminary observations also suggest that oil palm fruit extracts are potential sources of nutraceuticals. PMID:15023645

Refined, bleached and deodorized palm oil, its purified palm triacylglycerol (PTG), palm olein (PO), palm stearin (PS) and high melting palm stearin (HMPS) fractions as well as randomized palm oil (RP) and its high melting randomized palm stearin (HMRPS) fractions were solidified at 5°C and kept isothermally at 10, 20 and 30°C for 60 days. X-ray diffraction showed that PTG was in ?' form crystals, while palm oil and RP were in both ?- and ?' forms at 5°C. In HMPS and HMRPS, the higher percentage of ?-transformation was observed with a higher content of trisaturated triacylglycerols and at a higher temperature. RP transformed from ?' to the intermediate form crystals during prolonged storage. Other fats were stable in ?' form crystals. Palm oil, RP, HMPS and HMRPS exhibited long-spacing values between those of tripalmitin and tristearin in ?, ?' and ? modifications, respectively. This confirms that palm oil and its modified oils form a double-chain-length conformation.   

Fractination of RBDPO (Rafined Bleazed Deodorized Palm Oil) is produced RBDPOlein (Rafined Bleased Deodorized Palm Olein) in the liquid form and RBDPStearin (Rafined Bleazed deodorized Palm Stearin) in the solid form in proportion 60 : 40% w/w depend on used palm oil. RBDPOlein in liquid form, can ...

Palm oil industry in Malaysia is one of the potential candidates for the CDM project because large amount of methane is emitted from the lagoons and open digesting tank of the wastewater treatment system. Therefore the first objective of the project is to investigate the actual GHG emission from the lagoons and open digesting tank in palm oil mills in order to establish the baseline for CDM project. Results indicated that methane contribution to biogas released from the open digesting tank and lagoon systems were 35% and 45%, respectively. These values are much lower than the reported value of 65% obtained by complete anaerobic condition of lab-scale experiments. Based on actual methane release measurement and information gathered from palm oil mill about wastewater treatment, significant amount of methane emission to the atmosphere can be reduced with the installation of new closed digesting tank system converted from the open digesting tank such as just by covering it with applying CDM. It is estimated that a total of RM2.6 million could be obtained from the selling of electricity generated from biogas generation and Certified Emission Reduction (CER)

The effect of pretreatment methods for improved biodegradability and biogas production of oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) and its co-digestion with palm oil mill effluent (POME) was investigated. The maximum methane potential of POME was 502mL CH"4/gVS-added corresponding to 33.2m^3 CH"4/ton POME and 98% biodegradability. Meanwhile, the maximum methane potential of EFB was 202mL CH"4/gVS-added corresponding to 79.1m^3 CH"4/ton EFB with 38% biodegradability. Co-digestion of EFB with POME enhanced microbial biodegradability and resulted in 25-32% higher methane production at mixing ratios of 0.4:1, 0.8:1 and 2.3:1 on VS basis than digesting EFB alone. The methane yield was 276-340mL CH"4/gVS-added for co-digestion of EFB with POME at mixing ratios of 0.4:1-2.3:1, while minor improvement w...

Ten treatments of frankfurters were produced with interesterified oil and oil blends (palm oil, palm stearin, cottonseed oil, hazelnut oil and their mixtures) and were compared to control, produced with all animal fat. Addition of interesterified oil and oil blends affected (p0.05) scores for sensory attributes with the control, while all other treatments were also acceptable. PMID:22062272

...Notice of Data Availability Concerning Renewable Fuels Produced from Palm Oil Under the...Notice of Data Availability Concerning Renewable Fuels Produced from Palm Oil under the...a feedstock to produce biodiesel and renewable diesel under the Renewable Fuel...

The natural habitat of the oil palm comprises very wet and relatively dry niches in the lowland rain forest in West and Central Africa. The domestication of the oil palm started with the extraction of fruits from wild forest resources. When forests were cleared for shifting cultivation, oil palms we...

Palm-based diacylglycerol (P-DAG) oils were produced through enzymatic glycerolysis of palm kernel oil (PKO), palm oil (PO), palm olein (POL), palm mid fraction (PMF) and palm stearin (PS). High purity DAG (83-90%, w/w) was obtained and compared to palm-based oils (P-oil) had significantly (P<0.05) different fatty acid composition (FAC), iodine value (IV) and slip melting point (SMP). Solid fat content (SFC) profiles of P-DAG oils as compared to P-oils had less steep curves with lower SFC at low temperature range (5-10degreeC) and the higher complete melting temperatures. Also, P-DAG oils in contrast with P-oils showed endothermic as well as exothermic peaks with higher transition temperatures and significantly (P<0.05) higher crystallisation onsets, heats of fusion, and heats of crystalli...

A consortium of microorganisms from oil polluted wastewater sample was cultivated to promote polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulation before subjecting the mixed cultures to sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. This resulted in the fractionation of the bacterial cells according to their physical features such as size, morphology and/or densities. An isolate was identified as Burkholderia sp. USM (JCM15050), which was capable of converting palm oil products [crude palm kernel oil (CPKO), palm olein (PO), palm kernel acid oil (PKAO), palm stearin (PS), crude palm oil (CPO), palm acid oil (PAO) and palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD)], fatty acids and various glycerol by-products into poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)]. Up to 70 and 60?wt% of P(3HB) could be obtained when 0.5%(v/v) CPKO a...

A kinetic study of the anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent (POME) was carried out in a continuous, well-stirred digester with microorganisms immobilised on saponite support granules. A COD removal of 96.2% was achieved in the reactor at a volumetric loading rate of 10.6kg COD/m[sup 3] day (hydraulic retention time of 6.2 days); the methane production rate was first order with respect to biodegradable substrate concentration. The apparent rate constant was proportional to the volatile suspended solids concentration and the product yield coefficient, Y[sub p], was 0.325 litre CH[sub 4] STP/g COD consumed. (author)

Palm kernel expeller (PKE), the by-product derived from the palm kernel oil milling industry, is commonly added to ruminant feed as a source of protein. Recent research has demonstrated that the enzymatically hydrolyzed protein is inhibitory to spore-forming bacteria including Bacillus cereus. The trypsin-hydrolyzed PKE peptide appears to disrupt the membrane integrity and inhibit the intracellular macromolecule metabolism of B. cereus. The addition of the PKE peptide (350 and 700??g/ml) to B. cereus cultures triggered the efflux of K+ and caused the depletion of the intracellular ATP. However, no proportional increase in cell?s extracellular ATP was observed. Analysis of the biosynthesis of macromolecules demonstrated that RNA was affected by the PKE peptide. Results of this study suggest...

Pure palm oil may be employed in diesel engines as an alternative fuel. Engine performance and emissions were influenced by basic differences between diesel fuel and palm oils such as mass based heating values, viscosity, density and molecular oxygen content. The high viscosity of palm oil resulted in poor atomisation, carbon deposits, clogging of fuel lines and starting difficulties in low temperatures. When heated at 100{degree}C palm oil presented lower viscosity, better combustion and less deposits. Tests were conducted in a naturally aspirated MWM 229 direct injection four-stroke 70 kW diesel-generator fuelled with 100% palm oil. 14 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

Ten treatments of frankfurters were produced with interesterified oil and oil blends (palm oil, palm stearin, cottonseed oil, hazelnut oil and their mixtures) and were compared to control, produced with all animal fat. Addition of interesterified oil and oil blends affected (pL*) of most of the samples with interesterified oil and oil blends were higher (pp>0.05) scores for sensory attributes with the control, while all other treatments were also acceptable.

Until recently there has been no known method of vegetative propagation for the oil palm. Now tissue culture techniques make it possible to produce uniform clones of high - yielding top quality oil palms. This article reviews the clonal propagation of the oil palm by tissue culture - the development of which will allow oil palm breeders to combine germ plasm from a wider genetic base than hitherto, removing the pressure to breed for uniformity and the consequent increase of homozygosity of parent palms. (Refs. 15).

In view of our preliminary findings that refined palm oil (RPOL) enhanced protein utilisation, and because of the growing importance of palm oil in human diets, two separate studies were conducted. The first study aimed to investigate the effect of the palm oil source and fraction on protein utilisation, as determined by net protein utilization (NPU) in growing rats. The second study aimed to investigate the influence of the dietary concentration of one particular palm oil fraction, refined palm olein (RPO) on net protein utilisation. The fat source of each of the semi-purified diets was as follows: crude palm oil (CPO), refined palm kernel oil (RKO), refined palm olein (RPO), refined palm stearin (RPS), and refined palm oil (RPOL). A sixth control group was offered an identical diet but with olive oil (OO, control) as the fat source. Both the oil source (P < 0.01) and the oil level (P < 0.05) influenced NPU in rats. NPU values were generally higher for rats given the RPO-containing diets, particularly at the 20% dietary level (P < 0.01) compared to the diets containing ground nut oil (GNO). The results of these two experiments indicate that RPO influences protein metabolism specifically at a concentration of at least 20% in the diet. This may suggest that RPO is superior to GNO as a source of fat for the rehabilitation of malnourished children. Human trials notably during the rehabilitation of malnourished children may therefore be the next step in this line of research. PMID:10616647

Anaerobic production of hydrogen from palm oil mill effluent (POME) by microflora was investigated in 5-l bioreactor at 60{sup o}C and pH 5.5. POME sludge was collected from the anaerobic pond of a POME treatment plant at a palm oil mill and used as a source of inocula. A batch reactor was found to yield a total of 4708ml H{sub 2}/(l POME) and the maximum evolution rate was 454ml-H{sub 2}/(l POMEh). A fed batch process was conducted after 50h. Two liters of reaction medium was removed and 2l of fresh POME was added to the reactor every 24h (15 times). The reproducibility of the fed batch process checked by changing the feeding time every 8h (10 times). A yield of 2382ml H{sub 2}/(l POME) and 2419ml H{sub 2}/(l POME) at maximum evolution rate of 313ml H{sub 2}/(l POMEh) and 436ml H{sub 2}/(l POMEh) were obtained, respectively. Throughout the study, methane gas was not observed in the evolved gas mixture. (author)

The international trade in palm oil is a key driver of rain forest destruction and human rights abuses on a massive scale. This report is one of two research projects undertaken for Friends of the Earth in 2003 into the impacts of the palm oil industry in South East Asia, its links to the European market and the involvement of European companies in the palm oil trade. Chapters 1 - 3 of this report (examining the growth of the European market for oil palm and the Indonesian export market) are printed here. Chapters 4 - 6 (focusing on the palm oil market in UK, the Netherlands and Sweden) are available on request from Friends of the Earth. Research methodology into the impacts of palm oil included monitoring reports compiled by the Indonesian non-governmental organisation (NGO) SawitWatch and interviews with community members and local activists. The SawitWatch data had been gathered over a period of five years, based on field investigations, meetings with local community members, media reports and regular monitoring. The analysis of the European market focused particularly on the companies trading in palm oil in the UK, the Netherlands and Sweden as well as giving a general overview of the trade in oil palm and the growth of the European market. This research is available in two reports: (1) Greasy palms: the social and ecological impacts of large-scale oil palm plantation development in South East Asia; (2) Greasy palms: European buyers of Indonesian palm oil. A summary of the two research reports (Greasy Palms - palm oil, the environment and big business) is also available.

ABSTRACT Simultaneous extraction, degumming and deacidification of palm oil directly from palm mesocarp using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) were carried out. The temperatures and pressures used were 40-80C and 18-30 MPa, respectively. The degummed and deacidified palm oil produced from the process meets the specifications of refined, bleached and deodorized palm oil of Malaysian standard, with added value in its carotene content . The recovery of the refined palm oil was 52.8-74.0% based on the total hexane extractable material. Other palm minor components such as vitamin E, phytosterols and squalene were preserved in the refined SC-CO2-extracted carotene-rich palm oil. The solubility of triacylglycerols (TGs), distribution coefficient of free fatty acids (FFAs) and the separation ...

A batch study was conducted to determine the fate of carbohydrate and oil that are present in palm oil mill effluent (POME) during the biohydrogen fermentation process. Sucrose and crude palm oil (CPO) were chosen as substrates and the kinetic profile indicated that mainly sucrose was metabolised by the mixed sludge. The hydrogen yield based on the COD of sucrose added was 146 cm{sup 3} g{sup -1} which is equivalent to a hydrogen to hexose mole ratio of 2.5. The free fatty acids from hydrolysed CPO were not metabolised further which render insignificant generation of hydrogen and volatile fatty acids from oil-based substrate. The average continuous biohydrogen production rate (HPR) from a unit volume of POME under thermophilic condition at 55 C was 2.64 m{sup 3} m{sup -3} d{sup -1} at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 4 days. Hydrogen constitutes up to 52% of the total biogas and methane was not detected over the 60 day continuous operation. The hydrogen yield (i.e. based on mole ratio of hydrogen to hexose) was 1.72 with an average carbohydrate conversion efficiency of 58%. These limit the potential of recovering more hydrogen energy from POME under current operating conditions. (author)

The production of crude palm oil and palm kernel is a complex problem due to the influence of processing variables and environmental factors. These processing variables influence the amount of crude palm oil and palm kernel losses during processing. Instead of mathematical model, fuzzy logic approach provides a simpler and easier mechanism to describe the relationships between the processing variables and the amount of crude palm oil and palm kernel losses. In this study, four fuzzy expert system models were developed for each palm oil processing station. An approximation of centre of gravity method for defuzzification is also proposed to enable the development of the model using Microsoft^(R)Excel. For comparison purpose, the models were also developed using MATLAB^(R). Results obtained f...

The formation of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters in refined palm oil during deodorisation is attributed to the intrinsic composition of crude palm oil. Utilising D-optimal design, the effects of the degumming and bleaching processes on the reduction in 3-MCPD ester formation in refined palm oil from poor-quality crude palm oil were studied relative to the palm oil minor components that are likely to be their precursors. Water degumming remarkably reduced 3-MCPD ester formation by up to 84%, from 9.79 mg/kg to 1.55 mg/kg. Bleaching with synthetic magnesium silicate caused a further 10% reduction, to 0.487 mg/kg. The reduction in 3-MCPD ester formation could be due to the removal of related precursors prior to the deodorisation step. The phosphorus content of bleached palm oil showed a significant correlation with 3-MCPD ester formation. PMID:22868161

Moringa oleifera seeds, an environmental friendly and natural coagulant are reported for the pretreatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME). In coagulation-flocculation process, the M. oleifera seeds after oil extraction (MOAE) are an effective coagulant with the removal of 95% suspended solids and 52.2% reduction in the chemical oxygen demand (COD). The combination of MOAE with flocculant (NALCO 7751), the suspended solids removal increased to 99.3% and COD reduction was 52.5%. The coagulation-flocculation process at the temperature of 30 degrees C resulted in better suspended solids removal and COD reduction compared to the temperature of 40, 55 and 70 degrees C. The MOAE combined with flocculant (NALCO 7751) reduced the sludge volume index (SVI) to 210mL/g with higher recovery of dry mass of sludge (87.25%) and water (50.3%). PMID:17141409

Sümpoosioni 'Puu '98' (korraldaja Heiki Kongi) raames Sagadis toimunud puuskulptuuride valmistamisest, kus osalesid Aime Kuulbusch, Aili Vahtrapuu, Hille ja Lembit Palm, Urmas Rauba, Tiiu Kirsipuu, Steve Lester, ning mille tulemusi eksponeeritakse koos Valga- ja Pärnumaal valminutega Rocca al Mares

Palm oil is the world's most important vegetable oil in terms of production quantity. Indonesia, the world's largest palm-oil producer, plans to double its production by 2020, with unclear implications for the other national priorities of food (rice) production, forest and biodiversity protection, a...

Novel heterogeneous catalysts from calcium oxide (CaO)/calcined calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) loaded onto different palm oil mill boiler ashes were synthesised and used in the transesterification of crude palm oil (CPO) with methanol to yield biodiesel. Catalyst preparation parameters including the type of ash support, the weight percentage of CaO and calcined CaCO(3) loadings, as well as the calcination temperature of CaCO(3) were optimised. The catalyst prepared by loading of 15wt% calcined CaCO(3) at a fixed temperature of 800°C on fly ash exhibited a maximum oil conversion of 94.48%. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the CaCO(3) was transformed into CaO at 770°C and interacted well with the ash support, whereas rich CaO, Al(2)O(3) and SiO(2) were identified in the composition using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The fine morphology size (<5?m) and high surface area (1.719m(2)/g) of the fly ash-based catalyst rendered it the highest catalytic activity. PMID:23026328

This report highlights the urgent need for global palm oil consumers and investors to support Unilever's call for an immediate moratorium on deforestation and peatland clearance in Indonesia. This report focuses on Unilever, which shares major institutional investors with other leading corporations including Nestle, Procter and Gamble and Kraft. Not only do these corporations share investors, they also share growing carbon liability within their raw material supply chains through the expansion in the palm oil sector in Indonesia. Unilever has recognised the global problems associated with palm oil expansion and the need for drastic reform to this sector. Unilever has taken a bold move in calling for an immediate moratorium on deforestation and peatland clearance. While Unilever's position is strengthened by its status as the largest palm oil consumer in the world, this report shows how, unless companies like Nestle, Procter and Gamble and Kraft support its call for a halt to deforestation, the palm oil industry will continue to present a massive carbon liability over the coming years. This report uses Unilever's palm oil supply chains as a case study to help quantify the carbon liability and collateral risks associated with the Indonesian palm oil sector. It shows how, by buying palm oil from suppliers who account for more than one-third of Indonesia's palm oil production, Unilever and its competitors are increasing their potential carbon liability and thus leaving investors exposed to potentially significant levels of hidden risk, compromising long-term financial and brand stability.

Palm oil (PO ; iodin value = 52), palm stearin (POs1; i.v. = 32 and POs2; i.v. = 40) and palm kernel oil (PKO; i.v. = 17) were blended in ternary systems. The blends were then studied for their physical properties such as melting point (m.p.), solid fat content (SFC), and cooling curve. Results showed that palm stearin increased the blends melting point while palm kernel oil reduced it. To produce table margarine with melting point (m.p.) below 40 degrees C, the POs1 should be added at level of palm stearin increased the blends solidification Tmin and Tmax values, while PKO reduced them. Blends which contained high amount of palm stearin showed melting point and cooling curves quite similar to that of pastry margarine. PMID:8616676

Abstract In recent years, process contaminants called MCPD and glycidyl esters have been found to be present in refined edible oils. On average, they have been found in higher levels in refined palm oils than typical seed-oil crops. The reasons behind the increased occurrence of these contaminants in palm oils have now been traced all the way back to raw materials such as crude palm oil. This manuscript attempts to summarize some recent breakthroughs in the area of mitigation of MCPD-ester and glycidyl-ester levels during refined palm oil production. It is clear that renovation of the palm oil production process is necessary to further improve the quality and safety of this important commodity.

The use of fats and oils in diets for pigs is of great importance due to their high energy value. As a consequence of the BSE-crisis in the European Union, the amount of animal fat available for animal feeds has been reduced, and alternative fat sources are of increasing importance. In this paper, we review our main findings on the effects of diets with different fat sources on apparent fat digestibility in pigs. A method for quantitative measurement of fat extraction from feed and faeces has been developed, and this method has been used in a digestibility trial, in which diets added 5% of either animal fat, palm oil mix, palm oil, vegetable oil mix, coconut oil, or rapeseed oil were tested in weaned and growing pigs. It was concluded that several vegetable fat sources (palm oil mix, palm oil, coconut oil, rapeseed oil) could be used as alternatives to animal fat in pig feed, whereas fat blends should be avoided.

ABSTRACT Three palm oil reference materials were produced for solid fat content analysis employing the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Test Methods. Thirteen laboratories participated in the characterization study, where the solid fat content in palm oil, palm olein and palm stearin were identified at temperature range from 0 to 45C. The consensus values were calculated based on the acceptability of statistical results from collaborating laboratories. Both of the consensus values and their uncertainties (%) for each reference material are as follows: 71.12 +- 1.82% (0C), 54.07 +- 1.05% (10C), 37.44 +- 0.88% (15C), 24.18 +- 1.09% (20C), 13.32 +- 0.86% (25C), 7.64 +- 0.28% (30C), 4.05 +- 0.14% (35C) and 1.25 +- 0.49% (40C) for SFC of palm oil, 66.32 +- 1.93% (0C), 43.53 +- 1.32% (10C), 22.50...

Individually and in combination with other oils, the tropical oils impart into manufactured foods functional properties that appeal to consumers. The use of and/or labeling in the ingredient lists give the impression that these oils are used extensively in commercially processed foods. The estimated daily intake of tropical oils by adult males is slightly more than one fourth of a tablespoon (3.8 g), 75% of which consists of saturated fatty acids. Dietary fats containing saturated fatty acids at the beta-position tend to raise plasma total and LDL-cholesterol, which, of course, contribute to atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Health professionals express concern that consumers who choose foods containing tropical oils unknowingly increase their intake of saturated fatty acids. The saturated fatty acid-rich tropical oils, coconut oil, hydrogenated coconut oil, and palm kernel oil, raise cholesterol levels; studies demonstrating this effect are often confounded by a developing essential fatty acid deficiency. Palm oil, an essential fatty acid-sufficient tropical oil, raises plasma cholesterol only when an excess of cholesterol is presented in the diet. The failure of palm oil to elevate blood cholesterol as predicted by the regression equations developed by Keys et al. and Hegsted et al. might be due to the dominant alpha-position location of its constituent saturated fatty acids. If so, the substitution of interesterified artificial fats for palm oil in food formulations, a recommendation of some health professionals, has the potential of raising cholesterol levels. A second rationale addresses prospective roles minor constituents of palm oil might play in health maintenance. This rationale is founded on the following observations. Dietary palm oil does not raise plasma cholesterol. Single fat studies suggests that oils richer in polyunsaturated fatty acid content tend to decrease thrombus formation. Anomalously, palm oil differs from other of the more saturated fats in tending to decrease thrombus formation. Finally, in studies comparing palm oil with other fats and oils, experimental carcinogenesis is enhanced both by vegetable oils richer in linoleic acid content and by more highly saturated animal fats. The carotenoid constituents of red palm oil are potent dietary anticarcinogens. A second group of antioxidants, the tocotrienols, are present in both palm olein and red palm oil. These vitamin E-active constituents are potent suppressors of cholesterol biosynthesis; emerging data point to their anticarcinogenic and antithrombotic activities. This review does not support claims that foods containing palm oil have no place in a prudent diet. PMID:1345319

In this study, endoglucanase was produced from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) by a locally isolated aerobic bacterium, Bacillus pumilus EB3. The effects of the fermentation parameters such as initial pH, temperature, and nitrogen source on the endoglucanase production were studied using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the carbon source. Endoglucanase from B. pumilus EB3 was maximally secreted at 37°C, initial pH 7.0 with 10 g/l of CMC as carbon source, and 2 g/l of yeast extract as organic nitrogen source. The activity recorded during the fermentation was 0.076 U/ml. The productivity of the enzyme increased twofold when 2 g/l of yeast extract was used as the organic nitrogen supplement as compared to the non-supplemented medium. An interesting finding from this study is that pretreated OPEFB medium showed comparable results to CMC medium in terms of enzyme production with an activity of 0.063 U/ml. As OPEFB is an abundant solid waste at palm oil mills, it has the potential of acting as a substrate in cellulase production.   

An industrial grade acidic crude palm oil (ACPO) pre-treatment process was carried out using ethanesulfonic acid (ESA) as a catalyst in the esterification reaction. ESA was used in different dosages to reduce free fatty acid (FFA) to a minimum level for the second stage of biodiesel production via alkaline transesterification reaction. Different process operating conditions were optimized such as ESA dosage (0.25-3.5% wt/wt), methanol to ACPO molar ratio (1:1-20:1), reaction temperature (40-70 °C), and reaction time (3-150 min). This study revealed the potential use of abundant quantities of ACPO from oil palm mills for biodiesel production. The lab scale results showed the effectiveness of the pre-treatment process using ESA catalyst. Three consecutive catalyst recycling runs were achieved without significant degradation in its performance. Second and third reuse runs needed more reaction time to achieve the target level of FFA content. Esterification and transesterification using ESA and KOH respectively is proposed for biodiesel industrial scale production. The produced biodiesel meets the international standards specifications for biodiesel fuel (EN 14214 and ASTM D6751). PMID:21855329

A 60-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of palm oil blended with oxidized and non-oxidized fish oil on growth performances, hematology, and non-specific immune response in juvenile Japanese sea bass, Lateolabrax japonicas. Japanese sea bass (1.73 ± 0.01 g) were fed seven experimental diets containing 100 g/kg of dietary lipid in forms of palm oil (10P), fish oil (10F), fish oil blended with palm oil at different ratios, 6:4 (6F4P) and 4:6 (4F6P), oxidized fish oil (10OF), and oxidized fish oil blended with palm oil at different ratios, 6:4 (6OF4P) and 4:6 (4OF6P). After the feeding trial, the following results were illustrated. No significant effects were observed in survival, feed conversion ratio, condition factor, and hematocrit after feeding with experimental diet...

This work described study protocols on the production of Palm-Based Standard Reference Materials for iodine value and slip melting point. Thirty-three laboratories collaborated in the inter-laboratory proficiency tests for characterization of iodine value, while thirty-two laboratories for characterization of slip melting point. The iodine value and slip melting point of palm oil, palm olein and palm stearin were determined in accordance to MPOB Test Methods p3.2:2004 and p4.2:2004, respectively. The consensus values and their uncertainties were based on the acceptability of statistical agreement of results obtained from collaborating laboratories. The consensus values and uncertainties for iodine values were 52.63 +/- 0.14 Wijs in palm oil, 56.77 +/- 0.12 Wijs in palm olein and 33.76 +/- 0.18 Wijs in palm stearin. For the slip melting points, the consensus values and uncertainties were 35.6 +/- 0.3 degrees C in palm oil, 22.7 +/- 0.4 degrees C in palm olein and 53.4 +/- 0.2 degrees C in palm stearin. Repeatability and reproducibility relative standard deviations were found to be good and acceptable, with values much lower than that of 10%. Stability of Palm-Based Standard Reference Materials remained stable at temperatures of -20 degrees C, 0 degrees C, 6 degrees C and 24 degrees C upon storage for one year. PMID:19609396

At 43% of the total landmass, exploiting the. Earth's arid ... replace $70/bbl barrel crude oil. ... Exploiting the Earth's arid ... oil, 0.6 mt/ha (73% linoleic) and meal ( 1.6 mt/ha). .... palm, although sustainable palm is competitive with sugar cane, ...

Chronic ingestion of thermoxidized palm oil causes functional derangement of various tissues. This study was therefore carried out to determine the effect of chronic ingestion of thermoxidized and fresh palm oil diets on intestinal fluid and glucose absorption in rats using the everted sac technique...

Oil palm can accumulate up to 90% oil in its mesocarp, the highest level observed in the plant kingdom. In contrast, the closely related date palm accumulates almost exclusively sugars. To gain insight into the mechanisms that lead to such an extreme difference in carbon partitioning, the transcript...

Pyrolysis of oil-palm shells, a cheap and abundantly available solid waste from palm oil producing process, was carried out using thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of heating rates (10,15,20 and 25°C/min) on the kinetic parameters (activation energy, frequency factor and reaction order) was inv...

This study compiles and analyses national-level data on land use change (LUC) and its causes in Indonesia and Malaysia over the past 30 years. The study also explores the role that palm oil has played in past LUC and that projected growth in palm oil production may play in LUC until 2020 and suggest...

Laboratory and mini-pilot plant preparation of Me esters from crude palm oil and crude stearin was successfully studied. Preliminary evaluation of palm oil Me esters was initiated based on laboratory analyses, testing on stationary engine, and field testing on vehicle. Preliminary technical and economic evaluation was carried out.

More than half the world's rainforest has been lost to agriculture since the Industrial Revolution. Among the most widespread tropical crops is oil palm (Elaeis guineensis): global production now exceeds 35 million tonnes per year. In Malaysia, for example, 13% of land area is now oil palm plantation, compared with 1% in 1974. There are enormous pressures to increase palm oil production for food, domestic products, and, especially, biofuels. Greater use of palm oil for biofuel production is predicated on the assumption that palm oil is an ‘‘environmentally friendly'' fuel feedstock. Here we show, using measurements and models, that oil palm plantations in Malaysia directly emit more oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds than rainforest. These compounds lead to the production of ground-level ozone (O3), an air pollutant that damages human health, plants, and materials, reduces crop productivity, and has effects on the Earth's climate. Our measurements show that, at present, O3 concentrations do not differ significantly over rainforest and adjacent oil palm plantation landscapes. However, our model calculations predict that if concentrations of oxides of nitrogen in Borneo are allowed to reach those currently seen over rural North America and Europe, ground-level O3 concentrations will reach 100 parts per billion (109) volume (ppbv) and exceed levels known to be harmful to human health. Our study provides an early warning of the urgent need to develop policies that manage nitrogen emissions if the detrimental effects of palm oil production on air quality and climate are to be avoided.

The production of highly polluting palm oil mill effluent (POME) has resulted in serious environmental hazards. While anaerobic digestion is widely accepted as an effective method for the treatment of POME, anaerobic treatment of POME alone has difficulty meeting discharge limits due to the high organic strength of POME. Hence, subsequent post-treatment following aerobic treatment is vital to meet the discharge limits. The objective of the present study is to investigate the aerobic treatment of anaerobically digested POME by using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The SBR performance was assessed by measuring Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) removal as well as Sludge Volume Index (SVI). The operating pH and dissolved oxygen con...

The present study reports the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNps) from gold precursor using palm oil mill effluent (POME) without adding external surfactant, capping agent or template. The biosynthesized AuNps were characterized by using UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). According to the image analysis performed on a representative TEM micrograph by counting 258 particles, the obtained AuNps are predominantly spherical with an average size of 18.75+-5.96nm. In addition, some triangular and hexagonal nanoparticles were also observed. The influence of various reaction parameters such as reaction pH, concentration of gold precursor and interaction time to the morphology and size of bios...

The semi-continuous stirred tank reactors (SCSTR) were applied under anaerobic mesophilic conditions at 37+/-3^oC to treat the supernatant layer of the raw palm oil mill effluent (POME). In this study, the anaerobically digested sludge POME (ADS-POME) was mixed with rumen fluid (RF) taken from the first compartment of cow's stomach (5% and 10% by volume) and used for co-digestion and then compared with (ADS-POME) for mono-digestion. The treatment was done at different hydraulic retention times (HRT): 20, 10 and 6days and organic loading rates (OLR): 1.65, 2.85 and 4.06gm COD/L d. The results showed that co-digestion (10% RF+90% ADS-POME) has high COD removal of 96.48% at 20days of HRT with lowest OLR of 1.65gm COD/L d and the higher methane content was 61.8% at 6days HRT with 4.06gm COD/L ...

Thermophilic treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) was studied in a novel integrated anaerobic-aerobic bioreactor (IAAB). The IAAB was subjected to a program of steady-state operation over a range of organic loading rate (OLR)s, up to 30g COD/Lday in order to evaluate its treatment capacity. The thermophilic IAAB achieved high chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) removal efficiencies of more than 99% for OLR up to 18.5g COD/Lday. High methane yield of 0.32LCH4 (STP)/g CODremoved with compliance of the final treated effluent to the discharge limit were achieved. This is higher than that of the mesophilic system due to the higher maximum specific growth rate (mmax) of the thermophilic microorganisms. Besides, coupling the model o...

The performance of the anaerobic treatment of palm oil mill effluent for organic acids production at a short retention time of less than 5 days was assessed by incorporating a sludge recycle system with no pH control except by adding calcium carbonate. The system could be operated successfully for a 3.5-day retention time at pH 5. The sludge solids in the treated effluent were separated by a freezing-thawing technique and it was partly recycled back to the reactor. The thawed clarified POME solution contained a low SS of 2,200–3,500 mg/L. The organic acids production with a concentration of 10–14 g/L was essentially similar to the treatment for a 5-day retention time without a sludge recycle. Hence by incorporating a sludge recycle system with the freezing-thawing method, the retention time for the treatment could be reduced without affecting the organic acids generation.   

Effects of three selected variables viz. biomass concentration, initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration and initial bicarbonate alkalinity (BA) on biological hydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) using the granulated sludge in batch culture were investigated. The experimental results were analyzed and modeled using a central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM). In order to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the biohydrogen production process, indicative parameters namely hydrogen yield (Y"H), specific hydrogen production rate (SHPR), and COD removal efficiency were studied as the process responses. Maximum hydrogen yield (124.5 mmol H"2/g COD"r"e"m"o"v"e"d) and specific hydrogen production rate (55.42 mmol H"2/g VSS.d) were achieved a...

The adsorption capacity of natural zeolite for the removal of heavy metal ions, zinc Zn(II), manganese Mn(II) and iron Fe(III), found in palm oil mill effluent was investigated in this study. The effects of contact time, agitation speed, pH, and sorbent dosage on the sorption of heavy metals were evaluated. The desorption potential of zeolite was also investigated. The sorption was fast with equilibrium reached within 180min. The metal sorption increased with pH, and adsorption capacities ranged between 0.015 and 1.157mg/g of zeolite. Equilibrium data followed the Langmuir isotherm model while the kinetic data were well described by the pseudo-second-order model. Maximum desorption was attained by HCl with 69.638, 58.575 and 61.516% of the initial adsorbed amount for Fe, Zn and Mn, respect...

Batch production experiments on biohydrogen from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) pretreated with (i) OPTIMASH BG^(R) (enzyme) and (ii) Tween 80^(R) (surfactant) were carried out using anaerobic seed sludge subjected to heat pretreatment at 105 ^oC for 90 min. Batch experiments were also conducted in a double chamber microbial fuel cell separated by a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) to study the amount of electricity produced. Results from a pretreatment with OPTIMASH BG^(R) at 0.20% and pH 7 showed a hydrogen yield of 1.88 mol H"2/g COD. Better results were obtained when the wastewater was pretreated with Tween 80^(R) at the same concentration and pH, where the hydrogen yield was 2.76 mol H"2/g COD. In all pretreatments, no methane production was observed when using the heat-treated sludge as...

Sludge and slurry aqueous solution were collected from a lagoon of anaerobic treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME). Compost was made from fibers of the fruits and the above collected microflora or only from microflora without fibers at 60 C under anaerobic or aerobic circumstances. The capability of these microflora to produce bio-hydrogen was examined with artificial wastewater containing glucose and nutrients or no nutrients under anaerobic circumstances. 1. qualitative studies on gas evolution with the dram/test tube method and 2. quantitative studies on gas evolution and composition of hydrogen/carbon dioxide gas in the reaction course were conducted. There was observed the total gas evolution of 1,340 ml/l - culture for 25 hours, consisting 61.9% of bio-hydrogen gas and 38.1% of carbon dioxide gas based on 1% of glucose and nutrients aqueous solution. (orig.)

Testes from nine male MalinxSanta-Ines rams with an average body weight of 43.1+-3.53kg, were used to study the effects of palm kernel cake (PKC) based diet on spermatogenic cells and to assess copper (Cu) levels in liver, testis and plasma in sheep. Animals were divided into three groups and randomly assigned three dietary treatments using restricted randomization of body weight in completely randomized design. The dietary treatments were 60% palm kernel cake plus 40% oil palm frond (PKC), 60% palm kernel cake plus 40% oil palm frond supplemented with 23mg/kg dry matter of molybdenum as ammonium molybdate [(NH4)6Mo7O244H2O] and 600mg/kg dry matter of sulphate as sodium sulphate [Na2SO4] (PKC-MS) and 60% concentrate of corn-soybean mix+40% oil palm frond (Control), the concentrate was mixe...

A modified steam distillation method was developed to extract furfural from crude palm oil (CPO). The collected distillates were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with an ultraviolet diode detector at 284nm. The HPLC method allowed identification and quantification of furfural in CPO. The unique thermal extraction of CPO whereby the fresh fruit bunches (FFB) are first subjected to steam treatment, distinguishes itself from other solvent-extracted or cold-pressed vegetable oils. The presence of furfural was also determined in the fresh palm oil from FFB (without undergoing the normal extraction process), palm olein, palm stearin, olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, soya oil and corn oil. The chromatograms of the extracts were compared to that of standar...

Vegetable oil such as corn, sunflower, rapeseed, soybean, and palm oil was completely transesterified into biodiesel fuel at short time because of high mass-transfer rate in the homogeneous solution formed by adding environmental-friendly solvent of dimethyl ether (DME).   

Oil palm is an economically important crop, and floral development is a critical process in oil palm productivity. MicroRNA172 (miR172) has been shown to be an important regulator of the APETALA2 (AP2)-like family transcription factors involved in floral timing in a number of plants and belongs to a group of highly conserved microRNA that can be identified based on sequence homology. We identified six oil palm miR172 paralogs, representing two distinct mature miR172 isoforms based on sequence identity and predicted hairpin structures and an AP2-like target, using a combination of RT-PCR cloning and bioinformatic analysis of oil palm expressed sequence tags data. Although oil palm miR172 cleavage products were detected through 5â?²-rapid amplification of cDNA ends, mature miR172a and the AP...

The palm oil industry generates several byproducts, and more than half of the dry weight of the waste is of oil palm leaf whereby the tissue is underutilized. Recently, several research studies found promising potential of oil palm fronds as a source of nutraceutical due to its bioactive properties. However, the chemical composition of the tissue is still not deciphered. Using reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), glycosylated apigenin and luteolin were separated and identified from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) leaf and structures of the constituents were elucidated by collision-induced dissociation (CID) tandem MS. From 28 derivatives of the flavones, 9 compounds were conjugated with hydroxymethylglutaric (HMG) acid. Improved knowledge on oil palm especially on bioactive component of the leaf tissue will allow correlation of its beneficial effects and further promotes efficient utilization of this agriculture byproduct. PMID:23116142

Palm kernel oil, palm olein, crude palm oil and palm acid oil were used for the synthesis of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) [P(3HB-co-3HHx)] by a mutant strain of Wautersia eutropha (formerly Ralstonia eutropha) harboring the Aeromonas caviae polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthase gene. Palm kernel oil was an excellent carbon source for the production of cell biomass and P(3HB-co-3HHx). About 87% (w/w) of the cell dry weight as P(3HB-co-3HHx) was obtained using 5 g palm kernel oil/l. Gravimetric and microscopic analyses further confirmed the high PHA content in the recombinant cells. The molar fraction of 3HHx remained constant at 5 mol % regardless of the type and concentration of palm oil products used. The small amount of 3HHx units was confirmed by 13C NMR analysis. The number average molecular weight (M(n)) of the PHA copolymer produced from the various palm oil products ranged from 27 0000 to 46 0000 Da. The polydispersity was in the range of 2.6-3.9. PMID:16215858

A 60-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of palm oil blended with oxidized and non-oxidized fish oil on growth performances, hematology, and non-specific immune response in juvenile Japanese sea bass, Lateolabrax japonicas. Japanese sea bass (1.73 ± 0.01 g) were fed seven experimental diets containing 100 g/kg of dietary lipid in forms of palm oil (10P), fish oil (10F), fish oil blended with palm oil at different ratios, 6:4 (6F4P) and 4:6 (4F6P), oxidized fish oil (10OF), and oxidized fish oil blended with palm oil at different ratios, 6:4 (6OF4P) and 4:6 (4OF6P). After the feeding trial, the following results were illustrated. No significant effects were observed in survival, feed conversion ratio, condition factor, and hematocrit after feeding with experimental diets for 60 days. The relatively higher specific growth rate and hematology were observed in 6F4P. Furthermore, both palm oil and oxidized fish oil acted as a negatively on serum lysozyme activity (P palm oil seems to have the ability to improve the protein efficiency when added to oxidized fish diets as well as a positive trend to the growth performance (P > 0.05). PMID:22763698

Energy use patterns and utilisation efficiencies in 40 factories producing palm kernel oil (PKO) in southwestern part of Nigeria were studied. The factories were stratified into small, medium and large scale categories based on the mode of operations and production capacities. Questionnaires were administered on the factories to obtain historical data on petrol, diesel and electricity consumption and PKO production outputs for seven years (1998-2004). Energy use efficiency indicators employed include: energy intensity (EI), energy cost per unit product (EC/P), energy ratio (ER), food energy ratio (FER) and percentage oil yield by weight. Results of the study indicated that averagely, 0.58, 0.53 and 0.74 GJ/10{sup 3} l of PKO were needed in the small, medium and large PKO factories, respectively. The average food energy ratios in the small, medium and large mills are 2.48, 2.53 and 2.14, respectively. The corresponding values of PKO conversion ratio are 0.43, 0.50 and 0.35. Electrical energy consumption in medium and large mills was lower than thermal energy due to irregularity and decline in electricity supply from the national grid. The results of the study has provided required baseline information needed for budgeting, comparison of yearly energy consumption, forecasting energy requirements and planning expansion in PKO factories. (author)

In this research, the effects of viscosity of lubricant in cold work extrusion process were investigated. The experimental evaluation was carried out by using cold work plane strain extrusion apparatus with a pair of 45-degree die half angle and a symmetrical workpiece (billet). The billet material was annealed pure aluminum, A1100. The analytical evaluation was carried out using a visioplasticity method. The testing lubricant is RBD palm olein, RBD palm stearin and palm fatty acid distillate. The results were compared with the additive free paraffinic mineral oil. The result shows that palm oil has advantage in reducing the extrusion load. We confirmed that palm oil showed satisfactory lubrication performance, as compared to additive free paraffinic mineral oil.

There are great differences between palm oil and palm kernel oil in physical and chemical characteristics. Palm oil contains mainly palmitic (16:0) and oleic (18:1) acids, the 2 common fatty acids and about 50% saturated, while palm kernel oil contains mainly lauric acid (12:0) and is more than 89% saturated. Palm is widely grown in Southeast Asia, and 90% of the palm oil produced is used for food, while the remaining 10% is used for nonfood consumption, such as production of oleo-chemicals. Methyl esters of vegetable oils have several outstanding advantages among other new-renewable and clean engine fuel alternatives. Compared to No. 2 diesel fuel, all of the vegetable oils are much more viscous, while methyl esters of vegetable oils are slightly more viscous. The methyl esters are more volatile than the vegetable oils. The soaps obtained from the vegetable oils can be pyrolyzed into hydrocarbon-rich products. The yield of conversion of the sunflower oil reached the maximum 78.3% at 660 K over ZnCl{sub 2} catalyst. (Author)

The catalytic cracking of palm oil to liquid hydrocarbon fuels was studied in a fixed bed micro-reactor operated at atmospheric pressure, reaction temperature of 723 K and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 2.5 h{sup -1} over the synthesized mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 materials. Mesoporous aluminosilicate with Si/Al ratio of 50 was synthesized using the hydrothermal method. Different pore sizes were obtained by changing the type of template and organic directing agent (ODA) used. The synthesized materials were characterized using various analytical methods such as X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), BET surface area, inductive coupled plasma (ICP), MAS NMR, FTIR and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). The materials exhibit a crystalline structure of MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves with surface area varying from 550 to 1200 m{sup 2}/g and an average pore size (APS) ranging from 1.8 to 2.8 nm. The synthesized MCM-41 catalysts show high activity for palm oil cracking. The conversion of palm kernel oil, lower-molecular-weight oil, was higher as compared to higher-molecular-weight, palm olein oil. MCM-41 materials were selective for the formation of linear hydrocarbons, particularly, C{sub 13} when palm kernel oil was used and C{sub 17} when palm olein oil was fed. The yield of liquid product decreased with the increase of surface area of the catalyst. The gasoline selectivity increased whereas diesel selectivity decreased with the conversion of palm oil.

Canarium odontophyllum Miq. fruit (dabai) is an important food and oil resource for the native people in Sarawak, Malaysia. However, there is little information regarding their oil composition. In this paper, fatty acid compositions, vitamin E contents and physicochemical properties of dabai pulp and kernel oils were studied. These parameters were compared with commercial olive and palm oils. The content of total saturated fatty acid was found to be 44.4% in dabai pulp, kernel (60.8%), palm oil (47.9%) and olive (25.5%) oils. Palmitic, myristic, oleic and linoleic acids were detected in dabai pulp oil (36.1, 5.8, 41.5 and 11.8%) dabai kernel oil (46.4, 9.3, 35.1 and 2.8%), palm oil (33.8, 9.2, 39.7 and 10.9%) and olive oil (9.9, 12.9, 64.4 and 5.1%). Vitamin E was not detected in the dabai...

In view of ever-growing demand of biodiesel, there is an urgent need to look for inexpensive and promising renewable raw material oils for its production. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of industrial wastes for low-cost production of oils through microbial fermentation. Among the strains tested, Yarrowia lipolytica grew best and produced highest lipid when grown on decanter effluent from palm oil mill. When crude glycerol by-product from a biodiesel plant was added into the effluent as a co-substrate, Y. lipolytica produced a higher biomass of 3.21 g/L and a higher amount of lipid of 2.21 g/L which was 68 % of the dry weight. The scale up and process improvement in a 5-L bioreactor increased the biomass and lipid up to 5.53 and 2.81 g/L, respectively. A semi-continuous mode of operation was an effective mode for biomass enhancement while a fed-batch mode was effective for lipid enhancement. These yeast lipids have potential to be used as biodiesel feedstocks because of their similar fatty acid composition to that of plant oil. PMID:23151967

A lubricating oil composition is described comprising (i) a major portion of lubricant oil; and (ii) from about 0.05 to about 10.0 wt.% of, as an additive, a product prepared by reacting a natural oil selected from the group consisting of coconut, babassu, palm, palm kernel, olive, castor, peanut, beef tallow and lard, with a (C/sub 2/-C/sub 10/) hydroxy acid and a polyamine.

We have investigated the spatial self phase modulation of palm oil containing silver nanoparticles (palm oil/Ag-NPs). The study carried out using continuous wave diode pumped solid state laser with wavelength of 405 nm and power of 50 mW. The strong spatial self phase modulation patterns were observed that suggest the palm oil/Ag-NPs have a relatively large nonlinear refractive index. The obtained values of nonlinear refractive index were increased with the increment in the volume fractions. The observed experimental patterns were also theoretically modeled which are in good agreement with experimental results.

The objective of this study was to evaluate voluminous, water regain, and solubility of palm oil leaf, sludge, palm kernel meal, and cocoa pod. The experiment was arranged in the randomized completely design with 6 times replicated. The result of research showed that voluminous, water regain, and s...

The dark streaks are extensive oil slicks surrounding many of the .... This is Palm Valley, which contains rare species of palms, some of which can be ... appear red due to the alignment of streets and buildings to the incoming radar beam. Thc ...

Ghana produces about 2,000,000 metric tons of oil palm fruits annually, and small-scale processors contribute about 60% of crude palm oil production. The country is not self-sufficient in the fats and oils needed for industrial use and home consumption. A large percentage of the palm oil produced by small-scale processors cannot be utilized by the larger scale industries in Ghana or abroad because of its poor quality. There is an urgent need to explore the causes and to identify ways to address the situation. We carried out a diagnostic study in the Kwaebibirem District using key informant interviews, focus group discussions and surveys based on a semi-structured questionnaire to assess the processing practices of small-scale oil palm fruit processors, and to analyse the rationale behind t...

This report presents a method for synthesizing base-stock for green industrial product from a vegetable oil with a high composition of unsaturated fatty acids. Epoxy methyl ester of palm kernel oil was synthesized from laboratory purified palm kernel oil using a two-step reaction and the products were used as a base-stock for green electrical insulation fluid. Epoxidized palm kernel oil was first prepared through epoxidation reaction involving purified palm kernel oil, acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of amberlite as catalyst which lasted for 4h. It was then followed by transesterification reaction involving the epoxidized product and methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxide as catalyst to synthesize the corresponding epoxy methyl ester. The thermal and electrical brea...

A locally isolated soil microorganism identified as Erwinia sp. USMI-20 has been found to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB), from either palm oil or glucose and its copolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), P(3HB-co-3HV), from a combination of palm oil and a second carbon source of either one of the following compounds: propionic acid, n-propanol, valeric acid and n-pentanol. It was found that Erwinia sp. USMI-20 could produce P(3HB) up to 69 wt.% polymer content with a dry cell weight of 4.4 g/l from an initial amount of 14.5 g/l of glucose followed by a feeding rate of glucose at 0.48 g/h glucose. On the other hand, the bacteria can achieve 46 wt.% of P(3HB) and a dry cell weight of 3.6 g/l from a batch fermentation in a 10-l fermentor from an initial concentration of 4.6 g/l of palm oil. Further characterisation of the polymer production was also carried out by using different types of palm oil. Among the different palm oils that were used, crude palm oil was the best lipid source for P(3HB) production as compared to palm olein and palm kernel oil. In the production of the copolymer, P(3HB-co-3HV), the highest mole fraction of 3-HV units could be as high as 47 mol% from a single feeding of valeric acid upon initial growth on palm oil. PMID:10416655

It is expected that palm oil will reduce black smoke/particulates in exhaust gas from the diesel engine. Therefore, an investigation for practical application of palm oil is made on adaptability as a fuel oil and supply potential. For utilization of palm oil to diesel engines, it is necessary to depress a pour point by methylesterification (methylester (ME) oil) and blending with light oil. When using ME oil, such improvements are seen as improved fuel consumption per heat quantity, reduced emission of black smoke/particulates and reduced emission of sulfur oxide; however, reduced emission of nitrogen oxide cannot be expected. When using ME Oil in Japan, 4,940,000 tons are required if it is blended with light oil at an average blending rate of 20%. In Malaysia, which is the largest palm oil producing country, production was 6,140,000 tons in 1991 and is estimated to be 7,600,000 tons in 1995 and 8,750,000 tons in 2000. For utilization of palm oil, supply potential of Indonesia is also expected. 42 figs., 47 tabs.

Palm oil shows a great potential to be used as a lubricant. It is a vegetable oil which is environmentally friendly and has a high biodegradability in comparison to mineral oil. However, the research of the properties of palm oil based lubricant from the industrial point of view has never been widely conducted. In this research, the tribological properties of RBD palm olein; which is one of the palm oil refine product, was tested with four-ball tribotester to investigate its wear resistance. The testing method followed the ASTM D4172. The investigation was continued with 40kg, 80kg and 120 kg normal loads. For comparison, similar experimental and analytical works were done with additive-free paraffinic mineral oil and their results were compared with RBD palm olein. The analysis focused on the temperature properties, friction coefficient and wear observation. Results show that RBD palm olein has a good wear resistance performance in high and low temperature compared to additive free paraffinic mineral oil, especially at high normal load.

c) cooked whole kernel corn d) apple slices e) plum slices .... Oil package was evaluated for suitability for the Shuttle Orbiter galley. Rehydration .... palm of the hand was pressed hard over the surface to prevent distortion and pressure relief.

A SEARCH FOR EXPERIMENTS TO EXPLOIT THE SPACE SHUTTLE ENVIRONMENT. It by. John B. ..... the depletion of oil and gas resources has renewed interest in achieving even small increases in ...... Trina Valencich. 1370 Palms Blvd.

Jul 19, 1991 ... Story oil. LynflonB. Johnson SpaceCenter report. Story on Page 3. Page 4. Houston, Texas ...... Irons, 2-PW, Palm Springs premium model, new. '81 Mercedes .... shape space exploration and exploitation for the headquarters ...

This investigation reveals that deforestation, deep peat conversion, land disputes and illegal practices continue to occur in the plantation estates owned by a company that is RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certified for parts of its operations.

Palm oil fruit shells were evaluated as a new bioadsorbent to eliminate toxic copper from water and wastewater. Without any chemical treatment, palm oil fruit shells were washed, dried and grounded into powder (palm oil fruit shells. The results indicate that the highest Cu removal efficiency was found in an aqueous solution with pH of 6.5. The equilibrium sorption capacity of copper was significantly high (between 28 and 60 mg/g) at room temperature. Nonlinear regression analyses for isotherm models revealed that three-parameter isotherms had a better fit to the experimental data (R(2)>0.994) than that of two-parameter isotherms. The copper sorption system was heterogeneous as the values of exponents were lying between 0 and 1. The highly correlated pseudo-second-order kinetics model (R(2)>0.998) ascertained the applicability of copper removal by palm oil fruit shells. PMID:22204888

The oil palm is used worldwide as an energy crop, even in moderate climates. Environmentalists are campaigning against it as indigenous forests are cut down. The contribution presents an outline. (orig.)

Sun Coast Chemicals (SCC) of Daytona Inc., Palm Court, Florida was ... the complete Space Shuttle from KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad ... applications ranging from industrial assembly lines to oiling a child's bicycle chain.

building customized databases, organizing and publishing research results.., even providing videos. .... It confirmed that both oil and thickener were present on the ball surface. All specimens .... \\\\'est Palm Beach. (Florida), October. 27-31 ...

building customized data bases, organizing and publishing research results.., .... The greasesareall basedon a multiplyalkylatedcyclopentane(Pennzane_) oil [13]. A ..... XLGI 68 _'_Colfer, vce, \\Vest Palm Beach (Florida), October 27-31 2001.

5 days ago ... Vecenergy (The Vecellio Group), West Palm Beach, FL, United States ... family that produces seeds from which oil can be extracted for use as biofuel. ... J. curcas is a feasible species for the commercial production of biodiesel.

Sep 8, 2009 ... Peak oil may have now occurred, bringing the specter of permanently ... accelerating new pressures on terrestrial ecosystems for biofuel production. ... 30 meter per pixel view of Malaysian palm plantations from Landsat 7.

The influence of oil palm development on tropical peat soil decomposition rate was investigated by an incubation experiment. Soil samples from soil surface and around underground water table were taken from forest site, and oil palm site at 1st and 9th year after development. The soil samples were sieved into 0-2mm, 2-8mm and 8-20mm and analyzed for carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes. The development of oil palm did not change the CO2 emissions and showed inconsistent influence on CH4 flux according to aggregate size, while significantly higher N2O emissions were found for aggregates 0-2mm at high moisture of oil palm plantation soils compared with the original forest. Nitrous oxide fluxes showed significant positive correlation with the CO2 flux, which indi...

aircraft to take advantage of the existing production line and logistics base. .... Oil a weighted least squares algorithm is used by Mission. Control for orbit determination. Ground-up ...... and Navigation Symposium, Palm Springs, CA,. 15 ...

Local hydrogen production and liquefaction capability. - Sized for KSC ... Can be sent to Launch Complex 36, 40, or 41 , West Palm Beach or SSC for incorporation into ... efficiencies to be gained over current oil lubricated piston compressors ...

This study aims to investigate the behaviour of Malaysian sub-bituminous coal (Mukah Balingian), oil palm biomass (empty fruit bunches (EFB), kernel shell (PKS) and mesocarp fibre (PMF)) and their respective blends during pyrolysis using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The coal/palm biomass blends were prepared at six different weight ratios and experiments were carried out under dynamic conditions using nitrogen as inert gas at various heating rates to ramp the temperature from 25 to 900{sup o}C. The derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) results show that thermal decomposition of EFB, PMF and PKS exhibit one, two and three distinct evolution profiles, respectively. Apparently, the thermal profiles of the coal/oil palm biomass blends appear to correlate with the percentage of biomass added in the blends, thus, suggesting lack of interaction between the coal and palm biomass. First-order reaction model were used to determine the kinetics parameters for the pyrolysis of coal, palm biomass and their respective blends.

A few years ago, the Indonesian government and sections of the palm oil industry united in the Indonesian Palm Oil Commission (IPOC) to undertake efforts to restore the atrocious public image that the palm oil industry had earned abroad for its role in the demise of Indonesia's tropical rainforests, the massive forest fires and haze in 1997-1998, and for the widespread conflicts between plantation companies and local communities. If IPOC succeeded in restoring the palm oil industry's image abroad, it was shattered again after June 2005 when the Indonesian Minister of Agriculture revealed details of a government plan to develop the world's largest oil palm plantation in a 5-10 kilometer band along the border of Kalimantan and Malaysia. To finance the USD 567 million plantation project, the Indonesian President and Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) had already met up with the Chinese government and private sector several times, resulting in Memoranda of Understanding between (among other) the Artha Graha and Sinar Mas groups from Indonesia and the Chinese CITIC group and Chinese Development Bank (CDB). The oil palm mega-project, launched in Indonesia under the banner of 'bringing prosperity, security and environmental protection to the Kalimantan border area', turned sour when a business plan developed by the Indonesian State Plantation Corporation (PTPN) began to circulate. This document contained a map that showed beyond doubt how the 1.8 million hectare oil palm project would trash the primary forests of three National Parks, cut through rugged slopes and mountains utterly unsuitable for oil palm cultivation and annihilate the customary rights land of the indigenous Dayak communities in the border area. This report describes what has come of the Kalimantan border oil palm mega-plan since it was announced, who is involved and what research, lobby and campaigning has led to so far. In particular, this study aims to inform civil society organizations, palm oil buyers, investors and government bodies outside Indonesia about the undiminished threats to the tropical rainforests and indigenous peoples related to Indonesia's oil palm expansion plans and the government's overall development agenda for Kalimantan.

Thermal stability of pharmaceutical ingredients is an important aspect. In this study, we adopted differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to investigate thermal stability of suppository bases, theobroma oil (cocoa butter) and a palm kernel oil (PKO) blend. The study shows theobroma oil possesses six polymorphic forms whilst the palm kernel oil blend has three. Upon rescanning, the PKO blend does not show changes in the enthalpy of fusion and the melting point with time, whilst the theobroma oil shows significant reduction, and only regained its thermal stable state after 10 days. This indicates that PKO blend possesses better thermal stability.

LC-NMR has been applied to componential analysis of carotenoids in several foods, specifically, tomato juice, palm oil, and satsuma mandarin orange juice. The crude carotenoids extracted with organic solvent from these foodstuffs were analyzed after simple pre-processing. Three, four, and two kinds of carotenoids were identified for tomato juice, palm oil, and satsuma mandarin orange, respectively, primarily by comparing their NMR spectra with those of pure standard. PMID:19810055

This work was done to ascertain the efficacy of the local use of Ficus exasperata leaves in processing palm oils to improve and stabilize the quality. Palm oils were obtained from the ripe fruits of Elaeis guineensis and Elaeis guineensis var virescens, including Ficus exasperata leaves in the traditional processing procedures--cooking and soaking the fruits in water. Phytochemical analysis of the Ficus leaves and the oils were performed. The quality of the oils were assessed in terms of saponification, acid and peroxide values, and free fatty acid content. Results showed the presence of phenolic compounds, terpenoids, alcohols and carbonyl compounds in the leaves. Oil from both oil palm varieties contained appreciable amounts of carotenoids, flavonoids and sterols, but only the Elaeis guineensis var virescens oil contained saponins. The use of the Ficus leaves eliminated saponins and the foaming tendencies of the var virescens oil, but reduced the sterol levels and increased the carotenoid levels in the oils from both oil palm varieties. Oils processed by soaking of fruits and use of the Ficus leaves had slightly greater saponification values, while oils processed by cooking of fruit and use of leaves had reduced FFA, acid and peroxide values. The use of Ficus exasperata leaves makes for a better stabilized oil with potentially good keeping qualities. PMID:15182838

The conversion of natural forest to oil palm plantation is a major current threat to the conservation of biodiversity in South East Asia. Most animal taxa decrease in both species richness and abundance on conversion of forest to oil palm, and there is usually a severe loss of forest species. The extent of loss varies significantly across both different taxa and different microhabitats within the oil palm habitat. The principal driver of this loss in diversity is probably the biological and physical simplification of the habitat, but there is little direct evidence for this. The conservation of forest species requires the preservation of large reserves of intact forest, but we must not lose sight of the importance of conserving biodiversity and ecosystem processes within the oil palm habitat itself. We urgently need to carry out research that will establish whether maintaining diversity supports economically and ecologically important processes. There is some evidence that both landscape and local complexity can have positive impacts on biodiversity in the oil palm habitat. By intelligent manipulation of habitat complexity, it could be possible to enhance not only the number of species that can live in oil palm plantations but also their contribution to the healthy functioning of this exceptionally important and widespread landscape. PMID:22006968

The crystallization of Palm Oil and its thermal features were examined in the present study by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The melting behavior of Palm Oil crystals was noted to differ significantly with temperature. One of the particular interest was the finding that small angle X-ray diffraction. Palm Oil crystallized when temperature was maintained at 10°C showed 65Å spacings. The IR absorption band due to the C-O-C group differed from any of those for samples obtained at other crystallization temperatures. It thus follows that the triple-chain length structure is present only in crystals obtained at 10°C and the double-chain length structure is to be found in those obtained at other temperatures. With heat application, the triple-chain length structure was noted to change to the double-chain length structure, this being accompanied by increase in enthalpy. Triacylglycerin in Palm Oil is comprised of POP (1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol) at about 30% and POO (1,2-dioleoyl-3-palmitoyl-glycerol) at about 20% and thus the present results would account for the varying triacylglycerin content in Palm Oil. Accordingly, when using Palm Oil-based products, attention should be directed to the effects of temperature on crystallization.   

The study was carried out to investigate farmers reasons for intercropping their oil palm farms with food and other cash crops rather than the sole oil palm planting arrangement specified for participation in the World Bank Assistance Smallholder Oil Palm development project financed during the 1975-83 period. The study was conducted at the Ekuku-Agbor Tree Crop Unit Zone (to the East) and Mosogar Tree Crop Unit Zone (to the Southwest) of the old Bendel State of Nigeria. A total of 35 oil palm farmers were randomly selected from each zone for the study. The study tried to identify the size of oil palm cultivated, types of food and cash crops planted and the proportion consumed and sold and the sufficiency of labour for various farm activities. The study showed that the average oil palm farm size at Ekuku-Agbor zone was smaller (about 1.57 ha) and more fragmented while for Mosogar zone it was 2.28 ha. However a greater percentage (over 65%) of the farms at both locations were within 0.01-2.00 ha farm size range which could be said to be relatively small. The study revealed that among other factors the farmers desire to ensure adequate family food needs which equates to food security and some cash to meet regular family financial needs necessitated their intercropping of the oil palm farms. Others include the need to maximize the returns from the use of labour which they considered a major limiting factor in farm maintenance and to take advantage of the relative high unit price of cassava and its products that prevailed then by cultivating on any available land space including the palm plantations and thereby increasing their farm income.

It is the objective of this thesis to show the general applicability of the Gas Assisted Mechanical Expression (GAME) process for recovery of oil from oilseeds with high yields. In this process, the oilseeds are saturated with supercritical CO2 before mechanical pressing. The CO2 displaces part of the oil during the pressing and therefore increases the oil yield. To prove the general applicability of GAME, a number of oilseeds with a wide range of properties was chosen: sesame, linseed, jatropha, palm kernel and rapeseed. These seeds all produce high added value oils with a low market volume and their properties range from soft (sesame) to hard (jatropha, palm kernel) and from high (sesame) to low oil contents (palm kernel). A lab scale hydraulic press was used to determine the oil yields and expression rates that can be obtained for both conventional expression and GAME expression under a wide range of process conditions.

The obtained heats of combustion were 46.65+/-0.20; 38.09+/-0.31; 39.67+/-0.22; 41.88+/-0.31; 37.86+/-0.46; 39.89+/-0.09; 41.28+/-0.31MJ/kg for diesel, transesterified soybean oil, pyrolysed soybean oil and crude soybean oil, transesterified palm tree oil (Elaeis sp.), pyrolysed palm tree oil, crude palm tree oil, respectively. The results show the heats of combustion of biofuels are approximately 17% smaller than traditional diesel. The data also show the heats of combustion depend on the methodology used for the biofuel production. Addition of biofuels to traditional diesel fuel results in a linear decrease of the heat of combustion with the amount of the alternative fuel added to the diesel. However, for blends with 5% biofuels, which is the limit demanded by Brazilian legislation, no significant decrease of the heat of combustion of the commercial diesel was observed. (author)

Biodiesel is usually produced from common vegetable oils such as soybean, rapeseed (canola), and palm as well as other feedstocks such as animal fats and used cooking oils. To enhance feedstock supply, other vegetable oils such as jatropha are of increasing interest. However, most of these feedsto...

Seabass were fed for 4 months with diets where the lipid was provided as either canola oil (CO), palm oil ( PO) or fish oil (FO), to generate diversity in their tissue fatty acid (FA) composition and investigate how this influenced major traits of exercise performance, cardiac performance and respir...

Previously, we reported an aqueous enzymatic oil extraction process that achieved oil yields of 80-90% using corn germ from a commercial corn wet mill. Three commercial cellulases were reported to result in similar oil yields when wet milles corn germ was used as a feedstock in this process. When ...

This patent describes a method for separating bitumen from a bituminous oil-in-water emulsion froth which is resistant to coalescence by milling. In this method, the emulsion is milled with a ball mill, roller mill or equivalent milling device to impart a crushing action on said emulsion froth. Then an amount of previously coalesced bitumen is added to said emulsion froth in order to initiate and maintain coalescence in said mill. A bitumen-rich liquid fraction is allowed to rise to the surface of the milled emulsion, and said bitumen-rich fraction is separated.

In this study, a novel continuous reactor has been developed to produce high quality methyl esters (biodiesel) from palm oil. A microporous TiO2/Al2O3 membrane was packed with potassium hydroxide catalyst supported on palm shell activated carbon. The central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to investigate the effects of reaction temperature, catalyst amount and cross flow circulation velocity on the production of biodiesel in the packed bed membrane reactor. The highest conversion of palm oil to biodiesel in the reactor was obtained at 70 °C employing 157.04 g catalyst per unit volume of the reactor and 0.21 cm/s cross flow circulation velocity. The physical and chemical properties of the produced biodiesel were determined and compared with the standard specifications. High quality palm oil biodiesel was produced by combination of heterogeneous alkali transesterification and separation processes in the packed bed membrane reactor. PMID:20888219

A study of the operational variables involved in the treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) was carried out. These included the acidic or alkaline nature of the POME discharged from the oil mills, the efficiency of the decay (or digestion) of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) contents of the POME, the economic benefits that could arise from the digested sludge and biogas and finally the net economic recovery abilities of the various treatment methods available. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) contents of the POME must be reduced to an acceptable level of 2000-3000 mg/solids dm/sup 3/ of sludge before the latter can be used a fertiliser material. In 10 days of operation periods various anaerobic digestion treatment methods gave COD reduction efficiencies of 76-96%, the batch pond anaerobic digestion mode gave an efficiency of 76.5%, the continuous pond modes 92.5-95.5% and the tank digester 93.8%. In all anaerobic operations the optimal pH value of the POME media were in the range 7.1-7.6 and a ratio of the volatile acids to the total alkalinity of the media (VA/TA) of 0.3 or less was found to enhance the performance of these digesters. Economic analyses carried out on all modes of treatment gave the following economic recovery abilities: the decanter/drier system gave a break-even situation of 3 years, the tank digester system, 2 years, and the single stage anaerobic pond system, 6 years. The batch pond system appeared not to give a break-even situation. Of the treatment methods examined the decanter/deier and tank digester systems were concluded to be optimal.

The world oilseed supply situation tightened in this month with estimated world oilseed, meal and oil production all down from the last month. Reduced peanut and sunflower seed output in drought-damaged areas in Africa more than offset an increase in Argentine soybean output. The protein meal sector remained quiet, with an adjustment in peanut meal production and a reduction in Soviet soybean meal imports. The situation for vegetable and marine oils also remained quiet during the month, with offsetting reductions of Singapore's palm oil imports and exports indicating that country's decline as a transshipper of palm oil.

The project PROVEGAM 'Implantation and test of a unit demonstration of energetic utilization of vegetable oil', tested in operational conditions of field, the functioning of a conventional diesel engine, adapted to operate with palm oil 'in natura' in the community of Vila Soledade, city of Moju, Para State. The Vila Soledade is an isolated community that has, approximately, 700 inhabitants and it's located at one hundred kilometers from the city hall by car and more 30 minutes by boat. The electric energy of this community was previously generated, by a conventional diesel engine, obsolete and very expensive to the community, because the fuel price and the transport of the diesel oil from the city to the community. The PROVEGAM project, installed an electric generation group, MWM TD229, manufactured in Brazil, adapted with a conversion kit to operate with 'in natura' palm oil, working 6 hours per day. Because of the viscosity of the palm oil and its combustion point, it was necessary to heat the vegetable oil before its injection into the engine. The operation begins and finishes with diesel oil, in order to heat the palm oil and to clean possible residues deposited in the interior of the engine. The use of the palm oil justifies itself for being produced in the region, which means that it doesn't have to be imported. Currently, the generating group is working in the community during 5 hours per day with palm oil, and 1 hour per day with diesel oil and it already has more than 1600 hours of testing. The results of this project, so far, have confirmed the conceived premises, and this electric model of generating energy is already recommended to be implemented in other communities in the Amazon region. (author)

Abstract The current study was carried out to investigate the effects of replacing dietary fish oil with different vegetable oil sources and ratios on the growth performance and tissue fatty acid profiles of juvenile Tor tambroides. Three different vegetable oils (sunflower oil, linseed oil and palm oil) were used in two different substitution ratios (50% and 100%). A diet without replacement (100% fish oil) was used as a control. Triplicate groups of T.tambroides juveniles (5.0--0.4-g) were fed the test diets for 9-weeks. The highest weight gain was observed in fish fed palm oil diets that, of course, were reared in aquaria. There was a significant effect (P--0.05) of the percentage of fish oil replacement on the liver weight after controlling for the effect of fish weight (P--0.05). The ...

Malaysia's transportation sector accounts for 41% of the country's total energy use. The country is expected to become a net oil importer by the year 2011. To encourage renewable energy development and relieve the country's emerging oil dependence, in 2006 the government mandated blending 5% palm-oil biodiesel in petroleum diesel. Malaysia produced 16 million tonnes of palm oil in 2007, mainly for food use. This paper addresses maximizing bioenergy use from oil-palm to support Malaysia's energy initiative while minimizing greenhouse-gas emissions from land-use change. When converting primary and secondary forests to oil-palm plantations between 270-530 and 120-190 g CO{sub 2}-equivalent per MJ of biodiesel produced, respectively, is released. However, converting degraded lands results in the capture of between 23 and 85 g CO{sub 2}-equivalent per MJ of biodiesel produced. Using various combinations of land types, Malaysia could meet the 5% biodiesel target with a net GHG savings of about 1.03 million tonnes (4.9% of the transportation sector's diesel emissions) when accounting for the emissions savings from the diesel fuel displaced. These findings are used to recommend policies for mitigating GHG emissions impacts from the growth of palm oil use in the transportation sector. - Research highlights: {yields} We modeled greenhouse gas emissions in the production of palm-biodiesel. {yields} Five land types were included to model emissions associated with land-use change. {yields} Land-use change has the biggest impact on the emissions in making palm-biodiesel. {yields} Emissions from fertilizer use and effluent treatment are still significant. {yields} At 5% biodiesel grown on suitable lands Malaysia would obtain an emissions savings.

Bio fuels are important tools in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG); however, to minimize the conflict with food crops, energy crops with high efficiency and capacity to absorb Co2, such as the oil palm, should be prioritized. The European Union intends to replace 10% of liquid fossil fuel demand with bio fuels by 2020. According to studies conducted by the European Commission, this will entail the annual import of more than 3 million tonnes of palm oil, the most produced and least expensive vegetable oil in the world. 87% of global production comes from Indonesia and Malaysia, where the relentless expansion of oil palm cultivation has caused extensive forest devastation, threatening biodiversity and increasing GHG emissions. The Netherlands, a large importer of oil palm products, developed a methodology (Cramer) for the certification of sustainable bio energy production, assessing economic, social, environmental aspects, as well as GHG emissions, throughout the supply chain. It sets a mandatory minimum 30% reduction of GHG emissions in the bio-energy chain for use in transport and 70% for use in heat and power generation, as compared to the chain of the fossil counterpart. This dissertation shows that oil and bio diesel (ethyl ester) from palm grown in the Amazon meets this GHG mitigation criterion when degraded areas are utilized for cultivation, but not when forests are razed for that purpose. (author)

Technology development was conducted for production of useful substances using the bioconsortia system. In FY 1998, the development of element technology was studied. As to the utilization technology of gut symbiotic microorganisms such as termite and longhorn beetle, clone types of gut microorganism complex system were analyzed to find out the diversification. In the decay of wood, co-culture of two species of mold fungus was increased in efficiency than single culture. More than 90% was classified/identified of the mold fungi accumulated (in wood piece)/separated for the utilization of plant symbiotic microorganisms. For the production of petroleum substituting useful resource, conditions were established of callus induction from immature embryos of tropical oil crops, especially oil palm, and of regeneration of a lot of small plants from the callus. To establish the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system of oil palm, the binary vector harboring the reporter gene and selectable marker gene was constructed. Using the vector, oil palm tissues are inoculated and infected with agrobacteria. To heighten the function of palm oil, 10 particular clones were selected from the complementary DNA library obtained from oil palm fruit tissues. The genetic study of germs was also made. (NEDO)

In this study, fatty haydroxamic acids (FHAs), which have biological activities as antibiotics and antifungal, have been synthesized via refluxing of triacylglycrides, palm olein, palm stearin or corn oil with hydroxylamine hydrochloride. The products were characterized using the complex formation test of hydroxamic acid group with zinc(I), copper(II) and iron(III), various technique methods including nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Parameters that may affect the conversion of oils to FHAs including the effect of reaction time, effect of organic solvent and effect of hydro/oil molar issue were also investigated in this study. Results of characterization indicate that FHAs were successfully produced from triacylglycrides. The conversion percentages of palm stearin, palm olein and corn oil into their fatty hydroxamic acids are 82, 81 and 78, respectively. Results also showed that hexane is the best organic solvent to produce the FHAs from the three oils used in this study. The optimum reaction time to achieve the maximum conversion percentage of the oils to FHAs was found to be 10 hours for all the three oils, while the optimum molar ration of hydro/to oil was found to be 7:1 for all the different three oils. PMID:20032595

Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) and Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) with symptoms indicative of phytoplasma disease were collected from different locations in Malaysia. PCR assays employing phytoplasma universal rRNA gene primers P1/P7 alone or P1/P7 followed by R16F2n/R16R2 detected phytoplasmas in eight out of 20 Malayan Red Dwarf (MRD), nine out of 12 Malayan Yellow Dwarf (MYD) and 12 out of 12 Malayan Tall (MT) coconut palms displaying coconut yellow decline symptoms. Positive detections were also obtained from six out of six oil palm seedlings showing symptoms of yellowing and necrosis, from 10 out of 10 Bermudagrass samples with white leaf symptoms, and from eight out of eight periwinkle plants showing phyllody,...

...distillates). Essential oils, oleoresins (solvent-free...nobilis L. Bay (myrcia oil) Pimenta racemosa (Mill... L., or other grains. Mandarin Citrus reticulata Blanco...Burm. f. Petitgrain mandarin or tangerine Citrus...

An overview from the perspective of one manufacturer is provided on products that utilise either palm oil or palm kernel oil. The manufacturer is Macphie of Glenbervie while the products are of a wide-ranging nature for use in bakery, food service and food-manufacturing. Much of the discussion concerns cream alternatives on the grounds that this product-category places great demand on the type of fat needed and, to Macphie of Glenbervie, is responsible for most of the oil from oil palm used. However, other products are also touched on. The overview considers key product attributes the function that fat has within these products, together with research requirements and future opportunity. PMID:16326645

Oil palm trees are replanted at an interval of approximately 25 years because of decreased oil productivity of old trees. Consequently the felled trunks are the enormous amount of biomass resources in the palm oil producing countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. In this report, we found that the felled oil palm trunk contains large quantity of sap, which accounts for approximately 70% of the whole trunk weight, and that sugars existing in the sap increased remarkably during storage after logging. Total sugar in the sap increased from 83 mg ml-1 to 153 mg ml-1, the concentration comparable to that of sugar cane juice, after 30 days of storage, followed by the gradual decrease. The sugars contained in the sap were glucose, sucrose, fructose and galactose, all of which are fermentable by o...

ABSTRACT A rapid method for quantitative determination of free fatty acids from crude palm oil to bleached palm oil (BPO) and then distilled BPO and refluxed BPO by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) transmission spectroscopy is described. A partial least square (PLS) model was calibrated to predict the FFA content of palm oil samples based on the spectral range of 1,729.89-1,694.48/cm. Multivariate calibration step was carried out by comparing the FFA values predicted by PLS model to the values obtained from the official American Oil Chemists' Society method. The resulting PLS calibrations were linear and the root mean standard error of cross-validation was 0.063 with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9898. The results indicated that FTIR spectroscopy is an efficient, rapid and accurate ...

Anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent (POME) and deoiled POME was investigated both in batch assays and continuous reactor experiments using up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactors. The methane potential determined from batch assays of POME and deoiled POME was 503 and 610mL-CH4/gVS-added, respectively. For the treatment of POME in continuously fed reactors, both in UASB and EGSB reactors more than 90% COD removal could be obtained, at HRT of 5 days, corresponding to OLR of 5.8gVS/(L-reactor.d). Similar methane yields of 436–438mL-CH4/gVS-added were obtained for UASB and EGSB respectively. However, for treatment of deoiled POME, both UASB and EGSB reactors could operate at lower OLR of 2.6gVS/(L-reactor.d), with the methane yield of 600 and 555mL-CH4/gVS-added for UASB and EGSB, respectively. The higher methane yield achieved from the deoiled POME was attributed to lower portion of biofibers which are more recalcitrant compared the rest of organic matter in POME. The UASB reactor was found to be more stable than EGSB reactor under the same OLR, as could be seen from lower VFA concentration, especially propionic acid, compared to the EGSB reactor.

Phototrophic hydrogen production by indigenous purple non-sulfur bacteria, Rhodopseudomonas palustris PBUM001 from palm oil mill effluent (POME) was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The process parameters studied include inoculum sizes (% v/v), POME concentration (% v/v), light intensity (klux), agitation (rpm) and pH. The experimental data on cumulative hydrogen production and COD reduction were fitted into a quadratic polynomial model using response surface regression analysis. The path to optimal process conditions was determined by analyzing response surface three-dimensional surface plot and contour plot. Statistical analysis on experimental data collected following Box-Behnken design showed that 100% (v/v) POME concentration, 10% (v/v) inoculum size, light intensity at 4.0 klux, agitation rate at 250 rpm and pH of 6 were the best conditions. The maximum predicted cumulative hydrogen production and COD reduction obtained under these conditions was 1.05 ml H{sub 2}/ml POME and 31.71% respectively. Subsequent verification experiments at optimal process values gave the maximum yield of cumulative hydrogen at 0.66 {+-} 0.07 ml H{sub 2}/ml POME and COD reduction at 30.54 {+-} 9.85%. (author)

Five methods for preparation of hydrogen-producing seeds (base, acid, 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid (BESA), load-shock and heat shock treatments) as well as an untreated anaerobic digested sludge were compared for their hydrogen production performance and responsible microbial community structures under thermophilic condition (60 degrees C). The results showed that the load-shock treatment method was the best for enriching thermophilic hydrogen-producing seeds from mixed anaerobic cultures as it completely repressed methanogenic activity and gave the a maximum hydrogen production yield of 1.96 mol H(2) mol(-1) hexose with an hydrogen production rate of 11.2 mmol H(2) l(-1)h(-1). Load-shock and heat-shock treatments resulted in a dominance of Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum with acetic acid and butyric acid type of fermentation while base- and acid-treated seeds were dominated by Clostridium sp. and BESA-treated seeds were dominated by Bacillus sp. The comparative experimental results from hydrogen production performance and microbial community analysis showed that the load-shock treatment method was better than the other four methods for enriching thermophilic hydrogen-producing seeds from anaerobic digested sludge. Load-shock treated sludge was implemented in palm oil mill effluent (POME) fermentation and was found to give maximum hydrogen production rates of 13.34 mmol H(2) l(-1)h(-1) and resulted in a dominance of Thermoanaerobacterium spp. Load-shock treatment is an easy and practical method for enriching thermophilic hydrogen-producing bacteria from anaerobic digested sludge. PMID:18768309

The treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) by an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) at organic loading rates (OLR) between 2.2 and 9.5 g COD l(-1) day(-1) was achieved by acclimatizing the mesophilic (37 °C) microbial seed to the thermophilic temperature (57 °C) by a series of stepwise temperature shifts. The UASB produced up to 13.2 l biogas d(-1) with methane content on an average of 76%. The COD removal efficiency ranged between 76 and 86%. Microbial diversity of granules from the UASB reactor was also investigated. The PCR-based DGGE analysis showed that the bacterial population profiles significantly changed with the temperature transition from mesophilic to thermophilic conditions. In addition, the results suggested that even though the thermophilic temperature of 57 °C was suitable for a number of hydrolytic, acidogenic and acetogenic bacteria, it may not be suitable for some Methanosaeta species acclimatized from 37 °C. Specifically, the bands associated with Methanosaeta thermophila PT and Methanosaeta harundinacea can be detected during the four consecutive operation phases of 37 °C, 42 °C, 47 °C and 52 °C, but their corresponding bands were found to fade out at 57 °C. The DGGE analysis predicted that the temperature transition can result in significant methanogenic biomass washout at 57 °C. PMID:22466006

Oils from the seeds of several Cuphea (Lytraceae) species were found to contain high levels of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA). Currently, MCFAs used in cosmetics, soaps, detergents, lubricants and other related products are obtained from coconut and palm kernel oils. One promising outcome of the ...

Female and male rats weighing about 170 g and 200 g, respectively, were fed diets (~70 ug boron/kg) in a factorial arrangement with supplemental boron at 0 (deficient) and 3 (adequate) mg/kg and canola oil or palm oil at 75 g/kg of diet as variables. After 5 weeks, six females in each treatment were...

The crystallization kinetics of mixtures of fully hydrogenated palm oil (HP) in sunflower oil (SF) was studied. The thermal properties and phase behavior of this model system were characterized by means of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. From the melting enthalpy and clear p...