Hydrolysis of cellulose and oil palm empty fruit bunches by using consortia of fungi isolated from the soil of Colombian high andean forest

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Luz Aida Moya A

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Hydrolytic activity was evaluated in a mixture of supernatants produced by filamentous fungi grown individually on microcrystalline cellulose and empty fruit bunches. The strains that were used correspond to two types of isolates; the first was made from soil samples from a transect of a high andean forest of Colombia, in the Parque Natural Nacional de Los Nevados, where, based on previous studies, we selected the strains B7, B11, B11M and B19. The second isolate was obtained from a pool of oil palm empty fruit bunches (Eleaeis guinensis Jacq. in different states of decomposition on the Unipalma plantation located in the eastern plains; strains TA1 and TA2. To perform the hydrolysis of cellulose and empty fruit bunches, the previously obtained supernatants from each of the selected strains were cultivated for 300 hours in cellulose and characterized individually by endoglucanase, exoglucanase, and β-glucosidase activity. Individual supernatants were mixed at a 1:1 ratio to form consortia; and hydrolytic activity was evaluated in the substrates at two hours. The glucose concentration was determined by the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS method. The results show that hydrolysis of empty fruit bunch to glucose was favored by three pools of supernatants, with increases greater than 400% in comparison with the hydrolysis obtained by individual supernatants, demonstrating the potential to decompose palm empty fruit bunches; thereby contributing to the reduction of decay time of empty fruit bunches and the decrease of environmental and health problems

Briquetting of empty fruit bunch fibre and palm shell using piston press technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nasrin, A.B.; Choo, Y.M.; Lim, W.S.

2010-01-01

Malaysian palm oil industry produces vast amount of biomass, mainly from the palm oil milling sector. Converting oil palm biomass into a uniform solid fuel through briquetting process appears to be potentially attractive solution in upgrading its properties and to add value as renewable energy fuels. In this study, raw materials including empty fruit bunch (EFB), in fibrous form and palm shell were mixed in certain ratios and densified into briquettes at high pressure using piston press technology. The blending ratios of shell to EFB (w/ w%) for the production trials were fixed at 20%, 30%, 40% and 60%. The raw materials and briquettes produced were analysed to determine their physical and chemical properties. From the analysis, it was found that, the average calorific values for the blending ratios of 20% to 60% ranged from 17995 to 18322 kJ/ kg. The specific densities ranged from 1130 to 1250 kg/ m 3 . The properties of palm biomass briquettes obtained from the study were compared with those of the commercial sawdust briquettes according to DIN 51731. The details of the study were highlighted in this paper. Overall, the presence of high shell in palm briquette increased the calorific value, specific density and quality of the briquette as well. Palm biomass briquettes can become an important renewable energy fuel source in the future for the global market. (author)

Some chemical properties of irradiated empty fruit bunch and palm press fiber of oil palm byproducts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuhashi, Shinpei; Kume, Tamikazu; Othman, Z.BT.; Awang, M.R.

1992-01-01

Effect of irradiation and alkali treatment for digestibility of oil palm by-products by commercial enzymes was investigated to obtain the informations about formation of carbohydrate polymers or sugar components for producing animal feed from cellulosic by-products. According to the colorimetric analysis, produced reducing sugar from holocellulose of Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) and Palm Press Fiber (PPF) by Cellulase ONOZUKA 3S were about ten times higher than those from raw samples. The results show that the digestibility of EFB and PPF increased significantly by delignification. The differences of digestibility between irradiated and unirradiated samples were shown clearly by the combination of enzymatic degradation and the HPLC analysis. By irradiation, digestibility of EFB was significantly increased. Higher dose is more effective for the digestion of EFB by enzyme. Alkali treatment is also quite effective to enzymatic degradation. The difference of neutral sugar component was observed between alkali treated and untreated samples. These results suggest that the combination of alkali treatment and irradiation is effective for digestion by enzyme. The analysis of products by HPLC after enzymatic degradation is useful method to examine the digestibility and the sugar composition of oil palm by-products. (author)

EFFECT OF TRIMETHYLOLPROPANE TRIACRYLATE (TMPTA ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF PALM FIBER EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH AND CELLULOSE FIBER BIOCOMPOSITE

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M. KHALID

2008-08-01

Full Text Available The effect of trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA as a coupling agent, on the mechanical and morphological properties of the PP-cellulose (derived from oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber and PP-oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFBF biocomposites has been studied. The ratio of PP:cellulose and PP:EFBF is fixed to 70:30 (wt/wt% while the concentration of the coupling agent is varied from 2.0 to 7.0 wt%. Results reveal that at 2.0 wt% of TMPTA concentration, tensile strength, flexural modulus, impact strength and Rockwell hardness of PP-cellulose biocomposite are significantly improved. The enhancement of mechanical properties in the presence of TMPTA is believed to be attributed to crosslinking of multifunctional monomer with the hydroxyl groups of cellulose resulting in better adhesion and superior PP-cellulose biocomposite properties. However, there are no significant changes observed in the PP-EFBF biocomposite properties upon the addition of TMPTA.

A Review of Structural Performance of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber in Polymer Composites

OpenAIRE

Mahjoub, Reza; Bin Mohamad Yatim, Jamaludin; Mohd Sam, Abdul Rahman

2013-01-01

According to environmental concerns and financial problems, natural fibers have become interesting and fascinating nowadays to be used as an industrial material and structural material for rehabilitating of structures. Oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPF) is a natural fiber which is found a lot in tropical areas. Scientists have used OPF fiber with many types of resins such as epoxy, polypropylene, polyester, and phenol formaldehyde. Therefore, this paper focused on the properties of OPF fi...

Use of high-boiling point organic solvents for pulping oil palm empty fruit bunches.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez, Alejandro; Serrano, Luis; Moral, Ana; Pérez, Antonio; Jiménez, Luis

2008-04-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunches were used as an alternative raw material to obtain cellulosic pulp. Pulping was done by using high-boiling point organic solvents of decreased polluting power relative to classical (Kraft, sulphite) solvents but affording operation at similar pressure levels. The holocellulose, alpha-cellulose and lignin contents of oil palm empty fruit bunches (viz. 66.97%, 47.91% and 24.45%, respectively) are similar to those of some woody raw materials such as pine and eucalyptus, and various non-wood materials including olive tree prunings, wheat straw and sunflower stalks. Pulping tests were conducted by using ethyleneglycol, diethyleneglycol, ethanolamine and diethanolamine under two different sets of operating conditions, namely: (a) a 70% solvent concentration, 170 degrees C and 90 min; and (b) 80% solvent, 180 degrees C and 150 min. The solid/liquid ratio was six in both cases. The amine solvents were found to provide pulp with better properties than did the glycol solvents. Ethanolamine pulp exhibited the best viscosity and drainage index (viz. 636 mL/g and 17 degrees SR, respectively), and paper made from it the best breaking length (1709 m), stretch (1.95%), burst index (0.98 kN/g) and tear index (0.33 mNm(2)/g). Operating costs can be reduced by using milder conditions, which provide similar results. In any case, the amines are to be preferred to the glycols as solvents for this purpose.

Characterization of Bio-Oil from Fast Pyrolysis of Palm Frond and Empty Fruit Bunch

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Solikhah, M. D.; Pratiwi, F. T.; Heryana, Y.; Wimada, A. R.; Karuana, F.; Raksodewanto, AA; Kismanto, A.

2018-04-01

As the world’s biggest producer of palm oil, 109 million tons of palm frond and 46 million tons of empty fruit bunch (EFB) were produced annually in Indonesia. These two kinds of palm biomass were still in low-application and could be potentially used as future energy resources such as biofuel. One of the promising methods to convert palm frond and EFB into biofuel, as a dense and easy to transport material, is fast pyrolysis. Before pyrolysis, biomass feedstock was characterized their component and elemental compositions, moisture content and higher heating value (HHV). Fast pyrolysis processes were conducted at a temperature of 350˚C using thermal oil heater as a heat carrier. The gas phase from pyrolysis was condensed and produced a dark color and water soluble liquid called bio-oil. As GC-MS data shows, the bio-oil from both feed stocks was dominated by acetic acid, furans, phenols, aldehydes, and ketones. The HHV was reported 12.19 and 26.49 MJ/kg, while water content was 41.91 and 11.54 wt% for bio-oil from palm frond and EFB, respectively. The high content of lignin in EFB effects to the low content of water, high content of phenolic compound, and high calorific value in the bio-oil from EFB.

Processing of oil palm empty fruit bunch as filler material of polymer recycles

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Saepulloh, D. R.; Nikmatin, S.; Hardhienata, H.

2017-05-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) is waste from crude palm oil (CPO) processing plants. This research aims to process OPEFB to be a reinforcement polymer recycle with the mechanical milling method and identify each establishment molecular with the orbital hybridization theory. OPEFB fibers were synthesized using a mechanical milling until the size shortfiber and microfiber. Then do the biocomposite granular synthesis with single screw extruder. TAPPI chemical test shows levels of α-cellulose fibers amounted 41.68%. Based on density, the most optimum composition contained in the filler amounted 15% with the size is the microfiber. The test results of morphology with SEM showed deployment of filler OPEFB fiber is fairly equitable distributed. Regarding the molecular interaction between matrix with OPEFB fiber, described by the theory of orbital hybridization. But the explanation establishment of the bond for more complex molecules likes this from the side of the molecular orbital theory is necessary complete information of the hybrid levels.

Mechanical and molecular studies of biocomposites filled with oil palm empty fruit bunches microfibers

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Nikmatin, S.; Saepulloh, D. R.; Irmansyah; Syafiuddin, A.

2017-05-01

The present work aims to investigate mechanical and molecular characteristics of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) composites filled with oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) microfibers. OPEFB microfibers were produced using mechanical milling. Composite granules were fabricated using single screw extruder. These composites were then used for fabricating helmet according to the Indonesian National Standard (SNI). Mechanical testing confirms that the helmet produced using this biocomposites are suitable to the SNI. Molecular interaction between matrix with OPEFB can be described using orbital hybridization theory. In general, this study has successfully investigated mechanical and molecular properties of the biocomposites.

Oil palm fruit fibre promotes the yield and quality of Lentinus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Agricultural production and the agro-food industry furnish large volumes of solid wastes, which when unutilized could lead to environmental pollution. ... oil palm fruit fibre (OPFF) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) significantly influenced crop cycle time, yield, nutritional properties and market quality of the mushroom.

Ear Mushroom (Auricularia sp.) Cultivation On Irradiated Palm Oil Empty Fruit Bunch And Saw Dust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endrawanto; Suwadji, E.

2000-01-01

The experiments were conducted under laboratory condition. Ear mushroom (Auricularia sp.) were grown on palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB), sludge of oil residue, and saw dust as growth medium after (heating) autoclaved and irradiated by gamma rays at the dose of 30 kGy. EFB fiber as well as saw dust were mixed with sludge in composition of (1:0), (0;1), (1;1), (2;5), (1;5), (1;10) and (1;20). The mixture was then composted within 2 weeks by the addition of CaO 2%, CaSO 4 (gypsum) 2 %, rice bran 12%, P fertilizer 0,5% and urea 0,25%. A plastic bag volume 1000 ml was filled by 400 grams of composted material as mushrooms medium or bag log. Sterilized bag logs were then inoculated with mushroom spawns. After inoculation, bag logs were incubated during 1.5 months waiting for mycelium growing. Parameters of the experiments were following weight of mushrooms after harvesting, biological efficiency, rendement, and total fiber on bag log after mushrooms harvesting. Results of experiments showed that utilization of sludge as mixture with EFB produced weight mushrooms yield more than without sludge addition. Saw dust treatment produced more mushrooms weight compared to EFB treatments I.e. 90 g and 75 g. Weight of mushrooms produced and 76.6 g respectively. Rendement obtained between saw dust palm oil empty fruit bunch treatments were not significant at P<0.05 I.e. 91-92%

Techno-economic analysis of biooil production process from palm empty fruit bunches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Do, Truong Xuan; Lim, Young-il; Yeo, Heejung

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A comprehensive model of biooil production from empty fruit bunches was developed. • A minimum plant size having an economic benefit was 20 kton/yr of dry EFB. • Plant size and biooil yield had a major influence on reducing the product value. • Biooil from EFB can be produced at 0.27 $/kg in the most optimistic scenario examined. - Abstract: Empty fruit bunches (EFB), a main residue of the palm oil industry, are one of the most recent renewable energy resources and they promise a high yield of liquid with low gas and char. The objective of this study is to evaluate the economic feasibility of the biooil production process from EFB via fast pyrolysis using the fluidized-bed. A comprehensive model of a biooil production plant was developed utilizing a commercial process simulator. The total capital investment (TCI) was estimated for five different plant sizes. The EFB biooil plant was analyzed in terms of the specific capital cost (SCC), payback period (PBP), return on investment (ROI), and the product value (PV). The minimum profitable plant size was found to be 20 kton-dry EFB/yr at a PV of 0.47 $/kg of biooil including 39% of water. Sensitivity analysis was performed on the basis of the minimum plant size to identify key variables that have a strong impact on the PV. The plant size and the biooil yield showed a major influence on the PV. In the most optimistic scenario investigated in this study, biooil can be produced at a PV of 0.27 $/kg

Solid Catalyst Nanoparticles derived from Oil-Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OP-EFB) as a Renewable Catalyst for Biodiesel Production

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Husin, H.; Asnawi, T. M.; Firdaus, A.; Husaini, H.; Ibrahim, I.; Hasfita, F.

2018-05-01

Solid nanocatalyst derived from oil-palm empty fruit bunches (OP-EFB) fiber was successfully synthesized and its application for biodiesel production was investigated. The OPEFB was treated by burning, milling and heating methods to generate ashes in a nanoparticle size. The nanoparticle palm-bunch ash was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The effects of the calcination temperature and catalyst amounts for transesterification reactions were investigated. XRD analysis of palm bunch ash exhibited that the highest composition of peaks characteristic were potassium oxide (K2O). SEM analysis showed that the nano palm bunch ash have a particle size ranging of 150-400 nm. The highest conversion of palm-oil to biodiesel reach to 97.90% was observed by using of palm bunch ash nanocatalyst which heated at 600°C, 3 h reaction time and 1% catalyst amount. Reusability of palm bunch ash catalysts was also examined. It was found that of its high active sites, reusable solid catalyst was obtained by just heating of palm bunch ash. It has a capability to reduce not only the amount of catalyst consumption but also reduce the reaction time of transesterification process.

Irradiation and processing of oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres - polypropylene composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khairul Zaman Mohd Dahlan; Syarifah Hanisah Syed Abdul Aziz

2000-01-01

In this study, polypropylene was blended with oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres at a ratio of 60 to 40 by weight, respectively. Trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) was used as the crosslinking agent. Homopolymer Polypropylene of MFI 14.0 and EFB fibres of 0.5 -1.0 mm sizes were used through out the experiment. Processing parameters such as temperature, rotor speed and processing time were optimized. Modes of irradiation were established to determine the optimum properties of the composites. The mechanical properties of the composite such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength and flexural modulus were measured. The results indicate that temperature, 185 degree C, with a rotor speed of 40 rpm and 9 minutes processing time are sufficient to produce the optimum mechanical properties of PP/EFB composite. Modes of adding TMPTA into the blend and modes of irradiation also have influenced the properties of the composites

Morphological and spectroscopic analysis of cellulose nanocrystals extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dasan, Y. K., E-mail: aamir.bhat@petronas.com.my; Bhat, A. H., E-mail: aamir.bhat@petronas.com.my [Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 31750, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak (Malaysia); Faiz, A., E-mail: faizahmad@petronas.com.my [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 31750, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak (Malaysia)

2015-07-22

This work evaluates the use of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber as a source of cellulose to obtain nanocrystalline cellulose (CNC) by acid hydrolysis reaction. The raw OPEFB fibers were pretreated with aqueous Sodium hydroxide at 80°C followed by bleaching treatment and further hydrolyzed with Sulphuric acid at 45°C with limited range of hydrolysis time and acid concentration. The resulting CNC’s were characterized for spectroscopic, crystallographic and morphological properties using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Finding of this study shows that the properties of CNC’s are strongly dependent on the hydrolysis time and acid concentration.

Isolation of Nanocrystalline Cellulose from oil palm empty fruit bunch – A response surface methodology study

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Song Yee Kai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The research work studied the extraction of Nano Crystalline Cellulose (NCC from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB, with aid of Response Surface Methodology (RSM. Particle size analysis using Malvern Zetasizer had confirmed the extracted NCC fall within the desired nano scaled range. The impact of three input parameters, namely concentration of NaOH solution during alkaline treatment, concentration of H2SO4 solution during acid hydrolysis, and duration for acid hydrolysis on NCC particle were investigated. From ANOVA study, it had suggested that the current RSM model is significant to interpret the interaction among the all three input parameters.

Optimization studies on acid hydrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber for production of xylose.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, S H A; Choudhury, J P; Ahmad, A L; Kamaruddin, A H

2007-02-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber is a lignocellulosic waste from palm oil mills. It is a potential source of xylose which can be used as a raw material for production of xylitol, a high value product. The increasing interest on use of lignocellulosic waste for bioconversion to fuels and chemicals is justifiable as these materials are low cost, renewable and widespread sources of sugars. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of H(2)SO(4) concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time for production of xylose. Batch reactions were carried out under various reaction temperature, reaction time and acid concentrations and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was followed to optimize the hydrolysis process in order to obtain high xylose yield. The optimum reaction temperature, reaction time and acid concentration found were 119 degrees C, 60 min and 2%, respectively. Under these conditions xylose yield and selectivity were found to be 91.27% and 17.97 g/g, respectively.

Effect of fast pyrolysis bio-oil from palm oil empty fruit bunch on bitumen properties

Science.gov (United States)

Poh, Chia Chin; Hassan, Norhidayah Abdul; Raman, Noor Azah Abdul; Shukry, Nurul Athma Mohd; Warid, Muhammad Naqiuddin Mohd; Satar, Mohd Khairul Idham Mohd; Ros Ismail, Che; Asmah Hassan, Sitti; Mashros, Nordiana

2018-04-01

Bitumen shortage has triggered the exploration of another alternative waste material that can be blended with conventional bitumen. This study presents the performance of pyrolysis bio-oil from palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB) as an alternative binder in modified bitumen mixtures. The palm oil EFB was first pyrolyzed using auger pyrolyzer to extract the bio-oil. Conventional bitumen 80/100 penetration grade was used as a control sample and compared with samples that were modified with different percentages, i.e., 5% and 10%, of pyrolysis EFB bio-oil. The physical and rheological properties of the control and modified bitumen samples were investigated using penetration, softening point, viscosity and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests. Results showed that the addition of EFB bio-oil softened the bitumen with high penetration and a reduction in softening point, penetration index, and viscosity. However, the DSR results showed a comparable rutting resistance between the bitumen samples containing EFB bio-oil and virgin bitumen with a failure temperature achieved greater than 64°C.

Thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of oil palm empty fruit bunches with palm oil mill effluent for efficient biogas production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

O-Thong, Sompong; Boe, Kanokwan; Angelidaki, Irini

2012-01-01

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 CH4/gVS-added corresponding to 33.2m3 CH4/ton POME...... and 98% biodegradability. Meanwhile, the maximum methane potential of EFB was 202mL CH4/gVS-added corresponding to 79.1m3 CH4/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 CH4/gVS-added for co-digestion of EFB with POME at mixing ratios of 0.4:1–2.3:1, while minor improvement was observed at mixing ratios of 6.8:1 and 11:1 (175–197mL CH4/gVS-added). The best improved was achieved from co...

Recovery of Palm Oil and Valuable Material from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch by Sub-critical Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad Kurnin, Nor Azrin; Shah Ismail, Mohd Halim; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Izhar, Shamsul

2016-01-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is one of the solid wastes produced in huge volume by palm oil mill. Whilst it still contains valuable oil, approximately 22.6 million tons is generated annually and treated as solid waste. In this work, sub-critical water (sub-cw) was used to extract oil, sugar and tar from spikelet of EFB. The spikelet was treated with sub-cw between 180-280°C and a reaction time of 2 and 5 minutes. The highest yield of oil was 0.075 g-oil/g-dry EFB, obtained at 240°C and reaction time of 5 minutes. Astonishingly, oil that was extracted through this method was 84.5% of that obtained through Soxhlet method using hexane. Yield of oil extracted was strongly affected by the reaction temperature and time. Higher reaction temperature induces the dielectric constant of water towards the non-polar properties of solvent; thus increases the oil extraction capability. Meanwhile, the highest yield of sugar was 0.20 g-sugar/g-dry EFB obtained at 220°C. At this temperature, the ion product of water is high enough to enable maximum sub-critical water hydrolysis reaction. This study showed that oil and other valuable material can be recovered using water at sub-critical condition, and most attractive without the use of harmful organic solvent.

Electricity generation from palm oil tree empty fruit bunch (EFB) using dual chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC)

Science.gov (United States)

Ghazali, N. F.; Mahmood, N. A. B. N.; Ibrahim, K. A.; Muhammad, S. A. F. S.; Amalina, N. S.

2017-06-01

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) has been discovered and utilized in laboratory scale for electricity production based on microbial degradation of organic compound. However, various source of fuel has been tested and recently complex biomass such as lignocellulose biomass has been focused on. In the present research, oil palm tree empty fruit bunch (EFB) has been tested for power production using dual chamber MFC and power generation analysis has been conducted to address the performance of MFC. In addition, two microorganisms (electric harvesting microbe and cellulose degrading microbe) were used in the MFC operation. The analysis include voltage produced, calculated current and power. The first section in your paper

Microbial Production of Xylitol from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Hydrolysate: Effects of Inoculum and pH

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M.T.A.P. Kresnowati

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Considering its high content of hemicellulose, oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB lignocellulosic biomass waste from palm oil processing has the potential to be utilized as the raw material for the production of xylitol, a low calorie, low GI, and anti cariogenic alternative sugar with similar sweetness to sucrose. This research explored the possibility of converting EFB to xylitol via green microbial fermentation, in particular the effects of inoculum and initial pH on the fermentation performance. It was observed that the cell concentration in the inoculum and the initial pH affect cell growth and xylitol production. pH 5 was observed to give the best fermentation performance. Further, the fermentation tended to yield more xylitol at higher initial cell concentration. It was also observed that no growth or fermentation inhibitory compounds were found in the EFB hydrolysate obtained from enzymatic hydrolysis of EFB. Thus it can be used directly as substrate for xylitol fermentation.

The effect of fiber bleaching treatment on the properties of poly(lactic acid)/oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber composites.

Science.gov (United States)

Rayung, Marwah; Ibrahim, Nor Azowa; Zainuddin, Norhazlin; Saad, Wan Zuhainis; Razak, Nur Inani Abdul; Chieng, Buong Woei

2014-08-22

In this work, biodegradable composites from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber were prepared by melt blending method. Prior to mixing, the fiber was modified through bleaching treatment using hydrogen peroxide. Bleached fiber composite showed an improvement in mechanical properties as compared to untreated fiber composite due to the enhanced fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion. Interestingly, fiber bleaching treatment also improved the physical appearance of the composite. The study was extended by blending the composites with commercially available masterbatch colorant.

Bacterial community shift for monitoring the co-composting of oil palm empty fruit bunch and palm oil mill effluent anaerobic sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Zainudin, Mohd Huzairi Mohd; Ramli, Norhayati; Hassan, Mohd Ali; Shirai, Yoshihito; Tashiro, Kosuke; Sakai, Kenji; Tashiro, Yukihiro

2017-06-01

A recently developed rapid co-composting of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) anaerobic sludge is beginning to attract attention from the palm oil industry in managing the disposal of these wastes. However, a deeper understanding of microbial diversity is required for the sustainable practice of the co-compositing process. In this study, an in-depth assessment of bacterial community succession at different stages of the pilot scale co-composting of OPEFB-POME anaerobic sludge was performed using 454-pyrosequencing, which was then correlated with the changes of physicochemical properties including temperature, oxygen level and moisture content. Approximately 58,122 of 16S rRNA gene amplicons with more than 500 operational taxonomy units (OTUs) were obtained. Alpha diversity and principal component analysis (PCoA) indicated that bacterial diversity and distributions were most influenced by the physicochemical properties of the co-composting stages, which showed remarkable shifts of dominant species throughout the process. Species related to Devosia yakushimensis and Desemzia incerta are shown to emerge as dominant bacteria in the thermophilic stage, while Planococcus rifietoensis correlated best with the later stage of co-composting. This study proved the bacterial community shifts in the co-composting stages corresponded with the changes of the physicochemical properties, and may, therefore, be useful in monitoring the progress of co-composting and compost maturity.

The Effect of Fiber Bleaching Treatment on the Properties of Poly(lactic acid/Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marwah Rayung

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In this work, biodegradable composites from poly(lactic acid (PLA and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB fiber were prepared by melt blending method. Prior to mixing, the fiber was modified through bleaching treatment using hydrogen peroxide. Bleached fiber composite showed an improvement in mechanical properties as compared to untreated fiber composite due to the enhanced fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion. Interestingly, fiber bleaching treatment also improved the physical appearance of the composite. The study was extended by blending the composites with commercially available masterbatch colorant.

Valorization of residual Empty Palm Fruit Bunch Fibers (EPFBF) by microfluidization: production of nanofibrillated cellulose and EPFBF nanopaper.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrer, Ana; Filpponen, Ilari; Rodríguez, Alejandro; Laine, Janne; Rojas, Orlando J

2012-12-01

Different cellulose pulps were produced from sulfur-free chemical treatments of Empty Palm Fruit Bunch Fibers (EPFBF), a by-product from palm oil processing. The pulps were microfluidized for deconstruction into nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and nanopaper was manufactured by using an overpressure device. The morphological and structural features of the obtained NFCs were characterized via atomic force and scanning electron microscopies. The physical properties as well as the interactions with water of sheets from three different pulps were compared with those of nanopaper obtained from the corresponding NFC. Distinctive chemical and morphological characteristics and ensuing nanopaper properties were generated by the EPFBF fibers. The NFC grades obtained compared favorably with associated materials typically produced from bleached wood fibers. Lower water absorption, higher tensile strengths (107-137 MPa) and elastic modulus (12-18 GPa) were measured, which opens the possibility for valorization of such widely available bioresource. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combustion behavior of briquettes from oil palm's empty fruit bunch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pratoto, A. [Andalas Univ., Padang (Indonesia). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2006-07-01

Empty fruit bunch (EFB) briquettes from palm plantations are now being considered as a renewable energy source in Indonesia. This paper provided details of a study that investigated the combustion behaviour of an EFB briquette. Thermogravimetry was used to study the briquettes under dynamic conditions at 50 degrees C in a muffle furnace. Thermal decomposition rates and phases were identified, and the effect of the briquette's size on the decomposition rate was evaluated by comparing the combustion behaviour of the briquette to that of loose EFB materials. Rates of devolatilization and char oxidation were also examined. Results of the derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) analysis showed that larger briquettes did not exhibit a sharp peak on the DTG curve. Results suggested that heat transfer was predominant over the kinetic reaction during combustion. The ignition temperature of the briquettes was comparable to typical lignocellulose biomass. Peak combustion temperatures for loose EFB were only slightly lower than other types of biomass. Maximum combustion rates decreased with the size of the fuel. It was concluded that small briquettes are suitable for applications where high rates of heat are required. 16 refs., 1 tab., 6 figs.

A Review of Structural Performance of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber in Polymer Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Mahjoub

2013-01-01

Full Text Available According to environmental concerns and financial problems, natural fibers have become interesting and fascinating nowadays to be used as an industrial material and structural material for rehabilitating of structures. Oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPF is a natural fiber which is found a lot in tropical areas. Scientists have used OPF fiber with many types of resins such as epoxy, polypropylene, polyester, and phenol formaldehyde. Therefore, this paper focused on the properties of OPF fiber and gathered mechanical properties of OPF composites (OPF as reinforcement of polymer reported by other researchers in terms of tensile and flexural properties. Furthermore, the chemical surface modification methods to solve the interfacial bonding of fiber and polymer were mentioned. In addition, the results of hybrid composites of OPF were also discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, the results of composites were compared to pure resin properties and also the stress-strain diagram and internal strain energy of composites were considered. Besides, the effects of adding OPF to other composites to make a new hybrid composite were indicated. Finally, it is clear that the use of oil palm fiber composites for structural elements for bearing loads is not recommended but the usage of OPF composites for secondary structural elements may be recommended due to future researches.

An overview of empty fruit bunch from oil palm as feedstock for bio-oil production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Siu Hua

2014-01-01

Empty fruit bunch (EFB) from oil palm is one of the potential biomass to produce biofuels like bio-oil due to its abundant supply and favorable physicochemical characteristics. Confirming the assertion, this paper presents an overview of EFB as a feedstock for bio-oil production. The fundamental characteristics of EFB in terms of proximate analysis, ultimate analysis and chemical composition, as well as the recent advances in EFB conversion processes for bio-oil production like pyrolysis and solvolysis are outlined and discussed. A comparison of properties in terms of proximate analysis, ultimate analysis and fuel properties between the bio-oil from EFB and petroleum fuel oil is included. The major challenges and future prospects towards the utilization of EFB as a useful resource for bio-oil production are also addressed. - Highlights: • Palm EFB has high heating value and low greenhouse gas emissions during combustion. • Conversion of EFB to bio-oil is mainly by fast pyrolysis without and with catalyst. • Bio-oil from EFB is lower in heating value, heavier and more acidic than fuel oil. • The viscosity of bio-oil from EFB is between those of light and heavy fuel oils. • The flash and pour points of bio-oil from EFB are close to those of light fuel oil

Current state and environmental impact assessment for utilizing oil palm empty fruit bunches for fuel, fiber and fertilizer – A case study of Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiew, Yoon Lin; Shimada, Sohei

2013-01-01

This paper describes the trend of utilizing oil palm residue, i.e. the empty fruit bunches (EFB) left after extraction of the palm oil, using a case study of Malaysia, which is one of the world's major palm oil producers, and discusses the environmental performance of recycling technologies being developed in Malaysia for fuel, fiber, and fertilizer. Seven technologies are analyzed: ethanol production, methane recovery, briquette production, biofuel for combined heat and power (CHP) plants, composting, medium density fiberboard (MDF) production, and pulp and paper production. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method is used to discuss the environmental impacts of these technologies for adding value to this biomass. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to determine the land use effects for the various technologies utilizing EFB and to estimate the energy generation potential of raw EFB in CHP plants and methane production. Among the technologies for energy production, CHP plants have the best performance if the electricity generated is connected to the national grid, with superior benefits in the majority of impact categories compared to briquette, methane, and ethanol production. Overall, we find that methane recovery and composting are more environmentally friendly than other technologies, as measured by reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Pulp and paper, and MDF production are favorable technologies for land use impacts; however, they have intense primary energy requirements, chemical use in the processes, and emissions from their waste treatment systems. Our results provide information for decision makers when planning for sustainable use of oil palm biomass. -- Highlights: ► The recent technologies that utilize oil palm empty fruit bunches in Malaysia are evaluated using LCA. ► EFB used as fuel has significant benefits to environment compared to use as fertilizer. ► EFB used for fiber production contribute benefits to land use. ► This study provides

Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB): Existing Utilization and Current Trends Bio Refinery in Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Rame

2018-02-01

In a future carbon-constrained global economy, the use of fossil fuels will be restricted. Biomass resources will be increased demand for renewable products. Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) can be used as lignocellulose feedstock. The production of biofuels from lignocellulose feedstock can be achieved through biochemical or thermo-chemical routes. OPEFB contain chemical blocks of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignocellulose. Due to these substances, OPEFB can be converted into bio-products and chemical. Special attention to biorefinery approach that is present at relatively high potential in bio-products such as polymers, nutraceuticals, chemical building blocks, biofuels, and bioenergy. Different utilization types were considered and reviewed, and the most common and efficient process were discussed. In general, there is no single product which could be considered a solution to the utilization of managing OPEFB - in this review a number of product are more economic, effective and environmentally friendly.

In vitro and in silico characterization of metagenomic soil-derived cellulases capable of hydrolyzing oil palm empty fruit bunch

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Laura Marcela Palma Medina

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Diversification of raw material for biofuel production is of interest to both academia and industry. One attractive substrate is a renewable lignocellulosic material such as oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. empty fruit bunch (OPEFB, which is a byproduct of the palm oil industry. This study aimed to characterize cellulases active against this substrate. Cellulases with activity against OPEFB were identified from a metagenomic library obtained from DNA extracted from a high-Andean forest ecosystem. Our findings show that the highest cellulolytic activities were obtained at pH and temperature ranges of 4–10 and 30 °C–60 °C, respectively. Due to the heterogeneous character of the system, degradation profiles were fitted to a fractal-like kinetic model, evidencing transport mass transfer limitations. The sequence analysis of the metagenomic library inserts revealed three glycosyl hydrolase families. Finally, molecular docking simulations of the cellulases were carried out corroborating possible exoglucanase and β-glucosidase activity.

Steam explosion pretreatment of oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) using autocatalytic hydrolysis: A biorefinery approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Medina, Jesus David Coral; Woiciechowski, Adenise; Filho, Arion Zandona; Nigam, Poonam Singh; Ramos, Luiz Pereira; Soccol, Carlos Ricardo

2016-01-01

The oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) are an attractive source of carbon for the production of biochemical products, therefore, the aim of this work is to analyze the effect of the steam explosion (SE) pretreatment under autocatalytic conditions on EFB using a full experimental design. Temperature and reaction time were the operational variables studied. The EFB treated at 195°C for 6 min showed an increase of 34.69% in glycan (mostly cellulose), and a reduction of 68.12% in hemicelluloses, with increased enzymatic digestibility to 33% producing 4.2 g L(-1) of glucose. Scanning electron micrographs of the steam treated EFB exhibited surface erosion and an increased fiber porosity. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed the solubilization of hemicellulose and modification of cellulose in treated EFB. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB: Existing Utilization and Current Trends Bio Refinery in Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rame

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In a future carbon-constrained global economy, the use of fossil fuels will be restricted. Biomass resources will be increased demand for renewable products. Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB can be used as lignocellulose feedstock. The production of biofuels from lignocellulose feedstock can be achieved through biochemical or thermo-chemical routes. OPEFB contain chemical blocks of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignocellulose. Due to these substances, OPEFB can be converted into bio-products and chemical. Special attention to biorefinery approach that is present at relatively high potential in bio-products such as polymers, nutraceuticals, chemical building blocks, biofuels, and bioenergy. Different utilization types were considered and reviewed, and the most common and efficient process were discussed. In general, there is no single product which could be considered a solution to the utilization of managing OPEFB – in this review a number of product are more economic, effective and environmentally friendly.

Production of oil palm empty fruit bunch compost for ornamental plant cultivation

Science.gov (United States)

Trisakti, B.; Mhardela, P.; Husaini, T.; Irvan; Daimon, H.

2018-02-01

The aim of this research was to produce the oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) compost for ornamental plant cultivation. EFB compost was produced by chopping fresh EFB into 1-3 cm pieces, inserting the pieces into basket composter (33 cm W × 28 cm L × 40 cm H), and adding activated liquid organic fertilizer (ALOF) until moisture content (MC) in the range of 55-65%. During composting, the compost pile was turned every 3 days and the MC was maintained at 55-65% range by adding the ALOF. The compost processed was then mixed with sand and rice husk with a ratio of 1:1:1; 1:3:1; 1:0:1 and was used as a potting medium for planting some valuable ornamental plants i.e. cactus (cactaceae), sansevieria, and anthurium. Composting was carried out for 40 days and the compost characteristic were pH 9.0; MC 52.59%; WHC 76%; CN ratio 12.15; N 1.96%; P 0.58%; and K 0.95%. The compost-sand-husk rice mixture can be used as a growing medium where the best ratio for cactus, sansevieria, and anthurium was 1:3:1; 1:1:1; and 1:0:1, respectively.

Economic analysis of a combined production of hydrogen-energy from empty fruit bunches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langè, Stefano; Pellegrini, Laura A.

2013-01-01

This work relates to an economic analysis and a comparison between different process solutions for the production of hydrogen and the co-production of hydrogen and energy by means of a zero emission biomass integrated supercritical water gasification (SCWG) and combined cycle power plant. The case study will be located in Malaysia. Energy will be produced in agreement with the Small Renewable Energy Power Plant (SREP) Program, promoted by the Government of Malaysia. Hydrogen is obtained by supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of empty fruit bunches (EFB), a technology of interest for the processing of biomass with high moisture content. The economic analysis has been carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the process solutions and to compare their convenience. The feedstock is 35 Mg h −1 of empty fruit bunches (EFB), a biomass obtained in the Palm Oil Industry. The location of the site is Teluk Intak District in the State of Perak (Malaysia). The study is performed with Aspen Plus ® V7.2. The aim of this work is to investigate the economic convenience of supercritical water gasification technology applied to a potential industrial case study in order to state the possibilities and the trade-off for the production of hydrogen and the co-production of hydrogen and energy from biomass, using an innovative technology (SCWG) instead of a typical unit for syngas and energy production. The processes have been developed to reach zero emissions and zero wastes. CO 2 and solid residuals are recycled inside palm oil lifecycle. -- Highlights: • Supercritical water gasification of empty fruit bunches has been used for hydrogen production. • Malaysia Small Renewable Energy Power Plant Program is aiming to reduce by 40% its greenhouse gases emissions by 2020. • An economic analysis has been performed to assess the sustainability of hydrogen and energy production from palm oil biomass. • Carbon dioxide and solid residuals are recycled back into biomass

Comparative microstructure study of oil palm fruit bunch fibre, mesocarp and kernels after microwave pre-treatment

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Chang, Jessie S. L.; Chan, Y. S.; Law, M. C.; Leo, C. P.

2017-07-01

The implementation of microwave technology in palm oil processing offers numerous advantages; besides elimination of polluted palm oil mill effluent, it also reduces energy consumption, processing time and space. However, microwave exposure could damage a material’s microstructure which affected the quality of fruit that can be related to its physical structure including the texture and appearance. In this work, empty fruit bunches, mesocarp and kernel was microwave dried and their respective microstructures were examined. The microwave pretreatments were conducted at 100W and 200W and the microstructure investigation of both treated and untreated samples were evaluated using scanning electron microscope. The micrographs demonstrated that microwave does not significantly influence kernel and mesocarp but noticeable change was found on the empty fruit bunches where the sizes of the granular starch were reduced and a small portion of the silica bodies were disrupted. From the experimental data, the microwave irradiation was shown to be efficiently applied on empty fruit bunches followed by mesocarp and kernel as significant weight loss and size reduction was observed after the microwave treatments. The current work showed that microwave treatment did not change the physical surfaces of samples but sample shrinkage is observed.

Exploration of a Chemo-Mechanical Technique for the Isolation of Nanofibrillated Cellulosic Fiber from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch as a Reinforcing Agent in Composites Materials

OpenAIRE

Ireana Yusra A. Fatah; H. P. S. Abdul Khalil; Md. Sohrab Hossain; Astimar A. Aziz; Yalda Davoudpour; Rudi Dungani; Amir Bhat

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of sulphuric acid hydrolysis and high-pressure homogenization as an effective chemo-mechanical process for the isolation of quality nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC). The cellulosic fiber was isolated from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) using acid hydrolysis methods and, subsequently, homogenized using a high-pressure homogenizer to produce NFC. The structural analysis and the crystallinity of the raw fiber and extracted cellulose ...

Evaluating oil palm fresh fruit bunch processing in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Anyaoha, Kelechi E; Sakrabani, Ruben; Patchigolla, Kumar; Mouazen, Abdul M

2018-03-01

Three routes of oil palm fresh fruit bunch (FFB) processing in Nigeria namely, industrial, small-scale and traditional were compared by means of determining fruit losses associated with each route. The fruits that are not recovered after each process were hand-picked and quantified in terms of crude palm oil (CPO), palm kernel (PK), mesocarp fibre (MF) and palm kernel shell (PKS). The energy value of empty fruit bunch (EFB), MF and PKS were used to determine the value of energy lost for each route. Additionally, the environmental implications of disposal of EFB were estimated, and socio-economics of the industrial and small-scale routes were related. The analysis showed that 29, 18, 75 and 27 kg of CPO, PK, MF and PKS were lost for every 1000 kg of FFB processed with the industrial route, whereas 5.6, 3.2, 1.4 and 5.1 g were lost with the small-scale route, respectively. Approximately 89 kWh and 31 kWh more energy were lost from MF and PKS with the industrial route than the other two routes, respectively. An equivalent of 6670 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent of methane and nitrogen oxide was released due to the disposal of 29,000 tonnes of EFB from one palm oil mill. The monetary value of lost CPO per 1000 kg of FFB processed in the industrial route is more than the labour cost of processing 1000 kg of FFB in the small-scale route. The advantages of the industrial route are high throughput in terms of FFB processed per hour and high quality of CPO; however, high fruit loss is associated with it and therefore, the poorly threshed EFB is recommended to be fed into the small-scale route.

Effect of steam pretreatment on oil palm empty fruit bunch for the production of sugars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shamsudin, Saleha; Md Shah, Umi Kalsom; Zainudin, Huzairi; Abd-Aziz, Suraini; Mustapa Kamal, Siti Mazlina; Shirai, Yoshihito; Hassan, Mohd Ali

2012-01-01

Lignocellulose into fuel ethanol is the most feasible conversion route strategy in terms of sustainability. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) generated from palm oil production is a huge source of cellulosic material and represents a cheap renewable feedstock which awaits further commercial exploitation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using steam at 0.28 MPa and 140 °C generated from the palm oil mill boiler as a pretreatment to enhance the digestibility of EFB for sugars production. The effects of steam pretreatment or autohydrolysis on chemical composition changes, polysaccharide conversion, sugar production and morphology alterations of four different types of EFB namely fresh EFB (EFB1), sterilized EFB (EFB2), shredded EFB (EFB3) and ground EFB (EFB4) were evaluated. In this study, the effects of steam pretreatment showed major alterations in the morphology of EFB as observed under the scanning electron microscope. Steam pretreated EFB2 was found to have the highest total conversion of 30% to sugars with 209 g kg −1 EFB. This production was 10.5 fold higher than for EFB1 and 1.6 fold and 1.7 fold higher than EFB3 and EFB4, respectively. The results suggested that pretreatment of EFB by autohydrolysis using steam from the mill boiler could be considered as being a suitable pretreatment process for the production of sugars. These sugars can be utilized as potential substrates for the production of various products such as fuel ethanol. -- Highlights: ► We investigate the feasibility of steam pretreatment to enhance digestibility of EFB. ► Steam pretreatment increased sugars to 3.4 fold and caused major alteration in EFB morphology under SEM. ► Autohydrolysis which does not require the addition of chemicals is an attractive pretreatment approach to EFB.

Application of Box-Behnken Design in Optimization of Glucose Production from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Cellulose

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Satriani Aga Pasma

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPEFB is a lignocellulosic waste from palm oil mills. It contains mainly cellulose from which glucose can be derived to serve as raw materials for valuable chemicals such as succinic acid. A three-level Box-Behnken design combined with the canonical and ridge analysis was employed to optimize the process parameters for glucose production from OPEFB cellulose using enzymatic hydrolysis. Organosolv pretreatment was used to extract cellulose from OPEFB using ethanol and water as the solvents. The extracted cellulose was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Hydrolysis parameters including amount of enzyme, amount of cellulose, and reaction time were investigated. The experimental results were fitted with a second-order polynomial equation by a multiple regression analysis and found that more than 97% of the variations could be predicted by the models. Using the ridge analysis, the optimal conditions reaction time found for the production of glucose was 76 hours and 30 min, whereas the optimum amount of enzyme and cellulose was 0.5 mL and 0.9 g, respectively. Under these optimal conditions, the corresponding response value predicted for glucose concentration was 169.34 g/L, which was confirmed by validation experiments.

Preparation And Characterization Of Cr/Activated Carbon Catalyst From Palm Empty Fruit Bunch

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Zainal Fanani

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Preparation and characterization of Cr/activated carbon catalyst from palm empty fruit bunch had been done. The research were to determine the effect of carbonization temperature towards adsorption of ammonia, iodine number, metilen blue number, and porosity of activated carbon and Cr/activated carbon catalyst. The determination of porosity include surface area, micropore volume and total pore volume. The results showed the best carbonization temperature activated carbon and Cr/activated carbon catalyst at 700°C. The adsorption ammonia of activated carbon and Cr/activated carbon catalyst as 6.379 mmol/g and 8.1624 mmol/g. The iodine number of activated carbon and Cr/activated carbon catalyst as 1520.16 mg/g and 1535.67 mg/g. The metilen blue number of activated carbon and Cr/activated carbon catalyst as 281.71 mg/g and 319.18 mg/g. The surface area of activated carbon and Cr/activated carbon catalyst as 1527.80 m2/g and 1652.58 m2/g. The micropore volume of activated carbon and Cr/activated carbon catalyst as 0.7460 cm3/g and 0.8670 cm3/g. The total pore volume of activated carbon and Cr/activated carbon catalyst as 0.8243 cm3/g and 0.8970 cm3/g.

Production of succinic acid from oil palm empty fruit bunch cellulose using Actinobacillus succinogenes

Science.gov (United States)

Pasma, Satriani Aga; Daik, Rusli; Maskat, Mohamad Yusof

2013-11-01

Succinic acid is a common metabolite in plants, animals and microorganisms. It has been used widely in agricultural, food and pharmaceutical industries. Enzymatic hydrolysate glucose from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) cellulose was used as a substrate for succinic acid production using Actinobacillus succinogenes. Using cellulose extraction from OPEFB can enhance the production of glucose as a main substrate for succinic acid production. The highest concentration of glucose produced from enzymatic hydrolysis is 167 mg/mL and the sugar recovery is 0.73 g/g of OPEFB. By optimizing the culture medium for succinic acid fermentation with enzymatic hydrolysate of OPEFB cellulose, the nitrogen sources could be reduced to just only 2.5 g yeast extract and 2.5 g corn step liquor. Batch fermentation was carried out using enzymatic hydrolysate of OPEFB cellulose with yeast extract, corn steep liquor and the salts mixture, 23.5 g/L succinic acid was obtained with consumption of 72 g/L glucose in enzymatic hydrolysate of OPEFB cellulose at 38 hours and 37°C. This study suggests that enzymatic hydrolysate of OPEFB cellulose maybe an alternative substrate for the efficient production of succinic acid by Actinobacillus succinogenes.

The influenced of reaction time on the degradation of palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB) in hydrothermal carbonization

Science.gov (United States)

Sarwono, Rakhman; Kurniawan, Hendris Hendarsyah

2017-11-01

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of empty fruit bunch (EFB) of palm oil in different reaction times were investigated. Experiments were carried out in an autoclave at different reaction time of 3,6,9, 15, 20, 25 and 40 hours. With a fixed solid/liquid ratio of 5 gram of EFB in 50 ml water as a solvent, and temperature reaction of 250 °C. Increase the reaction time the soluble products are also increased. The liquid products were analyzed using GCMS to determine the chemical composition. The chemical composition were greatly affected by the reaction time. The main component was glycolic acid, by increasing the reaction time made the varieties of chemical compositions in liquid products, especially for the glycolic acid component, it was decreased slightly. The higher heating value (HHV) also increase slighly by increasing the reaction time both solid and liquid products.

Ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation on empty palm fruit bunch fiber (EPFBF) for cellulosic ethanol production.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Ming J; Lau, Ming W; Gunawan, Christa; Dale, Bruce E

2010-11-01

Empty palm fruit bunch fiber (EPFBF), a readily available cellulosic biomass from palm processing facilities, is investigated as a potential carbohydrate source for cellulosic ethanol production. This feedstock was pretreated using ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) and enzymatically hydrolyzed. The best tested AFEX conditions were at 135 °C, 45 min retention time, water to dry biomass loading of 1:1 (weight ratio), and ammonia to dry biomass loading of 1:1 (weight ratio). The particle size of the pretreated biomass was reduced post-AFEX. The optimized enzyme formulation consists of Accellerase (84 μL/g biomass), Multifect Xylanase (31 μL/g biomass), and Multifect Pectinase (24 μL/g biomass). This mixture achieved close to 90% of the total maximum yield within 72 h of enzymatic hydrolysis. Fermentation on the water extract of this biomass affirms that nutrients solely from the pretreated EPFBF can support yeast growth for complete glucose fermentation. These results suggest that AFEX-treated EPFBF can be used for cellulosic biofuels production because biomass recalcitrance has been overcome without reducing the fermentability of the pretreated materials.

Preparation of highly porous binderless activated carbon electrodes from fibres of oil palm empty fruit bunches for application in supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Farma, R; Deraman, M; Awitdrus, A; Talib, I A; Taer, E; Basri, N H; Manjunatha, J G; Ishak, M M; Dollah, B N M; Hashmi, S A

2013-03-01

Fibres from oil palm empty fruit bunches, generated in large quantities by palm oil mills, were processed into self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG). Untreated and KOH-treated SACG were converted without binder into green monolith prior to N2-carbonisation and CO2-activation to produce highly porous binderless carbon monolith electrodes for supercapacitor applications. Characterisation of the pore structure of the electrodes revealed a significant advantage from combining the chemical and physical activation processes. The electrochemical measurements of the supercapacitor cells fabricated using these electrodes, using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charge-discharge techniques consistently found that approximately 3h of activation time, achieved via a multi-step heating profile, produced electrodes with a high surface area of 1704m(2)g(-1) and a total pore volume of 0.889cm(3)g(-1), corresponding to high values for the specific capacitance, specific energy and specific power of 150Fg(-1), 4.297Whkg(-1) and 173Wkg(-1), respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of gamma irradiation exposure on the performance of supercapacitor electrodes made from oil palm empty fruit bunches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Nor, Najah Syahirah; Deraman, Mohamad; Omar, Ramli; Awitdrus,; Farma, Rakhmawati; Basri, Nur Hamizah; Mohd Dolah, Besek Nurdiana; Mamat, Nurul Fatin; Yatim, Baharudin; Md Daud, Mohd Norizam

2015-01-01

Carbon-monolith electrodes for supercapacitors were prepared from GMs (green monoliths) made from pre-carbonized fibers of oil palm EFB (empty fruit bunches) and GMs of pre-carbonized EFB fibers exposed to gamma radiation at 5 kGy, 15 kGy, and 20 kGy. GMs and irradiated GMs were carbonized and activated to prepare ACM (activated-carbon-monolith) electrodes. The gamma radiation affected the pore structure of the ACM electrodes and the electrochemical performance of the supercapacitors; irradiation doses of 0 kGy, 5 kGy, 15 kGy and 20 kGy produced specific capacitances of 121 F g −1 , 196 F g −1 , 11 F g −1 , and 12 F g −1 , respectively. The irradiation dose of 5 kGy appears to be optimum and produces a specific power and specific energy of 236 W kg −1 and 5.45 W h kg −1 , respectively, representing 34% and 60% increases over ACM electrodes prepared from non-irradiated GMs. - Highlights: • Green monoliths were prepared from pre-carbonized fibers of oil palm fruit bunches. • Green monoliths were irradiated with gamma rays at doses from 5 to 20 kGy. • Green monoliths were carbonized and activated to prepare activated carbon electrodes. • A 5 kGy dosage produce the best supercapacitor electrode. • Specific power and energy improved of 34% and 60%, respectively, were obtained after the 5 kGy dosage

Chemical, structural and combustion characteristics of carbonaceous products obtained by hydrothermal carbonization of palm empty fruit bunches.

Science.gov (United States)

Parshetti, Ganesh K; Kent Hoekman, S; Balasubramanian, Rajasekhar

2013-05-01

A carbon-rich solid product, denoted as hydrochar, was synthesized by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB), at different pre-treatment temperatures of 150, 250 and 350 °C. The conversion of the raw biomass to its hydrochar occurred via dehydration and decarboxylation processes. The hydrochar produced at 350 °C had the maximum energy-density (>27 MJ kg(-1)) with 68.52% of raw EFB energy retained in the char. To gain a detailed insight into the chemical and structural properties, carbonaceous hydrochar materials were characterized by FE-SEM, FT-IR, XRD and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. This work also investigated the influence of hydrothermally treated hydrochars on the co-combustion characteristics of low rank Indonesian coal. Conventional thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) parameters, kinetics and activation energy of different hydrochar and coal blends were estimated. Our results show that solid hydrochars improve the combustion of low rank coals for energy generation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biogas production from oil palm empty fruit bunches of post mushroom cultivation media

Science.gov (United States)

Purnomo, Agus; Suprihatin; Romli, M.; Hasanudin, Udin

2018-03-01

The Empty fruit bunches are one of the palm oil industry wastes, which can be used for mushroom cultivation. Post-cultivation of mushroom from former EFB-mushroom media (EFBMM) has the potential to be processed into biogas. The purpose of this research was to examine optimum co-digestion conditions for biogas production of EFBMM.The research was carried out in an anaerobic digester with three different conditions - dry fermentation (Water content (WC)/Total Solid (TS) ratio 1.5 - 3.5), semi-wet fermentation (WC/TS ratio = 4.0 - 5.7) and wet fermentation (WC/TS ratio> 9.0) conditions. Digester of capacity 50L was used. Fermentation was done using 20% cow feces as inoculum which then added with circulation system for 70 days. The results showed that optimum biogas production were produced in semi-wet fermentation conditions (WC/TS ratio = 4). It was produced 37.462 liters (2.420 liters CH4/Kg Volatile Solid (VS)) of biogas with methane contain about 26.231%. Total volume of inoculum during process was 19.6 liters (1: 4 w/v) with absorbed TS inoculum ratio, TS/I = 0.4 (1:2.5 w/v). The result of research also showed that biogas which was produced from control about 2.865 liters (0.041 liters CH4/KgVS), with TS absorbed inoculum ratio, TS/I = 0.5 (1: 5w/v).

Effect of electrolyte concentration on performance of supercapacitor carbon electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farma, R.; Awitdrus,; Taer, E. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Departement of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Riau, 28293 Pekanbaru, Riau (Indonesia); Deraman, M., E-mail: madra@ukm.my; Talib, I. A.; Omar, R.; Ishak, M. M.; Basri, N. H.; Dolah, B. N. M. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

2015-04-16

Fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches were used to produce self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG). The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N{sub 2} environment at 800°C to produce carbon monoliths (CM) and the CM was CO{sub 2} activated at 800°C for 4 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitor cells and the cells which used H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} electrolyte at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 M were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical properties of the ACM electrodes and the effect of electrolyte concentration on the electrochemical properties the ACM electrodes.

Effect of electrolyte concentration on performance of supercapacitor carbon electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farma, R.; Awitdrus,; Taer, E.; Deraman, M.; Talib, I. A.; Omar, R.; Ishak, M. M.; Basri, N. H.; Dolah, B. N. M.

2015-01-01

Fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches were used to produce self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG). The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N 2 environment at 800°C to produce carbon monoliths (CM) and the CM was CO 2 activated at 800°C for 4 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitor cells and the cells which used H 2 SO 4 electrolyte at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 M were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical properties of the ACM electrodes and the effect of electrolyte concentration on the electrochemical properties the ACM electrodes

Lignin preparation from oil palm empty fruit bunches by sequential acid/alkaline treatment--A biorefinery approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Medina, Jesus David Coral; Woiciechowski, Adenise; Zandona Filho, Arion; Noseda, Miguel D; Kaur, Brar Satinder; Soccol, Carlos Ricardo

2015-10-01

Lignin is an important raw material for the sustainable biorefineries and also the forerunner of high-value added products, such as biocomposite for chemical, pharmaceutical and cement industries. Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) were used for lignin preparation by successive treatment with 1% (w/w) H2SO4 at 121°C for 60 min and 2.5% NaOH at 121°C for 80 min resulting in the high lignin yield of 28.89%, corresponding to 68.82% of the original lignin. The lignin obtained was characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results indicated a lignin with molecular masses ramping from 4500 kDa to 12,580 kDa. FTIR and NMR of these lignins showed more syringyl and p-hydroxyphenyl than guaiacyl units. Moderate acid/alkaline treatment provided lignin with high industrial potential and acid hydrolyzates rich in fermentable sugars and highly porous cellulosic fibers. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Preliminary study on isolation and quality analysis of enzymes from fermented oil palm empty fruit bunch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mat Rasol Awang; Tamikazu Kume; Shinpei Matsuhashi

1998-01-01

Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) is a cellulosic waste, consisting of 40 - 60 % cellulose with the remaining components comprised of hemicellulose, lignin and other materials. Cellulase is a complex of enzymes containing chiefly endo and exo glucanase, as well as cellobiase plus others (Mandel et al, 1976). Studies on cellulase production from Trichodermaa viride have been reported. The enzyme system from this fungi is considered to be a complete composition of cellulase; and it was reported to be able to hydrolyse slowly a more resistant or crystalline portion of cellulose. Previous work showed Pleorotus sajor-caju and Coprinus cinereus can be easily grown on EFB. The quality of this enzyme system was characterized based on its degradation activity on filter paper, salicin and xylan into simple sugars. These activity tests would revealed the ability of cellulase enzyme system to break down insoluble cellulose, and hydrolysing salicin such as cellobiose and xylanase for breaking down hemicellulose. In this study, the enzyme system derived from liquid state fermentation by these fungi utilizing EFB as carbon source was investigated

Gasification of palm empty fruit bunch in a bubbling fluidized bed: a performance and agglomeration study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lahijani, Pooya; Zainal, Zainal Alimuddin

2011-01-01

Gasification of palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) was investigated in a pilot-scale air-blown fluidized bed. The effect of bed temperature (650-1050 °C) on gasification performance was studied. To explore the potential of EFB, the gasification results were compared to that of sawdust. Results showed that maximum heating values (HHV) of 5.37 and 5.88 (MJ/Nm3), dry gas yield of 2.04 and 2.0 (Nm3/kg), carbon conversion of 93% and 85 % and cold gas efficiency of 72% and 71 % were obtained for EFB and sawdust at the temperature of 1050 °C and ER of 0.25. However, it was realized that agglomeration was the major issue in EFB gasification at high temperatures. To prevent the bed agglomeration, EFB gasification was performed at temperature of 770±20 °C while the ER was varied from 0.17 to 0.32. Maximum HHV of 4.53 was obtained at ER of 0.21 where no agglomeration was observed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation palm empty fruit bunch and its fermented products as feed for ruminant animal by nutritional values characterisation and in-vitro dry matter digestibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mat Rasol Awang; Wan Badrin Wan Husain; Tajuddin Osman; Mohd Sukri Mahmood; Norihan Zainal; Zal U'yun Wan Mahmod; Hassan Hamdani Mutaat; Yusri Atan

1995-01-01

Empty fruit bunch (EFB) fermented by Pleurotus sajor caju as ruminant feed has been investigated extensively. This paper evaluates products obtained from several manipulation. The manipulation includes pretreatment (soaked and mixed) of EFB with lime, variation of fermentation conditions: prolonged incubation period, varied incubation temperature and addition Palm Oil Sludge (POS) as additive; and post-fermentation manipulation such as harvesting mushroom out of the substratum. The fermented products from each of those manipulation were evaluated based on nutritional values and the pertinent in-vitro dry matter digestibility, whenever appropriate. The evaluated products were compared and discussed. 8 tabs

Mechanical performance of oil palm empty fruit bunches/jute fibres reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jawaid, M. [School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Abdul Khalil, H.P.S., E-mail: akhalilhps@gmail.com [School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Abu Bakar, A. [School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang (Malaysia)

2010-11-15

Research highlights: {yields} Hybrid composites constituents of natural fibres show good mechanical performances. {yields} Hybridization with 20% jute fibre gives rise to sufficient modulus to composites. {yields} Outer or core material affect mechanical performance of hybrid composites. {yields} Impact strength of pure EFB composite is higher than hybrid composites. - Abstract: Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB)/jute fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites with different sequence of fibre mat arrangement such as EFB/jute/EFB and jute/EFB/jute were fabricated by hand lay-up method. The effect of layering patterns on the mechanical performance of the composites was studied. The hybrid composites are intended for engineering applications as an alternative to synthetic fibre composites. Mechanical performance of hybrid composites were evaluated and compared with the pure EFB, pure jute composites and neat epoxy using flexural and impact testing. The flexural properties of hybrid composite is higher than that of pure EFB composite with respect to the weight fraction of fibre, where as the impact strength of pure EFB composite is much higher than those of hybrid composites. The flexural results were interpreted using sandwich theory. The fracture surface morphology of the impact testing samples of the hybrid composites was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber reinforced PVC/ENR blend-electron beam irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratnam, Chantara Thevy; Raju, Gunasunderi; Wan Md Zin Wan Yunus

2007-01-01

The effect of irradiation on the tensile properties of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber reinforced poly(vinyl chloride)/epoxidized natural rubber (PVC/ENR) blends were studied. The composites were prepared by mixing the fiber and the PVC/ENR blend using HAAKE Rheomixer at 150 deg. C. The composites were then irradiated by using a 3.0 MeV electron beam machine at doses ranging from 0 to 100 kGy in air and room temperature. The tensile strength, Young's modulus, elongation at break and gel fraction of the composites were measured. Comparative studies were also made by using poly(methyl acrylate) grafted OPEFB fiber in the similar blend system. An increase in tensile strength, Young's modulus and gel fraction, with a concurrent reduction in the elongation at break (Eb) of the PVC/ENR/OPEFB composites were observed upon electron beam irradiation. Studies revealed that grafting of the OPEFB fiber with methyl acrylate did not cause appreciable effect to the tensile properties and gel fraction of the composites upon irradiation. The morphology of fractured surfaces of the composites, examined by a scanning electron microscope showed an improvement in the adhesion between the fiber and the matrix was achieved upon grafting of the fiber with methyl acrylate

Mechanical performance of oil palm empty fruit bunches/jute fibres reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jawaid, M.; Abdul Khalil, H.P.S.; Abu Bakar, A.

2010-01-01

Research highlights: → Hybrid composites constituents of natural fibres show good mechanical performances. → Hybridization with 20% jute fibre gives rise to sufficient modulus to composites. → Outer or core material affect mechanical performance of hybrid composites. → Impact strength of pure EFB composite is higher than hybrid composites. - Abstract: Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB)/jute fibre reinforced epoxy hybrid composites with different sequence of fibre mat arrangement such as EFB/jute/EFB and jute/EFB/jute were fabricated by hand lay-up method. The effect of layering patterns on the mechanical performance of the composites was studied. The hybrid composites are intended for engineering applications as an alternative to synthetic fibre composites. Mechanical performance of hybrid composites were evaluated and compared with the pure EFB, pure jute composites and neat epoxy using flexural and impact testing. The flexural properties of hybrid composite is higher than that of pure EFB composite with respect to the weight fraction of fibre, where as the impact strength of pure EFB composite is much higher than those of hybrid composites. The flexural results were interpreted using sandwich theory. The fracture surface morphology of the impact testing samples of the hybrid composites was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Direct Bioconversion of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches for Bioethanol Production By Solid State Bioconversion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nassereldeen Ahmed Kabbashi

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The bioethanol production was conducted by utilizing agriculture waste, palm oil empty fruit bunches (EFB with the aid of T. harzianum and yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae using solid state bioconversion method. The compatibility of various fungal strains was done as to develop the direct bioconversion process of compatible mixed culture. Analyzes such ethanol estimation, reducing sugar and glucosamine as growth indicator were conducted in order to select the best experimented run for optimization. The optimization of process conditions, by using central composite design (CCD was carried out. Optimization of process condition was done with varied level of moisture content, pH, inoculum size, concentration of co-substrate (wheat flour and mineral solutions. Statistical analysis showed that the optimum process condition for moisture content was 50% (v/w, pH of 4, inoculum size of 10% (v/v, concentration of wheat flour of 1% (v/v and mineral solutions 1%(v/v. In this study, the application levels of the methods of environmental management in regards to the maximum production were determined. The final optimization with the developed process conditions indicated that the maximum production was increased from 14.315 (v/v to 34.785(v/v.

Manufacture and impact analysis of bmx helmet made from polymeric foam composite strengthened by oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber

Science.gov (United States)

Mahadi

2018-02-01

Helmets are protective head gears wear by bicycle riders for protection against injury in case of the accident. Helmet standards require helmets to be tested with a simple drop test onto an anvil. The purpose of research is to know toughness of bicycle helmet made from polymeric foam composite strengthened by oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber. This research contains report result manufacture and impacts analysis of bicycle helmet made from polymeric foam composite materials strengthened by oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFB). The geometric helmet structure consists of shell and liner; both layers have sandwich structure. The shell uses matrix unsaturated Polyester BQTN-157EX material, chopped strand mat 300 glass fiber reinforce and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO) catalyst with the weight composition of 100 gr, 15 gr, and 5 gr. The liner uses matrix unsaturated Polyester BQTN-157 EX material, EFB fiber reinforces, Polyurethane blowing agent, and MEKPO catalyst with the composition of 275 gr (50%), 27.5 gr (5%), 247 gr (45%), and 27.5 gr (5%). Layers of the helmet made by using hand lay-up method and gravity casting method. Mechanical properties of polymeric foam were the tensile strength (ơt) 1.17 Mpa, compressive strength (ơc) 0.51 MPa, bending strength (ơb) 3.94 MPa, elasticity modulus (E) 37.97 Mpa, density (ρ) 193 (kg/m3). M4A model helmet is the most ergonomic with the thickness 10 mm and the amount of air channel 11. Free fall impact test was done in 9 samples with the thickness of 10 mm with the height of 1.5 m. The result of the impact test was impacted force (Fi) 241.55 N, Impulse (I) 6.28 Ns, impact Strength (ơi) 2.02 Mpa and impact Energy (Ei) 283.77 Joule. The properties of bicycle helmet model BMX-M4A type was 264 mm length, 184 mm width, 154 mm height, 10 mm thick, 580 mm head circle, 331 g mass and 11 wind channels.

Effect of Reinforcement Shape and Fiber Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch-Polyethylene Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arif, M. F.; Yusoff, P. S. M. M.; Eng, K. K.

2010-01-01

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) composites were fabricated using oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) as the reinforcing material. The effect of reinforcement shape on the tensile and flexural properties, that is 5 mm average length of short fiber and 325-400 μm size distribution of particulate filler have been studied. Overall, EFB short fiber-HDPE composites yield higher mechanical properties compared to EFB particulate-HDPE composites. For both types of composites, considerable improvement showed in tensile and flexural modulus. However, the tensile strength decreased with increase in EFB content. Attempts to improve these properties using alkali and two types of silane, namely γ-Methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MTS) and vinyltriethoxysilane (VTS) were described. It is found that both types of silane enhanced the mechanical properties of composites. MTS showed better tensile strength compared to VTS. However, only marginal improvement obtained from alkali treatments.

Effect of Reinforcement Shape and Fiber Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch-Polyethylene Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Arif, M. F.; Yusoff, P. S. M. M.; Eng, K. K.

2010-03-01

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) composites were fabricated using oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) as the reinforcing material. The effect of reinforcement shape on the tensile and flexural properties, that is 5 mm average length of short fiber and 325-400 μm size distribution of particulate filler have been studied. Overall, EFB short fiber-HDPE composites yield higher mechanical properties compared to EFB particulate-HDPE composites. For both types of composites, considerable improvement showed in tensile and flexural modulus. However, the tensile strength decreased with increase in EFB content. Attempts to improve these properties using alkali and two types of silane, namely γ-Methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MTS) and vinyltriethoxysilane (VTS) were described. It is found that both types of silane enhanced the mechanical properties of composites. MTS showed better tensile strength compared to VTS. However, only marginal improvement obtained from alkali treatments.

Thermal degradation of Shredded Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (SOPEFB) embedded with Cobalt catalyst by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

Science.gov (United States)

Alias, R.; Hamid, N. H.; Jaapar, J.; Musa, M.; Alwi, H.; Halim, K. H. Ku

2018-03-01

Thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of shredded oil palm empty fruit bunches (SOPEFB) were investigated in this study by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The SOPEFB were analyzed under conditions of temperature 30 °C to 900 °C with nitrogen gas flow at 50 ml/min. The SOPEFB were embedded with cobalt (II) nitrate solution with concentration 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The TG/DTG curves shows the degradation behavior of SOPEFB following with char production for each heating rate and each concentration of cobalt catalyst. Thermal degradation occurred in three phases, water drying phase, decomposition of hemicellulose and cellulose phase, and lignin decomposition phase. The kinetic equation with relevant parameters described the activation energy required for thermal degradation at the temperature regions of 200 °C to 350 °C. Activation energy (E) for different heating rate with SOPEFB embedded with different concentration of cobalt catalyst showing that the lowest E required was at SOPEFB with 20% concentration of cobalt catalyst..

EFFECT OF PALM EMPTY BUNCH ASH ON TRANSESTERIFICATION OF PALM OIL INTO BIODIESEL

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Johan Sibarani

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Biodiesel conversion from transesterification reaction palm oil with methanol was studied by using an ash of palm empty bunch as a base catalyst. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS and indicator titration analysis were used as tools for characterization of ash sample. Chemical structure of biodiesel was analyzed by GC-MS. The effects of ash sample weight (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 g immersed in 75 mL methanol and the methanol-palm oil mol ratio (3:1; 6:1; 9:1 and 12:1 toward the conversion of biodiesel were investigated. Biodiesel was prepared by refluxing palm oil and methanol containing ash sample. The reflux was done at room temperature for 2 h. Ester layer was distillated at 74 oC, extracted with aquadest and then dried using Na2SO4 anhydrous. The product was characterized by GC-MS, ASTM D 1298 (specific gravity 60/60 °F, ASTM D 97 (pour point, ASTM D 2500 (cloud point, ASTM D 93 (flash point, ASTM D 445 (kinematics viscosity 40 °C and ASTM D 482 (ash content. The result of GC-MS analysis showed that methyl palmitate is primary content of biodiesel product. A 15 g weight of ash sample gave the maximum biodiesel conversion. By increasing methanol mole quantity, biodiesel conversion increased progressively and maximum at 9:1 methanol-palm oil ratio (84.12 % and decreased on 12:1 ratio (75.58 %. Most of the biodiesel products were similar to those of the diesel physical characters.   Keywords: Biodiesel conversion, transesterification, palm oil, palm empty bunch

Autothermal reforming of palm empty fruit bunch bio-oil: thermodynamic modelling

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Lifita N. Tande

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This work focuses on thermodynamic analysis of the autothermal reforming of palm empty fruit bunch (PEFB bio-oil for the production of hydrogen and syngas. PEFB bio-oil composition was simulated using bio-oil surrogates generated from a mixture of acetic acid, phenol, levoglucosan, palmitic acid and furfural. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the hydrogen and syngas yields were not sensitive to actual bio-oil composition, but were determined by a good match of molar elemental composition between real bio-oil and surrogate mixture. The maximum hydrogen yield obtained under constant reaction enthalpy and pressure was about 12 wt% at S/C = 1 and increased to about 18 wt% at S/C = 4; both yields occurring at equivalence ratio Φ of 0.31. The possibility of generating syngas with varying H2 and CO content using autothermal reforming was analysed and application of this process to fuel cells and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is discussed. Using a novel simple modelling methodology, reaction mechanisms were proposed which were able to account for equilibrium product distribution. It was evident that different combinations of reactions could be used to obtain the same equilibrium product concentrations. One proposed reaction mechanism, referred to as the ‘partial oxidation based mechanism’ involved the partial oxidation reaction of the bio-oil to produce hydrogen, with the extent of steam reforming and water gas shift reactions varying depending on the amount of oxygen used. Another proposed mechanism, referred to as the ‘complete oxidation based mechanism’ was represented by thermal decomposition of about 30% of bio-oil and hydrogen production obtained by decomposition, steam reforming, water gas shift and carbon gasification reactions. The importance of these mechanisms in assisting in the eventual choice of catalyst to be used in a real ATR of PEFB bio-oil process was discussed.

Radiation pasteurised oil palm empty fruit bunch fermented with Pleurotus sajor-caju as feed supplement to ruminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awang, M.R.; Mutaat, H.H.; Mahmud, M.S.

1993-01-01

In solid state fermentation, Pleurotus sajor-caju has been found to be able to degrade at least 30% oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) fibre leaving 70% useful materials. Conditions under which fermentation occurred were investigated. It was found that, in the temperature range 25-28 o C, relative pH 6-8, moisture 60-70% and medium composition of CaCO 3 : were the optimum conditions. The results showed in fermented products that there were substantial reductions in cellulosic component such as crude fibre (CF, 18%); acid detergent fibre (ADF, 45%), neutral detergent fibre (NDF, 61%) and acd detergent lignin (ADL, 14%). However, crude protein (CP, 10%) increase resulted from single cell protein enrichment of mycelial microbial mass. The mass reductions of substrate in the fermentation process corresponds to CO 2 released during fermentation. A digestibility study has been carried out to determine the usefulness of this product to ruminants. Aflatoxin content was low in both the initial substrates and products. Based on nutritional value and low content of aflatoxins, the product is useful as a source of roughage to ruminants. (author)

Scale-up fermentation of oil palm empty fruit bunch to produce ruminant feed by radiation processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awang, M.R.; Mutaat, H.H.; Deres, R.M.; Kume, Tamikazu.

1992-01-01

Scale-up fermentation and irradiation conditions of empty fruit bunch (EFB) of oil palm were examined to produce a large amount of fermented products for animal feeds. The EFB substrates pasteurized by irradiation were inoculated with Coprinus cinereus. After 1 month incubation, the crude fiber contents decreased to 20 - 38% and crude protein contents increased to 9 - 13% in small scale fermentation using conical flask (6 - 20 g EFB). In the case of fermentation using polypropylene bags with 400 g EFB, crude fiber and protein contents were 32 - 34% and 11 - 14%, respectively. A larger plastic container packed with 1.5 kg EFB fiber of 10cm thickness was used for mushroom cultivation. After harvest of mushroom (yields were about 250 g per container), the quality of residual substrates improved further as reflected by its crude fiber content of only 16 - 20%, crude protein content of 6 - 8%. These results show that a large volume of products are available under the good aeration by increasing the number of plastic bags or containers. For the irradiation of a lot of fermentation substrates, the advantage of 60 Co gamma-ray and electron beam irradiator was also discussed. (author)

Adsorption affinity and selectivity of 3-ureidopropyltriethoxysilane grafted oil palm empty fruit bunches towards mercury ions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunjirama, Magendran; Saman, Norasikin; Johari, Khairiraihanna; Song, Shiow-Tien; Kong, Helen; Cheu, Siew-Chin; Lye, Jimmy Wei Ping; Mat, Hanapi

2017-06-01

This study was conducted to investigate the potential application of oil palm empty fruit branches (OPEFB) as adsorbents to remove organic methylmercurry, MeHg(II), and inorganic Hg(II) from aqueous solution. The OPEFB was functionalized with amine containing ligand namely 3-ureidopropyltriethoxysilane (UPTES) aiming for better adsorption performance towards both mercury ions. The adsorption was found to be dependent on initial pH, initial concentraton, temperatures, and contact time. The maximum adsorption capacities (Q m.exp ) of Hg(II) adsorption onto OPEFB and UPTES-OPEFB were 0.226 and 0.773 mmol/g, respectively. The Q m.exp of MeHg(II) onto OPEFB, however, was higher than UPTES-OPEFB. The adsorption kinetic data obeyed the Elovich model and the adsorption was controlled by the film-diffusion step. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicate an endothermic adsorption process. Adsorption data analysis indicates that the adsorption mechanism may include ion-exchange, complexation, and physisorption interactions. The potential applications of adsorbents were demonstrated using oilfield produced water and natural gas condensate. The UPTES-OPEFB offered higher selectivity towards both mercury ions than OPEFB. The regenerability studies indicated that the adsorbent could be reused for multiple cycles.

Enzymatic saccharification of liquid hot water and dilute sulfuric acid pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunch and sugarcane bagasse

Science.gov (United States)

Risanto, L.; Fitria; Fajriutami, T.; Hermiati, E.

2018-03-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) and sugarcane bagasse (SB) are potential feedstocks for the production of bioethanol. In this study OPEFB and SB were pretreated by liquid hot water and dilute sulfuric acid (3% H2SO4), and continued with enzymatic saccharification. Heating treatment for both methods was conducted in an autoclave at 121 °C for 1 hr. The saccharification was performed up to 72 hours with cellulase enzyme loading of 10, 20, and 30 FPU per g biomass. Results showed that OPEFB and SB pretreated with H2SO4 produced higher reducing sugars than those pretreated by liquid hot water. Higher enzyme loading also resulted in higher reducing sugars. Reducing sugars obtained from enzymatic saccharification of OPEFB were higher than those obtained from SB. The highest total reducing sugars (50.48 g/100 g biomass) was obtained from OPEFB pretreated with 3% H2SO4 at enzyme loading of 30 FPU per g biomass.

Statistical optimization of adsorption processes for removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol by activated carbon derived from oil palm empty fruit bunches

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Md. Zahangir ALAM; Suleyman A. MUYIBI; Juria TORAMAE

2007-01-01

The adsorption capacity of activated carbon produced from oil palm empty fruit bunches through removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol from aqueous solution was carried out in the laboratory. The activated carbon was produced by thermal activation at 800℃ with 30 min of activation time. The adsorption process conditions were determined with the statistical optimization followed by central composite design. A developed polynomial model for operating conditions of adsorption process indicated that the optimum conditions for maximum adsorption of phenolic compound were: agitation rate of 100 r/min, contact time of 8 h, initial adsorbate concentration of 250 mg/L and pH 4. Adsorption isotherms were conducted to evaluate biosorption process. Langmuir isotherm was more favorable (R2=0.93) for removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol by the activated carbon produced rather than the Freundlich isotherm (R2=0.88).

The effect of temperature on the nutritional quality of feed from biological treated oil palm empty fruit bunch by Pleurotus sajor caju

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mat Rasol Awang; Hassan Hamdani Mutaat; Yusri Atan; Tamikazu Kume; Shoji Hashimoto; Shinpei Matsuhashi

1998-01-01

In solid state fermentation, Pleurotus sajor caju degrades oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) fibre to give a useful feed material (1). Its chemical composition, dry matter digestibility both in vitro and in vivo have been characterised and described previously (2). However, the performance of this microorganism in degradation activity has not been described. Since CO sub 2 is the most important metabolic product of this fermentation, the microbial degradation activity is directly related to the rate and total CO sub 2 evolved in the fermentation. In this work a range of temperature were selected for fermentation, aiming to suit its practical application for countries of tropical climate in general, particularly Malaysia. The nutritional quality of fermented products obtained from the fermentation at different temperature were analysed and discussed

Fermented empty fruit bunch (FEFB) as feed for ruminant animal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mat Rasol Awang; Hassan Hamdani Mutaat; Mohd Shukri Mahmud; Wan Badrin Wan Hussin; Tajuddin Osman; Norihan Zainal; Abu Hassan Osman; Tamikazu Kume; Shinpei Matsuhashi

1998-01-01

Fermented oil palm empty fruit bunch, now known as 'Sterifeed' has been characterized by physico-chemical properties. It has also been proven to have an improved digestibility (by in vitro and in-vivo test) over the original material. The remaining important aspect of feed to be examined is the long term effect of feeding this material to animals. The size of fermentation media bags used was 0.5 - 1 kg/bag. In the large scale production of these materials, the numbers of bags were increased. The production at pilot scale level reinvestigated the basic processing parameters for the 1 kg/bag media and also performed a trial run for different sizes of bags. These include: 1) investigation on the growth of fungi on fermentation media subjected to different treatment times and the non treated media, 2) evaluation of the processing rate, 3) trial run processing of 25-50 MT oil palm EFB into feed, and 4) processing of different sizes of bags

Radiation pasteurised oil palm empty fruit bunch fermented with Pleurotus sajor-caju as feed supplement to ruminants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Awang, M.R.; Mutaat, H.H.; Mahmud, M.S. (Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (Malaysia). Nuclear Energy Unit) (and others)

In solid state fermentation, Pleurotus sajor-caju has been found to be able to degrade at least 30% oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) fibre leaving 70% useful materials. Conditions under which fermentation occurred were investigated. It was found that, in the temperature range 25-28[sup o]C, relative pH 6-8, moisture 60-70% and medium composition of CaCO[sub 3]: were the optimum conditions. The results showed in fermented products that there were substantial reductions in cellulosic component such as crude fibre (CF, 18%); acid detergent fibre (ADF, 45%), neutral detergent fibre (NDF, 61%) and acd detergent lignin (ADL, 14%). However, crude protein (CP, 10%) increase resulted from single cell protein enrichment of mycelial microbial mass. The mass reductions of substrate in the fermentation process corresponds to CO[sub 2] released during fermentation. A digestibility study has been carried out to determine the usefulness of this product to ruminants. Aflatoxin content was low in both the initial substrates and products. Based on nutritional value and low content of aflatoxins, the product is useful as a source of roughage to ruminants. (author).

Nanoporous separators for supercapacitor using activated carbon monolith electrode from oil palm empty fruit bunches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nor, N. S. M.; Deraman, M.; Omar, R.; Basri, N. H.; Dolah, B. N. M.; Taer, E.; Awitdrus,; Farma, R.

2014-01-01

Activated porous carbon electrode prepared from fibres of oil palm empty fruit bunches was used for preparing the carbon based supercapacitor cells. The symmetrical supercapacitor cells were fabricated using carbon electrodes, stainless steel current collector, H 2 SO 4 electrolyte, and three types of nanoporous separators. Cells A, B and C were fabricated using polypropylene, eggshell membrane, and filter paper, respectively. Electrochemical characterizations data from Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Cyclic Voltammetry, and Galvanic Charge Discharge techniques showed that specific capacitance, specific power and specific energy for cell A were 122 F g −1 , 177 W kg −1 , 3.42 Wh kg −1 , cell B; 125 F g −1 , 179 W kg −1 , and 3.64 Wh kg −1 , and cell C; 180 F g −1 , 178 W kg −1 , 4.27 Wh kg −1 . All the micrographs from Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope showed that the different in nanoporous structure of the separators lead to a significant different in influencing the values of specific capacitance, power and energy of supercapacitors, which is associated with the mobility of ion into the pore network. These results indicated that the filter paper was superior than the eggshell membrane and polypropylene nanoporous separators. However, we found that in terms of acidic resistance, polypropylene was the best nanoporous separator for acidic medium

Properties of Lignin from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch and Its Application for Plywood Adhesive

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucky Risanto

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Lignin from lignocellulosic biomass is a potential biopolymer for wood adhesive. The aims of this study were to characterize lignin isolated from the black liquor of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber pretreated with steam explosion in alkaline conditions and to examine the bond quality of aqueous polymer isocyanate (API adhesive prepared from lignin, natural rubber latex (NRL, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA as base polymers with isocyanate crosslinkers. Lignin was precipitated from the black liquor by adding hydrochloric acid; then the precipitate was separated by filtration, thoroughly washed with water up to pH 2 and pH 5, and dried. The isolated lignin was characterized by ultimate analysis, UV spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. Three-layer plywood samples were prepared, and the bond strengths of the plywood samples were determined in dry conditions and after cyclic boiling. The lignin isolates with different pH values did not have significantly different chemical and thermal properties. Both lignin isolates had similar C, H, and O contents, identical functional groups in the FTIR spectra, similar absorption in the UV spectra, and high decomposition temperatures. The base polymers composition that could produce API adhesive for exterior applications was NRL/PVA/lignin (4/4/2. The use of more lignin in the adhesive formulation decreased the bond strength of the plywood.

Acetylation of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber as an adsorbent for removal of crude oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Asadpour, Robabeh; Sapari, Nasiman B; Isa, Mohamed Hasnain; Kakooei, Saeid

2016-06-01

Removal of oil spillage from the environment is a global concern. Various methods, including the use of fibers as sorbents, have been developed for oil spill control. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber is a plant biomass that may be acetylated by acetic anhydride using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as a catalyst; here, the extent of acetylation may be calculated in terms of weight percent gain (WPG). The modified fiber was used to remove Tapis and Arabian crude oils. The optimum time, temperature, and catalyst concentration were 4 h, 120 °C, and 3 %, respectively, and these parameters could achieve an 11.49 % increase in WPG. The optimized parameters improved the adsorption capacity of OPEFB fibers for crude oil removal. The acetylated OPEFB fibers were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy to observe the functional groups available and morphology. Kinetic and isotherm studies were conducted using different contact times and oil/water ratios. The rate of oil sorption onto the OPEFB fibers can be adequately described by the pseudo-second-order equation. Adsorption studies revealed that adsorption of crude oil on treated OPEFB fiber could be best described by the Langmuir isotherm model.

Improvement of producer gas of Palm Oil Empty Fruit Bunch in a 50 kg/ hr prototype down draft gasifier by palletization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerdsuwan, Somrat; Cherdphong, Somphot; Uthaikiattikul, Tada

2010-01-01

The main residue from palm oil industry is Palm Oil Empty Fruit Bunch (PEFB) which was considered as null-waste, can be rethinking and used as renewable or alternative fuel, since there is still hiding energy storage within. The proper technology for converting PEFB to renewable energy carrier is gasification technology. The gasification process of PEFB with and without feedstock preparation was investigated and compared in order to improve the efficiency of gasification process by pelletizing PEFB and to characterize the gasification reaction of pelletized PEFB. As received PEFB is solar dried and pelletized in a cylindrical form. The proximate and ultimate analysis of pelletized PEFB is investigated. Thereafter, the gasification process of as-received PEFB and pelletized PEFB was carried out in a 50 kg/ hr prototype down draft gasifier with varying the operating conditions, to characterize the gasification behavior of pelletized PEFB. From the experiments, the feedstock preparation, in this case pelletizing, can improve the performance of PEFB gasification. The results of experiment reveals that the heating value of producer gas and cold gas efficiency increases from 5.18 MJ/ Nm 3 for PEFB gasification without preparation to 6.5 MJ/ Nm 3 with feedstock preparation and from 61.72% to 79.73% respectively. (author)

Bio-composite Nonwoven Media Based on Chitosan and Empty Fruit Bunches for Wastewater Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadikin, Aziatul Niza; Nawawi, Mohd Ghazali Mohd; Othman, Norasikin

2011-01-01

Fibrous filter media in the form of non-woven filters have been used extensively in water treatment as pre-filters or to support the medium that does the separation. Lignocellulosic such as empty fruit bunches have potential to be used as a low cost filter media as they represent unused resources, widely available and are environmentally friendly. Laboratory filtration tests were performed to investigate the potential application of empty fruit bunches that enriched with chitosan as a fiber filter media to remove suspended solids, oil and grease, and organics in terms of chemical oxygen demand from palm oil mill effluent. The present paper studies the effect of chitosan concentration on the filter media performance. Bench-scaled experiment results indicated that pre-treatment using the fiber filtration system removed up to 67.3% of total suspended solid, 65.1% of oil and grease and 46.1% of chemical oxygen demand. The results show that the lignocellulosic fiber filter could be a potential technology for primary wastewater treatment.

Effect of Acid Hydrolysis and Thermal Hydrolysis on Solubility and Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Cellulose Hydrogel

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Sinyee Gan

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Cellulose hydrogel was produced from pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFB that went through acid hydrolysis and thermal hydrolysis. The pretreated EFB was dissolved in LiOH/urea aqueous solution using the rapid dissolution method and was subjected to a crosslinking process with the aid of epichlorohydrin to form hydrogel. The effects of both hydrolyses’ time on average molecular weight (Mŋ, solubility, and properties of EFB hydrogels were evaluated. Both hydrolyses led to lower Mŋ, lower crystallinity index (CrI and hence, resulted in higher cellulose solubility. X-ray diffraction (XRD characterization revealed the CrI and transition of crystalline structure of EFB from cellulose I to II. The effects of hydrolysis time on the transparency, degree of swelling (DS, and morphology of the regenerated cellulose hydrogel were also investigated using an ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis spectrophotometer and a Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM, respectively. These findings provide an efficient method to improve the solubility and properties of regenerated cellulose products.

Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) in the new solvent Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)/Tetrabutylammonium Fluoride (TBAF)

Science.gov (United States)

Eliza, M. Y.; Shahruddin, M.; Noormaziah, J.; Rosli, W. D. Wan

2015-06-01

The surplus of Oil Palm is the most galore wastes in Malaysia because it produced about half of the world palm oil production, which contributes a major disposal problem Synthesis from an empty fruit bunch produced products such as Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC), could apply in diverse application such as for paper coating, food packaging and most recently, the potential as biomaterials has been revealed. In this study, CMC was prepared by firstly dissolved the bleached pulp from OPEFB in mixture solution of dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO)/tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) without any prior chemical modification. It took only 30 minutes to fully dissolve at temperature 60°C before sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were added for activation and monochloroacetateas terrifying agent. The final product is appeared in white powder, which is then will be analyzedby FTIR analysis. FTIR results show peaks appeared at wavenumber between 1609 cm-1 to 1614 cm-1 proved the existence of carboxymethyl groups which substitute OH groups at anhydroglucose(AGU) unit. As a conclusion, mixture solution of DMSO/TBAF is the suitable solvent used for dissolved cellulose before modifying it into CMC with higher Degree of Substitution (DS). Furthermore, the dissolution of the OPEFB bleached pulp was easy, simple and at a faster rate without prior chemical modification at temperature as low as 60°C.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of oil palm empty fruits bunch fiber using Celluclast® and Accellerase® BG for sugar production

Science.gov (United States)

Salleh, Noor Shafryna; Murad, Abdul Munir Abdul

2016-11-01

In this work, the ability of commercial Trichoderma reesei cellulases preparation, Celluclast® or in combination with Accellerase®BG β-glucosidase to hydrolyse pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) was evaluated. Celluclast® alone hydrolyzed OPEFB to produce 2.41±0.44 mg glucose per gram OPEFB. However, the production of glucose was significantly improved with supplementation of Accellerase®BG (8.12±0.93 mg/g). This result suggested that the endoglucanases and exoglucanases in Celluclast® and β-glucosidase in Accellerase®BG able to work synergistically to increase the production of glucose from OPEFB. In addition, the production of xylose was also improved by 30% when the enzyme mixture was used. The result suggested that the mixture of Celluclast® with Accellerase®BG work synergistically to improve the production of sugars by removing the inhibition by cellobiose for complete cellulose hydrolysis. The production of glucose and xylose from OPEFB wastes showed the potential of this biomass as the source of renewable energy and fine chemicals production in Malaysia.

Enzymatic production of cellulose nanofibers from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) with crude cellulase of Trichoderma sp.

Science.gov (United States)

Aditiawati, Pingkan; Dungani, Rudi; Amelia, Cindy

2018-03-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) biomass was used as a source for isolation of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) using enzymatic method. Non-cellulosic component were removed from biomass by delignification process using inoculum of Marasmius sp. Nanocellulose production began with cryocrushing pre-treatment, enzyme addition, and post-treatment with sonication. In enzyme addition, crushed EFB suspended in sodium-citrate buffer and various percentage of crude cellulase enzyme from Trichoderma sp. which is 50%, 100%, and 200% (v/w), followed by incubation in various period which is 2, 3, and 4 days. Particle size analyzer, Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transmmission infrared spectroscopy were used to determine the properties of CNF. Maximum CNF size distribution of 2, 3, and 4 days incubation period was 30.717 and 70 nm, respectively (50% (v/w)); 94.75 and 635 nm, respectively (100% (v/w)); 837.51 and 433 nm, respectively (200% (v/w)). Almost 100% yield achieved from variation of 50% (v/w) enzyme and 2 days incubation period. FTIR spectroscopy analysis showed that some impurities in nanocellulose. SEM analysis showed that fibril nanocellulose, with larger size than PSA, mainly because aggregation of nanocellulose.

Nanoporous separators for supercapacitor using activated carbon monolith electrode from oil palm empty fruit bunches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nor, N. S. M., E-mail: madra@ukm.my; Deraman, M., E-mail: madra@ukm.my; Omar, R., E-mail: madra@ukm.my; Basri, N. H.; Dolah, B. N. M. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Taer, E.; Awitdrus,; Farma, R. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Riau, 28293 Pekanbaru, Riau (Indonesia)

2014-02-24

Activated porous carbon electrode prepared from fibres of oil palm empty fruit bunches was used for preparing the carbon based supercapacitor cells. The symmetrical supercapacitor cells were fabricated using carbon electrodes, stainless steel current collector, H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} electrolyte, and three types of nanoporous separators. Cells A, B and C were fabricated using polypropylene, eggshell membrane, and filter paper, respectively. Electrochemical characterizations data from Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Cyclic Voltammetry, and Galvanic Charge Discharge techniques showed that specific capacitance, specific power and specific energy for cell A were 122 F g{sup −1}, 177 W kg{sup −1}, 3.42 Wh kg{sup −1}, cell B; 125 F g{sup −1}, 179 W kg{sup −1}, and 3.64 Wh kg{sup −1}, and cell C; 180 F g{sup −1}, 178 W kg{sup −1}, 4.27 Wh kg{sup −1}. All the micrographs from Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope showed that the different in nanoporous structure of the separators lead to a significant different in influencing the values of specific capacitance, power and energy of supercapacitors, which is associated with the mobility of ion into the pore network. These results indicated that the filter paper was superior than the eggshell membrane and polypropylene nanoporous separators. However, we found that in terms of acidic resistance, polypropylene was the best nanoporous separator for acidic medium.

Effect of carbonization temperature on the physical and electrochemical properties of supercapacitor electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishak, M. M.; Deraman, M., E-mail: madra@ukm.my; Talib, I. A.; Basri, N. H.; Omar, R.; Nor, N. S. M.; Dolah, B. N. M. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Awitdrus,; Farma, R.; Taer, E. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Riau, 28293 Pekanbaru, Riau (Indonesia)

2015-04-16

Self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG) was prepared from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches. The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N{sub 2} environment at 400, 500, 600 and 700°C to produce carbon monoliths labeled as CM1, CM2, CM3 and CM4 respectively. The CMs were activated in CO{sub 2} surrounding at 800°C for 1 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM1, ACM2, ACM3 and ACM4). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption isotherm techniques. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitor cells and the cells’ performances were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical and electrochemical properties of the ACM electrodes by analyzing the influence of the carbonization temperature on these properties.

Effect of carbonization temperature on the physical and electrochemical properties of supercapacitor electrode from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishak, M. M.; Deraman, M.; Talib, I. A.; Basri, N. H.; Omar, R.; Nor, N. S. M.; Dolah, B. N. M.; Awitdrus,; Farma, R.; Taer, E.

2015-01-01

Self-adhesive carbon grains (SACG) was prepared from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches. The SACG green monoliths were carbonized in N 2 environment at 400, 500, 600 and 700°C to produce carbon monoliths labeled as CM1, CM2, CM3 and CM4 respectively. The CMs were activated in CO 2 surrounding at 800°C for 1 hour to produce activated carbon monolith electrodes (ACM1, ACM2, ACM3 and ACM4). The physical properties of the CMs and ACMs were investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm techniques. ACMs were used as electrode to fabricate symmetry supercapacitor cells and the cells’ performances were investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) standard techniques. In this paper we report the physical and electrochemical properties of the ACM electrodes by analyzing the influence of the carbonization temperature on these properties

Adsorption isotherms, kinetics, thermodynamics and desorption studies of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol on oil palm empty fruit bunch-based activated carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, I.A.W.; Ahmad, A.L.; Hameed, B.H.

2009-01-01

The adsorption characteristics of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) on activated carbon prepared from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) were evaluated. The effects of TCP initial concentration, agitation time, solution pH and temperature on TCP adsorption were investigated. TCP adsorption uptake was found to increase with increase in initial concentration, agitation time and solution temperature whereas adsorption of TCP was more favourable at acidic pH. The adsorption equilibrium data were best represented by the Freundlich and Redlich-Peterson isotherms. The adsorption kinetics was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The mechanism of the adsorption process was determined from the intraparticle diffusion model. Boyd plot revealed that the adsorption of TCP on the activated carbon was mainly governed by particle diffusion. Thermodynamic parameters such as standard enthalpy (ΔH o ), standard entropy (ΔS o ), standard free energy (ΔG o ) and activation energy were determined. The regeneration efficiency of the spent activated carbon was high, with TCP desorption of 99.6%.

Radiation pasteurised oil palm empty fruit bunch fermented with Pleurotus sajor-caju as feed supplement to ruminants

Science.gov (United States)

Awang, Mat Rasol; Mutaat, Hassan Hamdani; Mahmud, Mohd. Shukri; Wan Husain, Wan Badrin; Osman, Tajuddin; Bakar, Khomsaton Abu; Kassim, Asmahwati; Wan Mahmud, Zal U'yun; Manaf, Ishak; Kume, Tamikazu; Hashimoto, Shoji

1993-10-01

In solid state fermentation, Pleurotus sajor-caju has been found to be able to degrade at least 30% oil palm empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) fibre leaving 70 % useful materials. Conditions under which fermentation carried out were investigated. It was found that, in the temperature range between 25- 28 °C, relative ph between 6-8, moisture between 60-70 % and medium composition of CaCO 3: rice bran 2 %: 5 % were the optimum conditions. The results showed in fermented products that, there were substantial reduction in cellulosic component such as Crude Fiber (CF, 18 %); Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF, 45 %), Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF, 61 %) and Acid Detergent Lignin (ADL, 14 %). However, Crude Protein (CP, 10%) increased resulted from single cell protein enrichment of mycelial microbial mass. The mass reductions of substrate in fermentation process corresponds to the CO 2 released during fermentation. Hence, attributable to the decreased in content of CF, ADF, NDF, and ADL. The digestibility study has also been carried out to determine the useful level of this product to ruminant. Aflatoxin content was detected low in both the initial substrates and products. Based on nutritional value and low content of aflatoxin, the product is useful as a source of roughage to ruminant.

VISCOSITY ANALYSIS OF EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH (EFB BIO-OIL

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Z.S. Nazirah

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Empty fruit bunches (EFB are one of the solid wastes produced by the palm oil industry, which is increasing rapidly. The aim of this paper is to analyse the viscosity of empty fruit bunch (EFB bio-oil that can be extracted from all solid waste EFB as a sample, and a few processes were executed. The samples underwent two processes, which were pre-treatment and pyrolysis. The pre-treatment involved three processes, namely, cutting, shredding and sieving, which were necessary in order to prepare EFB into a particle size suitable for the reactor. After that, the samples were fed into the feedback reactor as feedstock for the pyrolysis process to produce bio-oil. Once the bio-oil was produced, its viscosity was tested using the Brookfield Viscometer in two conditions: before and after the chemical reaction. The bio-oil was treated by adding 10 ml and 20 ml of acetone respectively through the chemical reaction. The viscosity test was carried out at different temperatures, which were 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C and 50°C respectively. The observed viscosity of the EFB bio-oil varied and was higher as the temperature decreased. In addition, the viscosity of the EFB bio-oil was higher when it reacted chemically with the acetone added. Therefore, the results showed that the chemical reaction with acetone has the potential to increase the viscosity of EFB bio-oil.

Dilute Ionic Liquids Pretreatment of Palm Empty Bunch and Its Impact to Produce Bioethanol

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Lucy Arianie

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Ethanol production through ionic liquids pretreatment of palm empty bunch (PEB was carried out. This research aims to investigate impact of ionic liquids synthetic i.e 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazoliumbromide or [BMIM]bromide toward cellulose’s palm empty bunch and convert its cellulose into bioethanol. Ionic liquid was synthesized  through reflux and microwave assisted synthesis methods. Research investigation showed that microwave assisted synthesis produce [BMIM]bromide 90% faster than reflux method. The characterization of synthesized product using FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and LC-MS showed that these reactions have been carried out successfully. Scanning electron microscope figure out changes morphological surface of palm empty bunch caused by ionic liquid pretreatment. Crystallinity index of PEB milled and cellulose of PEFB after [BMIM]bromide dissolution were identified using comparison of PEB FTIR spectrum. Cellulose without dilute [BMIM]bromide have higher LOI number than cellulose after [BMIM]bromide dissolution. It indicated that a large part of cellulose after dissolution has been changed into amorf. Hydrolysis residue of palm empty bunch hydrolyzed by sulfuric acids 5%, 100 0C for 5 hours and produce 685 ppm of reducing sugar. Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation using Trichoderma viride and Saccharomyce cerevisiae  for 5 days produce 0,69% of bioethanol.

Dilute Ionic Liquids Pretreatment of Palm Empty Bunch and Its Impact to Produce Bioethanol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucy Arianie

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Ethanol production through ionic liquids pretreatment of palm empty bunch (PEB was carried out. This research aims to investigate impact of ionic liquids synthetic i.e 1-butyl- 3-methyl imidazoliumbromide or [BMIM]bromide toward cellulose’s palm empty bunch and convert its cellulose into bioethanol. Ionic liquid was synthesized through reflux and microwave assisted synthesis methods. Research investigation showed that microwave assisted synthesis produce [BMIM]bromide 90% faster than reflux method. The characterization of synthesized product using FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and LC-MS showed that these reactions have been carried out successfully. Scanning electron microscope figure out changes morphological surface of palm empty bunch caused by ionic liquid pretreatment. Crystallinity index of PEB milled and cellulose of PEFB after [BMIM]bromide dissolution were identified using comparison of PEB FTIR spectrum. Cellulose without dilute [BMIM]bromide have higher LOI number than cellulose after [BMIM]bromide dissolution. It indicated that a large part of cellulose after dissolution has been changed into amorf. Hydrolysis residue of palm empty bunch hydrolyzed by sulfuric acids 5%, 100 0C for 5 hours and produce 685 ppm of reducing sugar. Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation using Trichoderma viride and Saccharomyce cerevisiae for 5 days produce 0,69% of bioethanol.

Dilute Ionic Liquids Pretreatment of Palm Empty Bunch and Its Impact to Produce Bioethanol

OpenAIRE

Lucy Arianie; Utin Dewi Pebriyana; Yudiansyah; Nora Idiawati; Deana Wahyuningrum

2014-01-01

Ethanol production through ionic liquids pretreatment of palm empty bunch (PEB) was carried out. This research aims to investigate impact of ionic liquids synthetic i.e 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazoliumbromide or [BMIM]bromide toward cellulose’s palm empty bunch and convert its cellulose into bioethanol. Ionic liquid was synthesized  through reflux and microwave assisted synthesis methods. Research investigation showed that microwave assisted synthesis produce [BMIM]bromide 90% faster than reflux ...

Effect of process parameters on hydrothermal liquefaction of oil palm biomass for bio-oil production and its life cycle assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan, Yi Herng; Yusup, Suzana; Quitain, Armando T.; Tan, Raymond R.; Sasaki, Mitsuru; Lam, Hon Loong; Uemura, Yoshimitsu

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Water is used as a clean solvent to liquefy palm biomass to bio-oil. • The optimum liquefaction condition of oil palm biomass is 390 °C and 25 MPa. • Optimum reaction time for liquefaction of empty fruit bunch and palm mesocarp fiber is 120 min. • Optimum reaction time for liquefaction of palm kernel shell is 240 min. • From the life cycle assessment, a net 2.29 kg CO 2 equivalent is generated per kg of bio-oil produced. - Abstract: This paper presents the studies on the effect of three process parameters; temperature, pressure and reaction time on the subcritical and supercritical hydrothermal liquefaction of oil palm empty fruit bunch, palm mesocarp fiber and palm kernel shell. The effect of temperature (330–390 °C), pressure (25–35 MPa) and reaction time (30–240 min) on bio-oil yields were investigated using a Inconel batch reactor. The optimum liquefaction condition for empty fruit bunch, palm mesocarp fiber and palm kernel shell was at supercritical condition of water; 390 °C and 25 MPa. For the effect of reaction time, bio-oil from empty fruit bunch and palm mesocarp fiber attained maximum yields at 120 min, whereas bio-oil yield from palm kernel shell continued to increase at reaction time of 240 min. Lastly, a life cycle assessment based on a conceptual biomass hydrothermal liquefaction process for bio-oil production was constructed and presented

Production of high concentration of l-lactic acid from oil palm empty fruit bunch by thermophilic Bacillus coagulans JI12.

Science.gov (United States)

Juturu, Veeresh; Wu, Jin Chuan

2018-03-01

Thermophilic Bacillus coagulans JI12 was used to ferment hemicellulose hydrolysate obtained by acid hydrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunch at 50 °C and pH 6, producing 105.4 g/L of l-lactic acid with a productivity of 9.3 g/L/H by fed-batch fermentation under unsterilized conditions. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) was performed at pH 5.5 and 50 °C to convert both hemicellulose hydrolysate and cellulose-lignin complex in the presence of Cellic Ctec2 cellulases using yeast extract (20 g/L) as the nitrogen source, giving 114.0 g/L of l-lactic acid with a productivity of 5.7 g/L/H. The SSF was also conducted by replacing yeast extract with equal amount of dry Bakers' yeast, achieving 120.0 g/L of l-lactic acid with a productivity of 4.3 g/L/H. To the best of our knowledge, these lactic acid titers and productivities are the highest ever reported from lignocellulose hydrolysates. © 2017 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Optimisation of Copper Oxide Impregnation on Carbonised Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch for Nitric Oxide Removal using Response Surface Methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Norhidayah; Yong, Sing Hung; Ibrahim, Naimah; Ali, Umi Fazara Md; Ridwan, Fahmi Muhammad; Ahmad, Razi

2018-03-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) was successfully modified with phosphoric acid hydration followed by impregnation with copper oxide (CuO) to synthesize CuO modified catalytic carbon (CuO/EFBC) for low-temperature removal of nitric oxide (NO) from gas streams. CuO impregnation was optimised through response surface methodology (RSM) using Box-Behnken Design (BBD) in terms of metal loading (5-20%), sintering temperature (200-800˚C) and sintering time (2-6 hours). The model response for the variables was NO adsorption capacity, which was obtained from an up-flow column adsorption experiment with 100 mL/min flow of 500 ppm NO/He at different operating conditions. The optimum operating variables suggested by the model were 20% metal loading, 200˚C sintering temperature and 6 hours sintering time. A good agreement (R2 = 0.9625) was achieved between the experimental data and model prediction. ANOVA analysis indicated that the model terms (metal loading and sintering temperature) are significant (Prob.>F less than 0.05).

Optimisation of Copper Oxide Impregnation on Carbonised Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch for Nitric Oxide Removal using Response Surface Methodology

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Ahmad Norhidayah

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB was successfully modified with phosphoric acid hydration followed by impregnation with copper oxide (CuO to synthesize CuO modified catalytic carbon (CuO/EFBC for low-temperature removal of nitric oxide (NO from gas streams. CuO impregnation was optimised through response surface methodology (RSM using Box-Behnken Design (BBD in terms of metal loading (5-20%, sintering temperature (200-800˚C and sintering time (2-6 hours. The model response for the variables was NO adsorption capacity, which was obtained from an up-flow column adsorption experiment with 100 mL/min flow of 500 ppm NO/He at different operating conditions. The optimum operating variables suggested by the model were 20% metal loading, 200˚C sintering temperature and 6 hours sintering time. A good agreement (R2 = 0.9625 was achieved between the experimental data and model prediction. ANOVA analysis indicated that the model terms (metal loading and sintering temperature are significant (Prob.>F less than 0.05.

Phytonutrient deficiency: the place of palm fruit.

Science.gov (United States)

Wattanapenpaiboon, Naiyana; Wahlqvist, Mark W

2003-01-01

The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is native to many West African countries, where local populations have used its oil for culinary and other purposes. Large-scale plantations, established principally in tropical regions (Asia, Africa and Latin America), are mostly aimed at the production of oil, which is extracted from the fleshy mesocarp of the palm fruit, and endosperm or kernel oil. Palm oil is different from other plant and animal oils in that it contains 50% saturated fatty acids, 40% unsaturated fatty acids, and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids. The fruit also contains components that can endow the oil with nutritional and health beneficial properties. These phytonutrients include carotenoids (alpha-,beta-,and gamma-carotenes), vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols), sterols (sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol), phospholipids, glycolipids and squalene. In addition, it is recently reported that certain water-soluble powerful antioxidants, phenolic acids and flavonoids, can be recovered from palm oil mill effluent. Owing to its high content of phytonutrients with antioxidant properties, the possibility exists that palm fruit offers some health advantages by reducing lipid oxidation, oxidative stress and free radical damage. Accordingly, use of palm fruit or its phytonutrient-rich fractions, particularly water-soluble antioxidants, may confer some protection against a number of disorders or diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancers, cataracts and macular degeneration, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. However, whilst prevention of disease through use of these phytonutrients as in either food ingredients or nutraceuticals may be a worthwhile objective, dose response data are required to evaluate their pharmacologic and toxicologic effects. In addition, one area of concern about use of antioxidant phytonutrients is how much suppression of oxidation may be compatible with good health, as toxic free radicals are required for defence

Kinetic study of Escherichia coli BPPTCC-EgRK2 to produce recombinant cellulase for ethanol production from oil palm empty fruit bunch

Science.gov (United States)

Limoes, S.; Rahman, S. F.; Setyahadi, S.; Gozan, M.

2018-03-01

Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) is an abundant biomass resource in Indonesia, which contains 46,77% (w/w) of cellulose. The high cellulose content of OPEFB can be used as a substrate for bacteria cultivation to produce cellulase. By using OPEFB as an alternative substrate, the production cost of cellulase in industrial scale can be suppressed. However, currently there are no available research that simulate a cellulase production plant design. Prior to simulating the cellulase plant design, kinetic studies of bacteria used in cultivation are needed to create an accurate simulation. In this research, kinetic studies of E. coli BPPTCC-EgRK2 growth were examined with the Monod approach to get the Monod constant (Ks) and maximum specific growth rate (μmax). This study found that E. coli BPPTCC-EgRK2 have μmax and Ks of 1.581 and 0.0709 respectively. BPPTCC-EgRK2 produced intracellular cellulase, thus gave linear correlation between cell concentration and cellulase production.

Physical properties of activated carbon from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches by microwave assisted potassium hydroxide activation

Science.gov (United States)

Farma, Rakhmawati; Fatjrin, Delika; Awitdrus, Deraman, Mohamad

2017-01-01

The activated carbon adsorption was influenced by the quality of activated carbon. The activated carbon quality can be improved by chemical activation and microwave irradiation. In this study, activated carbon has been made using biomass from fibers of oil palm empty fruit bunches. The microwave irradiation was applied at various irradiation times of 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes, and at output power of 630 Watt. The physical properties of activated carbon were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and methylene blue adsorption. Analysis of microstructure showed that the activated carbon was semicrystalline with two peaks of 002 and 100 at 2θ around of 22° and 44°, respectively. The values of stack height (Lc) before and after irradiation increased from 2,799 nm to 3,860 nm, which indicated increasing surface area. Characteristics of surface morphology of activated carbon showed the pores number increased after microwave irradiation. Microwave irradiation time of 15 minutes resulted the highest pores number justified in the activated carbon with their surface area of 319,60 m2/g and adsorption of methylene blue of 86,07 mg/g.

Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) Fiber as Lost Circulation Material (LCM) in Water Based Mud (WBM)

Science.gov (United States)

Ghazali, N. A.; Sauki, A.; Abu Bakar, N. F.; Mohamed, S.

2018-05-01

Lost Circulation Material (LCM) is an additive used to prevent lost of mud to the formation as a results from natural or induced fractured during drilling operation. Losses of mud could give great impact to the oil industry as it increases mud cost and rig time. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of size and concentration of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) as LCM in water based mud (WBM). Several important properties of WBM rheology after adding the OPEFB namely plastic viscosity, apparent viscosity, yield point and gel strength were characterized. The sizes of OPEFB added into the WBM were 150μm, 250μm, 500μm and 1000μm while the concentration of OPEFB used were 5g, 10g, 15g and 20g in 350 mL of WBM. Results indicated that the plastic viscosity and apparent viscosity increased with increasing of the OPEFB concentrations. On the other hand, the plastic viscosity and apparent viscosity decreased with increasing sizes of OPEFB. Yield point increased as the concentration and size of OPEFB increases. This study indicated that OPEFB was effective to be used as LCM for size of 150μm and concentration of 15g whereby it produced least amount of filtrate volume as well as good control in mud rheology.

Selective component degradation of oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) using high-pressure steam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baharuddin, Azhari Samsu; Sulaiman, Alawi; Kim, Dong Hee; Mokhtar, Mohd Noriznan; Hassan, Mohd Ali; Wakisaka, Minato; Shirai, Yoshihito; Nishida, Haruo

2013-01-01

In order to accelerate the bioconversion process of press-shredded empty fruit bunches (EFB), the effect of high-pressure steam pre-treatment (HPST) in degrading the lignocellulosic structure was investigated. HPST was carried out under various sets of temperature/pressure conditions such as 170/0.82, 190/1.32, 210/2.03, and 230 °C/3.00 MPa. It was noted that after HPST, the surface texture, color, and mechanical properties of the treated EFB had obviously altered. Scanning electron micrographs of the treated EFB exhibited effective surface erosion that had occurred along the structure. Moreover, the Fourier transform infrared and thermogravimetric analyses showed the removal of silica bodies and hemicellulose ingredients. X-ray diffraction profiles of the treated EFB indicated significant increases in crystallinity. These results reveal that HPST is an effective pre-treatment method for altering the physicochemical properties of the EFB and enhancing its biodegradability characteristics for the bioconversion process. -- Highlights: ► Bioconversion of empty fruit bunches (EFB) was accelerated by high-pressure steam pre-treatment. ► Scanning electron micrographs exhibited surface erosion as well as composting over 20 days. ► FT-IR and TG data showed the selective removal of silica bodies and hemicellulose ingredient. ► X-ray diffraction profiles of the treated EFB indicated significant increases in crystallinity

High-loading-substrate enzymatic hydrolysis of palm plantation waste followed by unsterilized-mixed-culture fermentation for bio-ethanol production

Science.gov (United States)

Bardant, Teuku Beuna; Winarni, Ina; Sukmana, Hadid

2017-01-01

It was desired to obtain a general formula for producing bio-ethanol from any part of lignocelluloses wastes that came from palm oil industries due to its abundance. Optimum condition that obtained by using RSM for conducting high-loading-substrate enzymatic hydrolysis of palm oil empty fruit bunch was applied to palm oil trunks and then followed by unsterilized fermentation for producing bio-ethanol. From several optimized conditions investigated, the resulted ethanol concentration could reach 7.92 %v by using 36.5 %w of palm oil trunks but the results were averagely 2.46 %v lower than palm oil empty fruit bunch. The results was statistically compared and showed best correlative coefficient at 0.808 (in scale 0-1) which support the conclusion that the optimum condition for empty fruit bunch and trunks are similar. Utilization of mixed-culture yeast was investigated to produce ethanol from unsterilized hydrolysis product but the improvement wasn't significant compares to single culture yeast.

Robust enzymatic hydrolysis of Formiline-pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) for efficient conversion of polysaccharide to sugars and ethanol.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xingkai; Zhao, Xuebing; Zeng, Jing; Loh, Soh Kheang; Choo, Yuen May; Liu, Dehua

2014-08-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) was pretreated by Formiline process to overcome biomass recalcitrance and obtain hemicellulosic syrup and lignin. Higher formic acid concentration led to more lignin removal but also higher degree of cellulose formylation. Cellulose digestibility could be well recovered after deformylation with a small amount of lime. After digested by enzyme loading of 15 FPU+10 CBU/g solid for 48 h, the polysaccharide conversion could be over 90%. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) results demonstrated that ethanol concentration reached 83.6 g/L with approximate 85% of theoretic yield when performed at an initial dry solid consistency of 20%. A mass balance showed that via Formiline pretreatment 0.166 kg of ethanol could be produced from 1 kg of dry EFB with co-production of 0.14 kg of high-purity lignin and 5.26 kg hemicellulosic syrup containing 2.8% xylose. Formiline pretreatment thus can be employed as an entry for biorefining of EFB. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pilot-scale steam explosion for xylose production from oil palm empty fruit bunches and the use of xylose for ethanol production.

Science.gov (United States)

Duangwang, Sairudee; Ruengpeerakul, Taweesak; Cheirsilp, Benjamas; Yamsaengsung, Ram; Sangwichien, Chayanoot

2016-03-01

Pilot-scale steam explosion equipments were designed and constructed, to experimentally solubilize xylose from oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) and also to enhance an enzyme accessibility of the residual cellulose pulp. The OPEFB was chemically pretreated prior to steam explosion at saturated steam (SS) and superheated steam (SHS) conditions. The acid pretreated OPEFB gave the highest xylose recovery of 87.58 ± 0.21 g/kg dried OPEFB in the liquid fraction after explosion at SHS condition. These conditions also gave the residual cellulose pulp with high enzymatic accessibility of 73.54 ± 0.41%, which is approximately threefold that of untreated OPEFB. This study has shown that the acid pretreatment prior to SHS explosion is an effective method to enhance both xylose extraction and enzyme accessibility of the exploded OPEFB. Moreover, the xylose solution obtained in this manner could directly be fermented by Candida shehatae TISTR 5843 giving high ethanol yield of 0.30 ± 0.08 g/g xylose. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fabrication and characterization of regenerated cellulose films obtained from oil palm empty fruit bunch

Science.gov (United States)

Nor Amalini, A.; Melina Cheah, M. Y.; Wan Rosli, W. D.; Hayati, S.; Mohamad Haafiz, M. K.

2017-12-01

Development of regenerated cellulose (RC) derived from underutilized cellulosic biomass has recently gained attention as potential petroleum-based polymer replacers. The objective of this current work is to evaluate the properties of RC films obtained from oil palm empty fruit bunch microcrystalline cellulose (OPEFB-MCC) through environmental process. The RC films were fabricated by using different amounts of OPEFB-MCC (4, 6 and 8 %) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl) was used as green OPEFB-MCC dissolving medium. The resultant RC films were then characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, mechanical, thermal and morphological properties by using tensile test, differential scanning colorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively. Increase in OPEFB-MCC amounts from 4 to 8 % enhanced the tensile strength and elongation at break of RC by 101 and 78 %, respectively, indicating stronger and more flexible films were formed. It is interesting to note that the Tg (101-154 °C) and Tm(130-187 °C) were found shifted to higher temperature with higher proportions of OPEFB-MCC in RC films. Meanwhile, FTIR analysis showed no new peak presented in RC films, suggesting that BMIMCl is a non-derivatizing solvent to OPEFB-MCC. Conspicuous changes in the spectra of RC films compared to OPEFB-MCC at 3200-3600 cm-1, 1430 cm-1, 1162 cm-1, 1111 cm-1, 1020-1040 cm-1 and 896 cm-1 were associated with transformation of cellulose I to cellulose II structure or/and decrease in crystallinity occurred after regeneration process. SEM micrographs of the RC films revealed that higher OPEFB-MCC contents exhibited smoother and more homogeneous surfaces morphology. Overall, OPEFB-MCC exhibited good film forming ability for RC production and may offer potential application in various industries including food packaging, medical goods and electronic devices.

Neutron Backscattered Technique for Quantification of Oil Palm Fruit Oil Content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ismail Mustapha; Samihah Mustaffha; Md Fakarudin Ab Rahman; Roslan Yahya; Lahasen Norman Shah Dahing; Nor Paiza Mohd Hasan; Jaafar Abdullah

2013-01-01

Non-destructive and real time method becomes a well-liked method to researchers in the oil palm industry since 2000. This method has the ability to detect oil content in order to increase the production of oil palm for better profit. Hence, this research investigates the potential of neutron source to estimate oil content in palm oil fruit since oil palm contains hydrogen with chemical formula C 55 H 96 O 6 . For this paper, oil palm loose fruit was being used and divided into three groups. These three groups are ripe, under-ripe and bruised fruit. A total of 21 loose fruit for each group were collected from a private plantation in Malaysia. Each sample was scanned using neutron backscattered technique. The higher neutron count, the more hydrogen content, and the more oil content in palm oil fruit. The best correlation result came from the ripe fruits with r 2 =0.98. This research proves that neutron backscattered technique can be used as a non-destructive and real time grading system for palm oil. (author)

Characterization of Lignin Precipitated From The Soda Black Liquor of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fibers by Various Mineral Acids

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M.N Mohamad Ibrahim

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Soda lignin from oil palm empty fruit bunch was directly isolated by various mineral acids i.e. sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid and nitric acid at three levels of concentration (20% v/v, 60%v/v and concentrated. A comparison study was performed through physicochemical properties and structural features using FT-IR, UV, 13C-NMR and nitrobenzene oxidation. The FT-IR results showed that there is no significant difference between the main structures of the lignin isolated by various acids. However, low concentration of phosphoric acid is preferable because of its highest yield. The S: V: H ratio of 7-15:6-11:1 as evaluated by the nitrobenzene oxidation procedure suggests that soda lignin can be classified as belonging to either the cereal straw on grass type. The UV results indicate that phosphoric acid consistently gave the highest absorbance value among the four acids tested in this study regardless of its concentration level. The C13-FTNMR spectra, suggest that the lignin structure is independent of the type of acid used for precipitation.

Isolation, Characterization, and Application of Nanocellulose from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber as Nanocomposites

OpenAIRE

N. S. Lani; N. Ngadi; A. Johari; M. Jusoh

2014-01-01

Nanocomposites, consisting of a polymeric matrix and nanosized elements as reinforcement, have attracted significant scientific attention because of their high mechanical performance. A large variety of nanocomposites have been prepared using bio-based materials as a matrix and nanoreinforcement, so that it can reduce the dependence on nondegradable products and move to a sustainable materials basis. The objective of this study was to isolate nanocellulose from empty fruit bunch (EFB) fiber a...

Alkaline Treatment of Oil Palm Frond Fibers by Using Extract of Oil Palm EFB Ash for Better Adhesion toward Polymeric Matrix

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Warman Fatra

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In Indonesia, 187 million tons of biomass were produced from 8.11 million ha of oil palm plantation in 2009. This massive amount of biomass mainly consists of oil palm fronds (OPF and oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB, which are normally categorized as waste. The properties of OPF fibers compared to those of synthetic fibers, such as low density, low cost, less abrasion of equipment, and safer production, makes them an attractive reinforcement for composite materials. In this work, the utilization of oil palm empty fruit bunch ash for OPF fiber-polyester resin composite and the effect of process conditions were studied. Water absorption, tensile and flexural strength were used to characterize the effects of alkaline treatment on modified OPF fibers in polyester resin. The investigation focused on the effect of alkaline treatment time. Treatment temperature and liquid to solid ratio were analyzed using Response Surface Method-Central Composite Design (RSM-CCD. The highest tensile strength (44.87 MPa was achieved at 12 hours soaking time, at 40°C treatment temperature and 5:1 water to ash ratio. The highest flexural strength (120.50 MPa was obtained at 1.3 hours soaking time, 4 dissolving ratio and 35°C treatment temperature. The lowest water absorption of composite (3.00% was achieved at the longest soaking time (14.7 hours, 4 dissolving ratio and 35°C treatment temperature. Variance of soaking time, dissolving ratio and temperature in the alkaline treatment process using extract of oil palm empty fruit bunch ash significantly affected the mechanical and physical properties of the oil palm frond fibers reinforced composite.

UTILIZATION OF OIL PALM EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH (OPEFB FOR BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION THROUGH ALKALI AND DILUTE ACID PRETREATMENT AND SIMULTANEOUS SACCHARIFICATION AND FERMENTATION

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Yanni Sudiyani

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Lignocellulosic biomass is a potential alternative source of bioethanol for energy. The lignocellulosics are abundantly available in Indonesia. Most of them are wastes of agriculture, plantation and forestry. Among those wastes, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OP EFB is one of a potential lignocellulosics to be converted to bioethanol. This EFB, which is wastes in oil palm factories, is quite abundant (around 25 million tons/year and also has high content of cellulose (41-47%. The conversion of OPEFB to ethanol basically consists of three steps which are pretreatment, hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose to simple sugars (hexoses and pentoses, and fermentation of simple sugars to ethanol. Acid and alkali pretreatments are considered the simplest methods and are potentially could be applied in the next couple of years. However, there are still some problems that have to be overcome to make the methods economically feasible. The high price of cellulose enzyme that is needed in the hydrolysis step is one of factors that cause the cost of EFB conversion is still high. Thus, the search of potential local microbes that could produce cellulase is crucial. Besides that, it is also important to explore fermenting microbes that could ferment six carbon sugars from cellulose as well as five carbon sugars from hemicellulose, so that the conversion of lignocellulosics, particularly EFB, would be more efficient. Keywords: OPEFB, lignocellulosics, pretreatment, fermentation, ethanol

Reversible Second Order Kinetics of Sorption-Desorption of Cr(VI Ion on Activated Carbon from Palm Empty Fruit Bunches

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Iip Izul Falah

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Activated carbon (AC from palm empty fruit bunches has been prepared, and this material was then used to adsorb Cr(VI from a solution. Characterization of the AC was conducted by detection of its functional groups, determination of total volatile compounds (VC content and its iodine number. Study on sorption-desorption kinetics was conducted by comparing results of evaluations of several models with proposed reversible second order model using the data produced in this work. Results of the works showed that the AC had similar characters compared with the AC produced by previous researchers. Application of the kinetics models on sorption Cr(VI onto the AC showed that nearly all of the models gave a good linearity. However, only the proposed model had a good relation with Langmuir isotherm, with respectively sorption (ks and desorption (kd constants were 5.75 x 10-4 L.mg‑1.min-1 and 2.20 x 10-3 min-1; maximum sorption capacity, qm = 20.00 mg.g-1; and equilibrium constant, K from kinetics experiment (0.261 L.mg-1 was comparable with the result from the isotherm experiment (0.269 L.mg-1. Hence, using this model, kinetics and Langmuir parameters can probably be determined from a single kinetics data experiment.

Potential of empty fruit bunches (EFB) as a new renewable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamad Fadzil Adnan; Hamdan Mokhtar

2000-01-01

Empty fruit bunches (EFB) is one of the wastes generated in the palm oil mill industry. It accounts for about 22 % by weight of every oil palm fresh fruit bunch received. In 1998, it is estimated that 8.5 million tonnes of EFB were generated from the 328 palm oil mills in Malaysia. Previously, EFB is disposed by using incinerators. However with the prohibition of incineration and open burning, EFB is usually mulched in the plantations. Not only that the mulching's benefit is slow, it requires a lot of manpower for handling to cover the large plantation area and may also create bugs problems. The problems with EFB to be used as fuel are its high moisture content (up to 70%), low heating value, low density and awkward size. Recently, several companies have found a way to solve these problems. They have developed a shredder to shred the EFB into fibrous form. Then the EFB's fibre can easily be treated and dried until its moisture content is less than 10% so that it can be used as fuel. The potential energy that can be generated from EFB is equivalent to 2 million tonne of equivalent oil (MTOE) or 6 percent of the total national energy supply. The excess power generated in the mill can be sold to the National grid with the government approval. In conclusion, there are a lot of benefits from using EFB as a new source of energy. They are renewable energy source, capable to reduce air pollution emission which includes green house gases (GHG), NO x and S0 x emission, its ash can be used as fertiliser, and solve the manpower problems in the plantation sector. (Author)

Biomass analysis at palm oil factory as an electric power plant

Science.gov (United States)

Yusniati; Parinduri, Luthfi; Krianto Sulaiman, Oris

2018-04-01

Biomassa found in palm oil mill industryis a by-product such as palm shell, fiber, empty fruit bunches and pome. The material can be used as an alternative fuel for fossil fuel. On PTPN IVpalm oil millDolokSinumbah with a capacity of 30 tons tbs/hour of palm fruit fiber and palm shells has been utilized as boiler fuel to produce steam to supplyboilers power plant. With this utilization, the use of generators that using fossil fuel can be reduced, this would provide added value for the company. From the analysis, the fiber and shell materials were sufficient to supply 18 tons/hoursteam for the boiler. Shell material even excess as much as 441,5 tons per month. By utilizing the 2 types of biomass that is available alone, the electricity needs of the factory of 734 Kwh can be met. While other materials such as empty bunches and pome can be utilized to increase the added value and profitability for the palm oil mill.

Chemical composition of Chinese palm fruit and chemical properties ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... chemical properties and could be used as edible oils and for industrial applications. ... on it, which can provide useful information for Chinese oil palm industry. Key words: Chemical composition, palm fruit, palm oil, palm kernel oil, chemical ...

Torrefaction of empty fruit bunches under biomass combustion gas atmosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Uemura, Yoshimitsu; Sellappah, Varsheta; Trinh, Thanh Hoai; Hassan, Suhaimi; Tanoue, Ken-Ichiro

2017-11-01

Torrefaction of oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) under combustion gas atmosphere was conducted in a batch reactor at 473, 523 and 573K in order to investigate the effect of real combustion gas on torrefaction behavior. The solid mass yield of torrefaction in combustion gas was smaller than that of torrefaction in nitrogen. This may be attributed to the decomposition enhancement effect by oxygen and carbon dioxide in combustion gas. Under combustion gas atmosphere, the solid yield for torrefaction of EFB became smaller as the temperature increased. The representative products of combustion gas torrefaction were carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide (gas phase) and water, phenol and acetic acid (liquid phase). By comparing torrefaction in combustion gas with torrefaction in nitrogen gas, it was found that combustion gas can be utilized as torrefaction gas to save energy and inert gas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Drying of macaw palm fruits and its influence on oil quality

OpenAIRE

Gutierres Nelson Silva; Anderson Barbosa Evaristo; José Antonio Saraiva Grossi; Larissa Sousa Campos; Marcela Silva Carvalho; Leonardo Duarte Pimentel

2017-01-01

After harvest, macaw palm fruits show high deterioration rates when improperly preserved. A possible cause is the high fruit water content favoring enzymatic and microbiological degradation. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of drying on the mesocarp oil quality during storage and to set the drying curve of macaw palm fruits. For that, two experiments were carried out. In the first, the drying curve of macaw palm fruits was determined at 60 °C, and mathematical models were de...

THE STUDY ON IN VITRO DIGESTIBILITY OF SOAKED PALM OIL FIBER BY FILTRATED PALM OIL FRUIT BUNCH ASH

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Ari L. Darmawan

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Palm oil fiber has its potency as feed fiber source for ruminant, but contains high lignin and causes limited digestibility. This research was carried out to find the effect of soaking palm oil fiber in filtrated palm oil fruit bunch ash (FPOFBA on in vitro digestibility. This experiment used a completely randomized design that repeated for 4times. Palm oil fruit bunch ash was mixed in water and entered into container for 24 hours within concentrations, consists of: 50, 100, 150 and 200 g/L. Moreover, this filtrate used to soak palm oil fiber for 3 hours. The processed products were analyzed for their level of lignin and crude fiber. Meanwhile, in vitro test was used to measure digestibility. It showed that soaking in filtrated palm oil fruit bunch ash gave significant effect to decrease level of lignin and crude fiber (P0.05, such as 23.48 and 24.12% as well as 16.70 and 17.06 % in each. It can be concluded that soaked palm oil fiber with 150 g/L concentration of filtrated palm oil fruit bunch ash was more effective in improving digestibility.

Enhancement of the Mechanical Properties and Dimensional Stability of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch-Kenaf Core and Oil Palm Mesocarp-Kenaf Core Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Poly(lactic acid Biocomposites by Borax Decahydrate Modification of Fibers

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Abubakar Umar Birnin-Yauri

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The surfaces of kenaf core fiber (KCF, oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFBF, and oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF, were chemically modified using 5 wt.% aqueous sodium tetraborate decahydrate (borax solution to enhance their hybrid fiber interface bonding with a polylactic acid (PLA matrix. The untreated fibers (KCF, EFBF, and OPMF and treated fibers (BXKCF, BXEFBF, and BXOPMF, were examined using chemical analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The treatment caused minimal removal of lignin and significant elimination of hemicellulose and waxy substances. The treated and untreated KCF (5%, as a secondary fiber, was randomly mixed, respectively, with treated and untreated EFBF and OPMF (55%, melt-blended with PLA (40%, and subsequently compression-molded to form hybrid fiber-PLA biocomposites. The resulting composite is aimed to exhibit improvements in its mechanical properties and dimensional stability. The optimum results for tensile and flexural properties, as well as water uptake and thickness swelling, were observed for the borax-treated fibers in comparison with the untreated fibers. The BXEFBF-BXKCF-PLA biocomposites exhibited the best results. This work demonstrated that aqueous borax modification of natural fibers could offer a possible option to the most common mercerization method.

Hydroxynortriptyline of Empty Fruit Bunches Fibre using Polyethylene glycol (PEG)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noreen, F.M.Z.; Sarani Zakaria

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the reaction of oil palm empty fruit bunches fibre (EFBF) via chemical modification and hydroxynortriptyline method using polyethylene glycol (PEG). The first stage was the modification of EFB fibre using NaOH and isopropanol. The next stage was the preparation of hydroxypropylated-empty fruit bunches fibre (HP-EFBF), using different molecular weight of PEG (6,000, 8,000 and 10,000). The characterisation involved in this study were conducted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), determination of kinetic activation energy (E a ), X-ray diffraction (XRD), cellulose crystallinity index (CrI) and weight increment of the HP-EFB fibre. SEM results showed the surface of HP-EFBF swelled and craters formed along the surface of the fibre. IR spectrum also showed OH stretching band in EFB without treatment is 3402 cm -1 , but after hydroxynortriptyline process, the OH stretching band in HP-EFBF (10000, 8000 and 6000) slightly shifted to 3392, 3384 and 3370 cm -1 , respectively. TGA showed the thermal stability of HP-EFBF 6,000 was lower than HP-EFBF 8,000 and 10,000. After chemical modification, the activation energy, E a increased from 32.4 to 51.9 kJ/ mol more than EFB without treatment, 12.5 kJ/ mol. XRD showed that diffraction peak (002) shifted to the smaller 2θ angle and the peaks (101, 10I) disappeared after hydroxynortriptyline process. Crystallinity index, of EFB without treatment decreased from 27 % to 25 % after chemical modification. The higher the molecular weight of the PEG, the greater the weight increment of the HP-EFBF. (author)

Optimization of Two-Step Acid-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch for High Sugar Concentration in Hydrolysate

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Dongxu Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Getting high sugar concentrations in lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate with reasonable yields of sugars is commercially attractive but very challenging. Two-step acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB was conducted to get high sugar concentrations in the hydrolysate. The biphasic kinetic model was used to guide the optimization of the first step dilute acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of EFB. A total sugar concentration of 83.0 g/L with a xylose concentration of 69.5 g/L and a xylose yield of 84.0% was experimentally achieved, which is in well agreement with the model predictions under optimal conditions (3% H2SO4 and 1.2% H3PO4, w/v, liquid to solid ratio 3 mL/g, 130°C, and 36 min. To further increase total sugar and xylose concentrations in hydrolysate, a second step hydrolysis was performed by adding fresh EFB to the hydrolysate at 130°C for 30 min, giving a total sugar concentration of 114.4 g/L with a xylose concentration of 93.5 g/L and a xylose yield of 56.5%. To the best of our knowledge, the total sugar and xylose concentrations are the highest among those ever reported for acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of lignocellulose.

Bacterial Community Structure and Biochemical Changes Associated With Composting of Lignocellulosic Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch

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Mohd Huzairi Mohd Zainudin

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Bacterial community structure and biochemical changes during the composting of lignocellulosic oil palm empty bunch (EFB and palm oil mill effluent (POME anaerobic sludge were studied by examining the succession of the bacterial community and its association with changes in lignocellulosic components by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE and the 16S rRNA gene clone library. During composting, a major reduction in cellulose after 10 days from 50% to 19% and the carbon content from 44% to 27% towards the end of the 40-day composting period were observed. The C/N ratio also decreased. A drastic change in the bacterial community structure and diversity throughout the composting process was clearly observed using PCR-DGGE banding patterns. The bacterial community drastically shifted between the thermophilic and maturing stages. 16s rRNA clones belonging to the genera Bacillus, Exiguobacterium, Desemzia, and Planococcus were the dominant groups throughout composting. The species closely related to Solibacillus silvestris were found to be major contributors to changes in the lignocellulosic component. Clones identified as Thermobacillus xylanilyticus, Brachybacterium faecium, Cellulosimicrobium cellulans, Cellulomonas sp., and Thermobifida fusca, which are known to be lignocellulosic-degrading bacteria, were also detected and are believed to support the lignocellulose degradation.

Bioethanol Production from Empty Fruit Bunch using Direct Fermentation by an Actinomycete Streptosporangium roseum

Science.gov (United States)

Nik Him, N. R.; Huda, T.

2018-05-01

Study on the production of bioethanol using palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB) has been performed using actinomycete Streptosporangium roseum. Positive result of bioethanol production was recorded using Iodoform test followed by confirmation with GC-FID using a polar capillary column (PEG-type, 10m x 0.53, with autosampler) and n-propanol as internal standard. The first and second round distillation has produced azeotrope (85-15% ethanol-water) and the third round has concentrated the ethanol to 96.1%. Therefore, the process was accomplished by using molecular sieves that selectively absorbed the final excess water. Direct fermentation using Streptosporangium roseum has shown to be a very potential way to catalyst for the synthesis of bioethanol from EFB.

Environmentally friendly production of charcoal from empty fruit bunches using pilot plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Normah Mulop; Mohd Suffian Abdul Rahim

2000-01-01

Empty fruit bunches (EFB) from palm oil milling process are classified as palm oil waste. The EFB can be turned into valuable product such as charcoal, which can be processed further to activated carbon in order to solve some of the disposal problems. In this project, raw EFB was converted to charcoal by means of a pilot plant. A burner generating indirect heat controls the temperature of the process. The carbonization process was carried out in the absence of air at various temperatures and durations to find the optimum carbonization parameters. The study shows that the optimum operating, temperature for carbonization of EFB is 500 o C for the duration of 11/2 hours. The average fixed carbon content of the charcoal is 61.08. The high percentage of volatile matter is prevented from escaping into the air by trapping them in a series of cyclones. The double layered cyclones using water as the cooling medium, condense more volatile matter and reduces smoke exhaust. 50.7 % of ,gaseous product is condensed and 49.2 % is emitted to the atmosphere. The result is an environmental friendly pilot plant. (author)

Optimization of the pyrolysis process of empty fruit bunch (EFB) in a fixed-bed reactor through a central composite design (CCD)

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, Alina Rahayu; Hamzah, Zainab; Daud, Mohamed Zulkali Mohamed

2014-07-01

The production of crude palm oil from the processing of palm fresh fruit bunches in the palm oil mills in Malaysia hs resulted in a huge quantity of empty fruit bunch (EFB) accumulated. The EFB was used as a feedstock in the pyrolysis process using a fixed-bed reactor in the present study. The optimization of process parameters such as pyrolysis temperature (factor A), biomass particle size (factor B) and holding time (factor C) were investigated through Central Composite Design (CCD) using Stat-Ease Design Expert software version 7 with bio-oil yield considered as the response. Twenty experimental runs were conducted. The results were completely analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The model was statistically significant. All factors studied were significant with p-values oil from EFB pyrolysis process. A quadratic model equation was developed and employed to predict the highest theoretical bio-oil yield. The maximum bio-oil yield of 46.2 % was achieved at pyrolysis temperature of 442.15 °C using the EFB particle size of 866 μm which corresponded to the EFB particle size in the range of 710-1000 μm and holding time of 483 seconds.

Conversion of acid hydrolysate of oil palm empty fruit bunch to L-lactic acid by newly isolated Bacillus coagulans JI12.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Lidan; Hudari, Mohammad Sufian Bin; Zhou, Xingding; Zhang, Dongxu; Li, Zhi; Wu, Jin Chuan

2013-06-01

Cost-effective conversion of lignocellulose hydrolysate to optically pure lactic acid is commercially attractive but very challenging. Bacillus coagulans JI12 was isolated from natural environment and used to produce L-lactic acid (optical purity > 99.5 %) from lignocellulose sugars and acid hydrolysate of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) at 50 °C and pH 6.0 without sterilization of the medium. In fed-batch fermentation with 85 g/L initial xylose and 55 g/L xylose added after 7.5 h, 137.5 g/L lactic acid was produced with a yield of 98 % and a productivity of 4.4 g/L h. In batch fermentation of a sugar mixture containing 8.5 % xylose, 1 % glucose, and 1 % L-arabinose, the lactic acid yield and productivity reached 98 % and 4.8 g/L h, respectively. When EFB hydrolysate was used, 59.2 g/L of lactic acid was produced within 9.5 h at a yield of 97 % and a productivity of 6.2 g/L h, which are the highest among those ever reported from lignocellulose hydrolysates. These results indicate that B. coagulans JI12 is a promising strain for industrial production of L-lactic acid from lignocellulose hydrolysate.

Sustainable Biofuels and Other Related Bio-Products from Palm Cultivations

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Ani Farid Nasir

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Various kinds of palm trees are grown in the tropical regions of the world that provide edible oils for food consumption. They have in common in providing edible oils from the nuts and some from the mesocarp such as oil palm. More than 400 mills in Malaysia have provided more than sufficient energy from the biomass in processing the fruits to crude palm oil. The biomass are the mesocarp fibres, shells or endocarp, empty fruit bunches and palm oil mill effluents. One option of treatment of this biomass is to convert into bio-oil, bio-char, bio-adhesives and methyl ester. Recent research using microwave processing of biomass and biodiesel are given in this paper.

Relationships among rat numbers, abundance of oil palm fruit and damage levels to fruit in an oil palm plantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Puan, Chong Leong; Goldizen, Anne W; Zakaria, Mohamed; Hafidzi, Mohd N; Baxter, Greg S

2011-06-01

The relationships between vertebrate pests and crop damage are often complex and difficult to study. In palm oil plantations rodents remain the major pests, causing substantial monetary losses. The present study examined the numerical and functional responses of rodents to changes in the availability of oil palm fruit and the damage associated with that response. For the study, 200 traps were set in pairs on a 10 × 10 trapping grid for 3 consecutive nights in each of 6 study plots at 8-week intervals in a 2569 ha oil palm plantation at Labu, Negeri Sembilan state in Peninsular Malaysia over 14 months. A total of 1292 individual rats were captured over 25 200 trap-nights. Animals were identified, aged, sexed, weighed and measured. An index of the relative abundance of rats was calculated based on trapping success. Damage to infructescences was assessed at each trap point. Regardless of the age of palms, there were positive and significant relationships between the relative abundance of rats and numbers of infructescences. The levels of damage to infructescences were significantly correlated with the relative abundance of rats. A steep increase in damage was observed with an increase in mature infructescences, indicating a feeding preference of rats for mature infructescences. For both males and females of all rat species, there were weak and non-significant correlations between body condition and infructescence numbers. These results indicated that there was a numerical and a functional response by rats to the availability of palm fruit and a resulting increase in depredation of oil palm fruits. The ways in which this information might aid in future pest control are discussed. © 2011 ISZS, Blackwell Publishing and IOZ/CAS.

Synthesis of palm oil empty fruit bunch magnetic pyrolytic char impregnating with FeCl3 by microwave heating technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mubarak, N.M.; Kundu, A.; Sahu, J.N.; Abdullah, E.C.; Jayakumar, N.S.

2014-01-01

Empty fruit bunch (EFB) is one of the most abundant residues of the Palm oil mill industry in Malaysia. The novel magnetic bio-char was synthesized by single stage microwave heating technique, using EFB in the presence of ferric chloride hexahydrate. The effect of microwave powers, radiation time and impregnation ratio (IR) of ferric chloride hexahydrate to biomass were studied. Also the process parameters such as microwave powers, radiation times and IR were optimized using response surface method. The statistical analysis revealed that the optimum conditions for the high porosity magnetic bio-char production were at 900 W microwave power, 20 min radiation time and 0.5 (FeCl 3 : biomass) impregnation ratio. These newly produced magnetic bio-char have a high surface area of 890 m 2  g −1 and that leads to highly efficient in the removal of methylene blue (MB) with an efficiency of 99.9% from aqueous solution with a maximum adsorption capacity of 265 mg g −1 . - Highlights: • Magnetic bio-char production using discarded material EFB with chemical activation. • Single stage synthesis of magnetic bioc-har via microwave heating was narrated. • Effect of each process parameters on synthesis of magnetic bio-char was elaborated. • Magnetic bio-char has high surface area, high porosity and high adsorption capacity. • Novel magnetic bio-char adds new dimension to the materials as an adsorbent

Improvement in Sensitivity of an Inductive Oil Palm Fruit Sensor

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Norhisam Misron

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Among palm oil millers, the ripeness of oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB is determined through visual inspection. To increase the productivity of the millers, many researchers have proposed with a new detection method to replace the conventional one. The sensitivity of such a sensor plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of the method. In our preliminary study a novel oil palm fruit sensor to detect the maturity of oil palm fruit bunches is proposed. The design of the proposed air coil sensor based on an inductive sensor is further investigated to improve its sensitivity. This paper investigates the results pertaining to the effects of the air coil structure of an oil palm fruit sensor, taking consideration of the used copper wire diameter ranging from 0.10 mm to 0.18 mm with 60 turns. The flat-type shape of air coil was used on twenty samples of fruitlets from two categories, namely ripe and unripe. Samples are tested with frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 120 MHz. The sensitivity of the sensor between air to fruitlet samples increases as the coil diameter increases. As for the sensitivity differences between ripe and unripe samples, the 5 mm air coil length with the 0.12 mm coil diameter provides the highest percentage difference between samples and it is amongst the highest deviation value between samples. The result from this study is important to improve the sensitivity of the inductive oil palm fruit sensor mainly with regards to the design of the air coil structure. The efficiency of the sensor to determine the maturity of the oil palm FFB and the ripening process of the fruitlet could further be enhanced.

Biogas Production from Palm Oil Fruit Bunch in Anaerobic Biodigester through Liquid State (LS-AD and Solid State (SS-AD Method

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Jos Bakti

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The crucial problem facing the world today is energy resources. Waste production of palm oil fruit bunch potentially produce as renewable energy resource. Palm oil fruit bunch contains 44% cellulose, 18% lignin and 34% hemicellulose. Organic carbon source is contained in biomass potentially produce biogas. Biogas is one of alternative energy, which is environmentally friendly and has been widely developed. This research is aimed to examine the effect of pretreatment in raw material of waste palm oil fruit bunch for the production of biogas, the effect of time, ratio C/N, and effect of microbial consortium. The variables are total solid (TS used 10% and 18% with a 40 mesh physical pretreatment, chemical pretreatment with NaOH 8% gr / gr TS, and biology 5% g/vol with microbial consortium. Biogas production process was conducted over 2 months in room temperature, the test response quantitative results in the form of biogas volume every 2 days and also flame test. The result of this research shows that the highest daily production rate of biogas obtained from this study was 5,73 ml/gr TS and the highest biogas production accumulation generated at 58,28 ml/gr TS produced through a 40 mesh sieve of waste oil palm empty fruit bunch, immersion in NaOH, through solid state fermentation and C/N 30. From this research, it can be concluded that the optimum production of biogas formation occurs with the value of C/N 30, physical and biological pretreatment, and solid state method.

Thermal Stability of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) Nanocrystalline Cellulose: Effects of post-treatment of oven drying and solvent exchange techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Indarti, E; Wanrosli, W D; Marwan

2015-01-01

Nanocrystallinecellulose (NCC) from biomass is a promising material with huge potentials in various applications. A big challenge in its utilization is the agglomeration of the NCC's during processing due to hydrogen bonding among the cellulose chains when in close proximity to each other. Obtaining NCC's in a non-agglomerated and non-aqueous condition is challenging. In the present work NCC's was isolated from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) using TEMPO-oxidation reaction method. To obtain non-agglomerated and non-aqueous products, the NCC's underwent post-treatment using oven drying (OD) and solvent exchanged (SE) techniques. The thermal stability of all samples was determined from TGA and DTG profiles whilst FTIR was used to analyzethe chemical modifications that occurred under these conditions. NCC-SE has better thermal stability than the NCC-OD and its on-set degradation temperature and residue are also higher. FTIR analysis shows that NCC-SE has a slightly different chemical composition whereby the absorption band at 1300 cm -1 (due to C-O symmetric stretching) is absent as compared to NCC-OD indicating that in NCC-SE the carboxylate group is in acid form which contribute to its thermal stability (paper)

Naturally p-Hydroxybenzoylated Lignins in Palms

Science.gov (United States)

Fachuang Lu; Steven D. Karlen; Matt Regner; Hoon Kim; Sally A. Ralph; Run-Cang Sun; Ken-ichi Kuroda; Mary Ann Augustin; Raymond Mawson; Henry Sabarez; Tanoj Singh; Gerardo Jimenez-Monteon; Sarani Zakaria; Stefan Hill; Philip J. Harris; Wout Boerjan; Curtis G. Wilkerson; Shawn D. Mansfield; John Ralph

2015-01-01

The industrial production of palm oil concurrently generates a substantial amount of empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers that could be used as a feedstock in a lignocellulose based biorefinery. Lignin byproducts generated by this process may offer opportunities for the isolation of value-added products, such as p-hydroxybenzoate (pBz),...

Dual Resonant Frequencies Effects on an Induction-Based Oil Palm Fruit Sensor

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Noor Hasmiza Harun

2014-11-01

Full Text Available As the main exporter in the oil palm industry, the need to improve the quality of palm oil has become the main interest among all the palm oil millers in Malaysia. To produce good quality palm oil, it is important for the miller to harvest a good oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB. Conventionally, the main reference used by Malaysian harvesters is the manual grading standard published by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB. A good oil palm FFB consists of all matured fruitlets, aged between 18 to 21 weeks of antheses (WAA. To expedite the harvesting process, it is crucial to implement an automated detection system for determining the maturity of the oil palm FFB. Various automated detection methods have been proposed by researchers in the field to replace the conventional method. In our preliminary study, a novel oil palm fruit sensor to detect the maturity of oil palm fruit bunch was proposed. The design of the proposed air coil sensor based on the inductive sensor was further investigated mainly in the context of the effect of coil diameter to improve its sensitivity. In this paper, the sensitivity of the inductive sensor was further examined with a dual flat-type shape of air coil. The dual air coils were tested on fifteen samples of fruitlet from two categories, namely ripe and unripe. Samples were tested within 20 Hz to 10 MHz while evaluations on both peaks were done separately before the gap between peaks was analyzed. A comparative analysis was conducted to investigate the improvement in sensitivity of the induction-based oil palm fruit sensor as compared to previous works. Results from the comparative study proved that the inductive sensor using a dual flat-type shape air coil has improved by up to 167%. This provides an indication in the improvement in the coil sensitivity of the palm oil fruit sensor based on the induction concept.

Dual resonant frequencies effects on an induction-based oil palm fruit sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Harun, Noor Hasmiza; Misron, Norhisam; Mohd Sidek, Roslina; Aris, Ishak; Wakiwaka, Hiroyuki; Tashiro, Kunihisa

2014-11-19

As the main exporter in the oil palm industry, the need to improve the quality of palm oil has become the main interest among all the palm oil millers in Malaysia. To produce good quality palm oil, it is important for the miller to harvest a good oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB). Conventionally, the main reference used by Malaysian harvesters is the manual grading standard published by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). A good oil palm FFB consists of all matured fruitlets, aged between 18 to 21 weeks of antheses (WAA). To expedite the harvesting process, it is crucial to implement an automated detection system for determining the maturity of the oil palm FFB. Various automated detection methods have been proposed by researchers in the field to replace the conventional method. In our preliminary study, a novel oil palm fruit sensor to detect the maturity of oil palm fruit bunch was proposed. The design of the proposed air coil sensor based on the inductive sensor was further investigated mainly in the context of the effect of coil diameter to improve its sensitivity. In this paper, the sensitivity of the inductive sensor was further examined with a dual flat-type shape of air coil. The dual air coils were tested on fifteen samples of fruitlet from two categories, namely ripe and unripe. Samples were tested within 20 Hz to 10 MHz while evaluations on both peaks were done separately before the gap between peaks was analyzed. A comparative analysis was conducted to investigate the improvement in sensitivity of the induction-based oil palm fruit sensor as compared to previous works. Results from the comparative study proved that the inductive sensor using a dual flat-type shape air coil has improved by up to 167%. This provides an indication in the improvement in the coil sensitivity of the palm oil fruit sensor based on the induction concept.

Effect of blending ratio to the liquid product on co-pyrolysis of low rank coal and oil palm empty fruit bunch

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Zullaikah Siti

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The utilization of Indonesia low rank coal should be maximized, since the source of Indonesia law rank coals were abundant. Pyrolysis of this coal can produce liquid product which can be utilized as fuel and chemical feedstocks. The yield of liquid product is still low due to lower of comparison H/C. Since coal is non-renewable source, an effort of coal saving and to mitigate the production of greenhouse gases, biomass such as oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB would added as co-feeding. EFB could act as hydrogen donor in co-pyrolysis to increase liquid product. Co-pyrolysis of Indonesia low rank coal and EFB were studied in a drop tube reactor under the certain temperature (t= 500 °C and time (t= 1 h used N2 as purge gas. The effect of blending ratios of coal/EFB (100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 and 0/100%, w/w % on the yield and composition of liquid product were studied systematically. The results showed that the higher blending ratio, the yield of liquid product and gas obtained increased, while the char decreased. The highest yield of liquid product (28,62 % was obtained used blending ratio of coal/EFB = 25/75, w/w%. Tar composition obtained in this ratio is phenol, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, acids, esters.

Synthesis and characterization of oil palm empty fruit bunch-grafted-polyvinyl alcohol (OPEFB-g-PVA) hydrogel for removal of copper ions from aqueous solution

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Soh Jing; Rabat, Nurul Ekmi; Osman, Noridah

2017-12-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber is a natural polymer which is potentially used as efficient adsorbents for heavy metal cations. The main objective of this research is to synthesize OPEFB grafted polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel by using ammonium persulfate (APS) as initiator and gelatin as crosslinking agent. The grafting temperature, amounts of cross linking agent, initiator and concentration of OPEFB were manipulated in order to optimize the swelling capability of the hydrogel. Comparison of heavy metal adsorption performance between pure PVA hydrogel and optimized OPEFB-g-PVA hydrogel was evaluated by using copper ions solution. The characteristics and structure of the optimized OPEFB-g-PVA hydrogel was studied by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) while Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to study its thermal stability. The presence of band at 1088 and 1047cm-1 corresponds to C-O was observed as strong evidence of grafting. Water uptake capacity was evaluated and the maximum water absorption capacity was obtained at 180.67 g/g. PVA hydrogel with OPEFB proved to have better copper ion absorbency and thermal properties compared to pure PVA hydrogel.

Amazonian Native Palm Fruits as Sources of Antioxidant Bioactive Compounds.

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Dos Santos, Mary de Fátima Guedes; Mamede, Rosa Virginia Soares; Rufino, Maria do Socorro Moura; de Brito, Edy Sousa; Alves, Ricardo Elesbão

2015-09-07

The Amazon region has many sources of fruits, especially native ones not yet explored, but which have some potential for use, as is the case with certain palms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the content of bioactive compounds and total antioxidant capacities of fruits from native palms from the Brazilian Amazon. The fruits of five palm species (bacaba, buriti, inajá, pupunha, and tucumã) were evaluated for levels of ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, yellow flavonoids, total carotenoids, and total extractable polyphenols, as well as the total antioxidant capacities. The fruits had high contents of extractable total polyphenols, especially bacaba and tucumã (941.56 and 158.98 mg of galic acid·100g(-1)), total carotenoids in the case of tucumã and buriti (7.24 and 4.67 mg·100g(-1)), and anthocyanins in bacaba (80.76 mg·100g(-1)). As for the antioxidant capacity, bacaba had the highest total antioxidant activity by the Oxygen Radical Antioxidant Capacity (ORAC) (194.67 µM·Trolox·g(-1)), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (47.46 g·pulp·g(-1) DPPH), and β-carotene/linoleic acid (92.17% Oxidation Inhibition (O.I) methods. Bacaba phenolic profile revealed the presence of cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside and other flavonoids. The palm fruits studied can be considered good sources of bioactive compounds, some containing higher amounts than that of commonly consumed fruits. Total extractable polyphenols and anthocyanins were directly correlated to antioxidant activity in these fruits.

Amazonian Native Palm Fruits as Sources of Antioxidant Bioactive Compounds

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Mary de Fátima Guedes dos Santos

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The Amazon region has many sources of fruits, especially native ones not yet explored, but which have some potential for use, as is the case with certain palms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the content of bioactive compounds and total antioxidant capacities of fruits from native palms from the Brazilian Amazon. The fruits of five palm species (bacaba, buriti, inajá, pupunha, and tucumã were evaluated for levels of ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, yellow flavonoids, total carotenoids, and total extractable polyphenols, as well as the total antioxidant capacities. The fruits had high contents of extractable total polyphenols, especially bacaba and tucumã (941.56 and 158.98 mg of galic acid·100g−1, total carotenoids in the case of tucumã and buriti (7.24 and 4.67 mg·100g−1, and anthocyanins in bacaba (80.76 mg·100g−1. As for the antioxidant capacity, bacaba had the highest total antioxidant activity by the Oxygen Radical Antioxidant Capacity (ORAC (194.67 µM·Trolox·g−1, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH (47.46 g·pulp·g−1 DPPH, and β-carotene/linoleic acid (92.17% Oxidation Inhibition (O.I methods. Bacaba phenolic profile revealed the presence of cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside and other flavonoids. The palm fruits studied can be considered good sources of bioactive compounds, some containing higher amounts than that of commonly consumed fruits. Total extractable polyphenols and anthocyanins were directly correlated to antioxidant activity in these fruits.

Optimization of moistening solution concentration on xylanase activity in solid state fermentation from oil palm empty fruit bunches

Science.gov (United States)

Mardawati, Efri; Parlan; Rialita, Tita; Nurhadi, Bambang

2018-03-01

Xylanase is an enzyme used in the industrial world, including food industry. Xylanase can be utilized as a 1,4-β-xylosidic endo-hydrolysis catalyst of xylanase, a hemicellulose component for obtaining a xylose monomer. This study aims to determine the optimum concentration of the fermentation medium using Response Surface Method (RSM) in the production of xylanase enzyme from oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) through solid state fermentation process. The variables varied in this study used factor A (ammonium sulphate concentration 1.0-2.0 g/L), B (concentration of potassium dihydrogen phosphate 1.5-2.5 g/L) and C (urea concentration 0.2 – 0.5 g/L). The data was analysed by using Design Expert version 10.0.1.0 especially CCD with total 17 running including 3 times replicated of canter point. Trichoderma viride was used for the process production of xylanase enzyme. The ratio between substrate and moistening solution used was 0.63 g / mL with temperature of 32.80C, 60 h incubation time. The analysis of enzyme activity was done by DNS method with 1% xylan as substrate. Analysis of protein content in enzyme was done by Bradford method. The optimum of moistening solution concentration in this fermentation was obtained. They are, the ammonium sulphate concentration of 1.5 g/L, potassium dihydrogen phosphate 2.0 g/L and urea 0.35 g/L with activity of 684.70 U/mL, specific activity enzyme xylanase 6261.58 U/mg, protein content 0.1093 U/mg, the model was validated using experiment design with perfect reliability value 0.96.

Study on Handing Process and Quality Degradation of Oil Palm Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB)

Science.gov (United States)

Mat Sharif, Zainon Binti; Taib, Norhasnina Binti Mohd; Yusof, Mohd Sallehuddin Bin; Rahim, Mohammad Zulafif Bin; Tobi, Abdul Latif Bin Mohd; Othman, Mohd Syafiq Bin

2017-05-01

The main objective of this study is to determine the relationship between quality of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and handling processes. The study employs exploratory and descriptive design, with quantitative approach and purposive sampling using self-administrated questionnaires, were obtained from 30 smallholder respondents from the Southern Region, Peninsular Malaysia. The study reveals that there was a convincing relationship between quality of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and handling processes. The main handling process factors influencing quality of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) were harvesting activity and handling at the plantation area. As a result, it can be deduced that the handling process factors variable explains 82.80% of the variance that reflects the quality of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB). The overall findings reveal that the handling process factors do play a significant role in the quality of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB).

Compatibility improvement method of empty fruit bunch fibre as a replacement material in cement bonded boards: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Dullah, Hayana; Abidin Akasah, Zainal; Zaini Nik Soh, Nik Mohd; Mangi, Sajjad Ali

2017-11-01

The utilization of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibre on bio-composite product has been introduced to replace current material mainly wood fibre. OPEFB is widely available as palm oil is one of the major agricultural crops in Malaysia. EFB fibre are lignocellulosic materials that could replace other natural fibre product especially cement bonded board. However, the contains of residual oil and sugar in EFB fibre has been detected to be the reason for incompatibility issue between EFB fibre and cement mixtures. Regarding on the issue, a study has been conducted widely on finding the suitable pre-treatment method for EFB fibre to remove carbohydrate contained in the said fibre that are known to inhibit cement hydration. Aside from that, cement accelerator was introduced to enhance the hydration of cement when it was mixed with natural fibre. Hence, this paper will summaries the previous findings and in-depth study on the use of EFB fibre as a replacement material in cement bonded fibre boards.

Mechanical properties of the macaw palm fruit-rachilla system

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Nara Silveira Velloso

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The fruit of the native macaw palm [Acrocomia aculeata (lacq Lood. ex Mart] is an alternative for biodiesel production because of the plant characteristics, as well as its adaptability, hardiness and high vegetable oil yield. However, its exploitation remains extractive and there are significant difficulties in its harvest. This study aimed to determine the mechanical properties of the macaw palm fruit-rachilla system that will support the design of harvest machines based on mechanical vibration. Ten samples of four accessions in the immature and mature stages of maturity were used. Traction and vibration tests were conducted to determine the mechanical properties of the macaw palm fruit-rachilla system. The elastic modulus of the rachilla was 188.39-385.09 MPa for the immature stage and 109.02-320.54 MPa for the mature stage. The Poisson's ratio for the rachilla varied between 0.20 and 0.52 for the immature stage and between 0.16 and 0.52 for the mature stage. The damping ratio varied between 0.02 and 0.12 for the immature stage and between 0.06 and 0.12 for the mature stage. The fruit-rachilla system was characterized as underdamped.

Preliminary plant design of Escherichia coli BPPTCC-EgRK2 cell culture for recombinant cellulase production using Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) as substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Surya, E. A.; Rahman, S. F.; Zulamraini, S.; Gozan, M.

2018-03-01

An economic analysis of recombinant cellulase production from E. coli BPPTCC Eg-RK2 was conducted to support the fulfilling of Indonesia’s energy roadmap for ethanol production. The plant use oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) as primary substrate in cellulase production, with the expected lifetime of 12 years. The plant is assumed to be built in Indonesia and will fulfill 1% of total market demand. The effect of different pretreatment process (alkaline, steam explosion, and sequential acid-alkaline) on the economic value was also studied. A simulation using SuperPro Designer was used to calculate the mass and energy balance based on the kinetic parameter of E. coli BPPTCC-EgRK2. Technology evaluation show that alkaline pretreatment gave the highest yield with no known inhibitors formed. The steam explosion show the lowest lignin and hemicellulose removal and known to form known fermentation inhibitors. The net present value of alkaline, steam explosion, and sequential acid-alkaline pretreatment were USD 7,118,000; - USD 73,411,000 and USD -114,013,000 respectively, which mean alkaline pretreatment is the only economically feasible pretreatment method for recombinant cellulase production.

Supply Chain Analysis, Delivered Cost, and Life Cycle Assessment of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Biomass for Green Chemical Production in Malaysia

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Carter Walker Reeb

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Financial, environmental, and supply chain analyses of empty fruit bunch (EFB biomass are needed for the development of a sustainable green chemicals industry in Malaysia. Herein, holistic analysis of the supply system and EFB life cycle cradle-to-gate are analyzed in an effort to make recommendations for the commercial-scale collection and delivery of EFB from crude palm oil (CPO extraction facilities to biorefineries in Malaysia. Supply chain modeling tracked inputs and outputs for financial analysis. The openLCA software was used for life cycle assessment (LCA. Allocation scenarios were used to explore the impact of accounting methodologies on the competitiveness of EFB compared to other feedstocks. Sensitivity analysis on the effect of transportation distance, emission flows, and allocation methods on resulting environmental impacts were conducted. The No Burden, Economic, and Mass allocation scenarios resulted in 17, -2.3, and -265 kg CO2-eq. BD tonne-1 EFB global warming impacts (GW, respectively. Delivered cost for EFB was calculated to be approximately 45 US$ BD tonne-1. Environmental burdens were sensitive to allocation scenario, covered area, and land use change. Delivered cost was sensitive to transport distance, covered area, and yield. It was shown that there is sufficient Malaysia EFB available for between 9 and 28 biorefineries, depending upon the scale of production.

Preparation of oil palm empty fruit bunch-based activated carbon for removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol: Optimization using response surface methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hameed, B.H.; Tan, I.A.W.; Ahmad, A.L.

2009-01-01

The effects of three preparation variables: CO 2 activation temperature, CO 2 activation time and KOH:char impregnation ratio (IR) on the 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) uptake and carbon yield of the activated carbon prepared from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) were investigated. Based on the central composite design, two quadratic models were developed to correlate the three preparation variables to the two responses. The activated carbon preparation conditions were optimized using response surface methodology by maximizing both the 2,4,6-TCP uptake and activated carbon yield within the ranges studied. The optimum conditions for preparing activated carbon from EFB for adsorption of 2,4,6-TCP were found as follows: CO 2 activation temperature of 814 deg. C, CO 2 activation time of 1.9 h and IR of 2.8, which resulted in 168.89 mg/g of 2,4,6-TCP uptake and 17.96% of activated carbon yield. The experimental results obtained agreed satisfactorily with the model predictions. The activated carbon prepared under optimum conditions was mesoporous with BET surface area of 1141 m 2 /g, total pore volume of 0.6 cm 3 /g and average pore diameter of 2.5 nm. The surface morphology and functional groups of the activated carbon were respectively determined from the scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared analysis.

Palm fruit in traditional African food culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Atinmo, Tola; Bakre, Aishat Taiwo

2003-01-01

The centre of origin of the oil palm is the tropical rain forest region of West Africa. It is considered to be the 200-300 kilometre wide coastal belt between Liberia and Mayumbe. The oil palm tree has remained the 'tree of life' of Yoruba land as well as of other parts of southern West Africa to which it is indigenous. The Yoruba are adept at spinning philosophical and poetical proverbs around such ordinary things as hills, rivers, birds, animals and domestic tools. Hundreds of the traditional proverbs are still with us, and through them one can see the picture of the environment that contributed to the moulding of the thoughts of the people. Yoruba riddles or puzzles were also couched in terms of the environment and the solutions to them were also environmental items. They have a popular saying: A je eran je eran a kan egungun, a je egungun je egungun a tun kan eran: 'A piece of meat has an outer layer of flesh, an intermediate layer of bone and an inner layer of flesh'. What is it? A palm fruit: it has an outer edible layer, the mesocarp; then a layer of shell, inedible, and the kernel inside, edible. The solution to this puzzle summarises the botanical and cultural characteristics of the palm fruit.

Optimization of the pyrolysis process of empty fruit bunch (EFB) in a fixed-bed reactor through a central composite design (CCD)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamed, Alina Rahayu; Hamzah, Zainab; Daud, Mohamed Zulkali Mohamed

2014-01-01

The production of crude palm oil from the processing of palm fresh fruit bunches in the palm oil mills in Malaysia hs resulted in a huge quantity of empty fruit bunch (EFB) accumulated. The EFB was used as a feedstock in the pyrolysis process using a fixed-bed reactor in the present study. The optimization of process parameters such as pyrolysis temperature (factor A), biomass particle size (factor B) and holding time (factor C) were investigated through Central Composite Design (CCD) using Stat-Ease Design Expert software version 7 with bio-oil yield considered as the response. Twenty experimental runs were conducted. The results were completely analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The model was statistically significant. All factors studied were significant with p-values 2 was 0.9564 which indicated that the selected factors and its levels showed high correlation to the production of bio-oil from EFB pyrolysis process. A quadratic model equation was developed and employed to predict the highest theoretical bio-oil yield. The maximum bio-oil yield of 46.2 % was achieved at pyrolysis temperature of 442.15 °C using the EFB particle size of 866 μm which corresponded to the EFB particle size in the range of 710–1000 μm and holding time of 483 seconds

modification of sequence of unit operations in mechanized palm fruit

African Journals Online (AJOL)

palm fruits processing sector, and requires less .... factory mill is a fully mechanized (non-labour ... in the digested fruit are to be all just touch- ing one ... fruits with human foot to pounding with pes- ... tural Service Bulletin 148 of Food and Agri-.

Production of Monomeric Aromatic Compounds from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Lignin by Chemical and Enzymatic Methods

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Pei-Ling Tang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFBF was pretreated with alkali, and lignin was extracted for further degradation into lower molecular weight phenolic compounds using enzymes and chemical means. Efficiency of monomeric aromatic compounds production from OPEFBF lignin via chemical (nitrobenzene versus oxygen and enzymatic [cutinase versus manganese peroxidase (MnP] approaches was investigated. The effects of sodium hydroxide concentration (2, 5, and 10% wt. and reaction time (30, 90, and 180 minutes on the yield of aromatic compounds were studied. The results obtained indicated that nitrobenzene oxidation produced the highest yield (333.17±49.44 ppm hydroxybenzoic acid, 5.67±0.25 ppm p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 25.57±1.64 ppm vanillic acid, 168.68±23.23 ppm vanillin, 75.44±6.71 ppm syringic acid, 815.26±41.77 ppm syringaldehyde, 15.21±2.19 ppm p-coumaric acid, and 44.75±3.40 ppm ferulic acid, among the tested methods. High sodium hydroxide concentration (10% wt. was needed to promote efficient nitrobenzene oxidation. However, less severe oxidation condition was preferred to preserve the hydroxycinnamic acids (p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. Cutinase-catalyzed hydrolysis was found to be more efficient than MnP-catalyzed oxidation in the production of aromatic compounds. By hydrolyzed 8% wt. of lignin with 0.625 mL cutinase g−1 lignin at pH 8 and 55°C for 24 hours, about 642.83±14.45 ppm hydroxybenzoic acid, 70.19±3.31 ppm syringaldehyde, 22.80±1.04 ppm vanillin, 27.06±1.20 ppm p-coumaric acid, and 50.19±2.23 ppm ferulic acid were produced.

Combined pretreatment with hot compressed water and wet disk milling opened up oil palm biomass structure resulting in enhanced enzymatic digestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Zakaria, Mohd Rafein; Hirata, Satoshi; Fujimoto, Shinji; Hassan, Mohd Ali

2015-10-01

Combined pretreatment with hot compressed water and wet disk milling was performed with the aim to reduce the natural recalcitrance of oil palm biomass by opening its structure and provide maximal access to cellulase attack. Oil palm empty fruit bunch and oil palm frond fiber were first hydrothermally pretreated at 150-190° C and 10-240 min. Further treatment with wet disk milling resulted in nanofibrillation of fiber which caused the loosening of the tight biomass structure, thus increasing the subsequent enzymatic conversion of cellulose to glucose. The effectiveness of the combined pretreatments was evaluated by chemical composition changes, power consumption, morphological alterations by SEM and the enzymatic digestibility of treated samples. At optimal pretreatment process, approximately 88.5% and 100.0% of total sugar yields were obtained from oil palm empty fruit bunch and oil palm frond fiber samples, which only consumed about 15.1 and 23.5 MJ/kg of biomass, respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Chitosan Binder on Water Absorption of Empty Fruit Bunches Filter Media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziatul Niza Sadikin; Mohd Ghazali Mohd Nawawi; Norasikin Othman

2015-01-01

The potential of chitosan as filter media binder was investigated in this study. Chitosan solution with different concentrations were applied to the empty fruit bunches using two different deposition techniques, namely, spray method and addition method. In this study, a water absorption test was used to study the sorption behaviour of empty fruit bunches filter media. The water absorption study showed that the water uptake for empty fruit bunches filter media without the chitosan binder increases with time, until the water sorption reaches the equilibrium state. It was observed that the water uptake decreased from 23 % to 14 % for the chitosan-filled filter media as compared to binder-less filter media, over the duration of 24 hours. For 1 % chitosan concentration, the water uptake is higher compared to 3 % chitosan-filled filter media. The water absorption is relatively lower for filter media with a higher concentration of chitosan due to the high compatibility achieved at this interfacial region between empty fruit bunches fibres and chitosan. Alkali-treated filter media showed the lowest water uptake compared to diethyl ether, ethanol and hot water pretreatment methods. (author)

Cellobiohydrolase B of Aspergillus niger over-expressed in Pichia pastoris stimulates hydrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunches.

Science.gov (United States)

Woon, James Sy-Keen; Mackeen, Mukram M; Illias, Rosli M; Mahadi, Nor M; Broughton, William J; Murad, Abdul Munir Abdul; Abu Bakar, Farah Diba

2017-01-01

Aspergillus niger , along with many other lignocellulolytic fungi, has been widely used as a commercial workhorse for cellulase production. A fungal cellulase system generally includes three major classes of enzymes i.e., β-glucosidases, endoglucanases and cellobiohydrolases. Cellobiohydrolases (CBH) are vital to the degradation of crystalline cellulose present in lignocellulosic biomass. However, A. niger naturally secretes low levels of CBH. Hence, recombinant production of A. niger CBH is desirable to increase CBH production yield and also to allow biochemical characterisation of the recombinant CBH from A. niger . In this study, the gene encoding a cellobiohydrolase B ( cbh B) from A. niger ATCC 10574 was cloned and expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris X-33. The recombinant CBHB was purified and characterised to study its biochemical and kinetic characteristics. To evaluate the potential of CBHB in assisting biomass conversion, CBHB was supplemented into a commercial cellulase preparation (Cellic ® CTec2) and was used to hydrolyse oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB), one of the most abundant lignocellulosic waste from the palm oil industry. To attain maximum saccharification, enzyme loadings were optimised by response surface methodology and the optimum point was validated experimentally. Hydrolysed OPEFB samples were analysed using attenuated total reflectance FTIR spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) to screen for any compositional changes upon enzymatic treatment. Recombinant CBHB was over-expressed as a hyperglycosylated protein attached to N -glycans. CBHB was enzymatically active towards soluble substrates such as 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-cellobioside (MUC), p -nitrophenyl-cellobioside ( p NPC) and p -nitrophenyl-cellobiotrioside ( p NPG3) but was not active towards crystalline substrates like Avicel ® and Sigmacell cellulose. Characterisation of purified CBHB using MUC as the model substrate revealed that optimum catalysis occurred at 50 °C and

THE PAPER CHARACTERISTICS FROM COMBINATION OF RICE HUSKS AND EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES

OpenAIRE

Yuli Ristianinsih; Hero Islami; Muhammad Sarwani

2017-01-01

Rice husk and empty fruit bunches are agricultural and plantation wastes which have fiber cellulose and hemicellulose, it can be converted to pulp and paper. This research aims to study the effect of NaOH concentration (2, 4, 6 and 8% w/v) and raw material composition to pulp yield and to study characteristics of the paper combination of rice husk and empty fruit bunches using soda process based on SEM and XRD analysis. This research using soda process because it is suitable for non-wood raw...

THE PAPER CHARACTERISTICS FROM COMBINATION OF RICE HUSKS AND EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES

OpenAIRE

Yuli Ristianingsih; Hero Islami; Muhammad Sarwani

2017-01-01

Abstract- Rice husk and empty fruit bunches are agricultural and plantation wastes which have fiber cellulose and hemicellulose, it can be converted to pulp and paper. This research aims to study the effect of NaOH concentration (2, 4, 6 and 8% w/v) and raw material composition to pulp yield and to study characteristics of the paper combination of rice husk and empty fruit bunches using soda process based on SEM and XRD analysis. This research using soda process because it is suitable for no...

Optimization of the pyrolysis process of empty fruit bunch (EFB) in a fixed-bed reactor through a central composite design (CCD)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohamed, Alina Rahayu; Hamzah, Zainab; Daud, Mohamed Zulkali Mohamed [School of Bioprocess Engineering, Jejawi Complex of Academics (3), UniMAP, 02600 Arau Perlis (Malaysia)

2014-07-10

The production of crude palm oil from the processing of palm fresh fruit bunches in the palm oil mills in Malaysia hs resulted in a huge quantity of empty fruit bunch (EFB) accumulated. The EFB was used as a feedstock in the pyrolysis process using a fixed-bed reactor in the present study. The optimization of process parameters such as pyrolysis temperature (factor A), biomass particle size (factor B) and holding time (factor C) were investigated through Central Composite Design (CCD) using Stat-Ease Design Expert software version 7 with bio-oil yield considered as the response. Twenty experimental runs were conducted. The results were completely analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The model was statistically significant. All factors studied were significant with p-values < 0.05. The pyrolysis temperature (factor A) was considered as the most significant parameter because its F-value of 116.29 was the highest. The value of R{sup 2} was 0.9564 which indicated that the selected factors and its levels showed high correlation to the production of bio-oil from EFB pyrolysis process. A quadratic model equation was developed and employed to predict the highest theoretical bio-oil yield. The maximum bio-oil yield of 46.2 % was achieved at pyrolysis temperature of 442.15 °C using the EFB particle size of 866 μm which corresponded to the EFB particle size in the range of 710–1000 μm and holding time of 483 seconds.

Effect of irradiation ad incubation of palm oil empty fruit bunch medium on the Growth of rice mushroom (volvariella volvaceae)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darmawi; Suwadji, E.

1998-01-01

Study on the effect of irradiation and time incubation of composted palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB) were conducted in growth chamber in the plastic bag as growth medium. Treatments were consisted of sterilization of composted EFB growth medium by autoclave heating were conducted at 2.0 kg/cm 2 for 40 minutes and gamma irradiation at the dose of 0, 15, 30, and 45kGy. After sterilization, EFB medium were inoculated using mushroom seed of V. volvaceae. The time of incubation of EFB medium after inoculation was 2 and 4 weeks before mushroom harvesting. Growth chamber was maintained at 28-35 0 C room temperature and humidity > 80%. Parameters of the experiment were determined on mushroom analysis i.e. fat, protein, and content and weight of mushroom. analysis od EFB medium after incubation were determined i.e. total fiber and percentage of rendement. Results of the experiment showed that dose of 45 kGy effected on mushroom fat content 0.52% which was decreasing regards to the delay of incubation period. Irradiation treatment did not effect EFB fat content compared to non irradiated EFB (0.82%). Irradiation treatment and one.variety produced number of plaincreasing on mushroom protein content. Mushroom starch content was obtained on the dose of 15 kGy and 4 weeks of incubation period 3.09 and 3.13% respectively. The dose of 45 kGy and autoclave heating were decreasing total fiber of EFB medium 29.29 and 28.02% respectively. The dose of 45 kGy on EFB medium with 2 weeks of incubation period produced weight of mushroom 30.92 and 27.73 g/bag respectively. (author)

Electron beam pasteurised oil palm waste: a potential feed resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mat Rasol Awang; Hassan Hamdani Mutaat; Tamikazu Kume; Tachibana, H.

2002-01-01

Pasteurization of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) was performed using electron beam single sided irradiation. The dose profiles of oil palm EFB samples for different thickness in both directions X and Y were established. The results showed the usual characteristics dose uniformity as sample thickness decreased. The mean average absorbed dose on both sides at the surface and bottom of the samples for different thickness samples lead to establishing depth dose curve. Based on depth dose curve and operation conditions of electron beam machine, the process throughput for pasteurized oil palm EFB were estimated. (Author)

Utilization of oil palm empty bunches waste as biochar-microbes for improving availibity of soil nutrients

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G . I . Ichriani

2016-01-01

Full Text Available There are about 23% waste oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB of total waste generated from the production of crude palm oil in oil palm plantations. Pyrolysis technology can be used to convert waste into biochar and further can be utilized for the improvement of soil. Biochar-microbes of OPEFB are biochar from OPEFB biomass that enriched with soil microbes. Biochar-microbes is expected to be used for the improvement of the soil and plants. Therefore the purpose of this research was to study the ability of biochar-microbes OPEFB to increase availability of the nutrients in sandy soils. The process of making biochar done by using slow pyrolysis technology by heating 300oC and 400oC for 2 and 3 hours, and with sizes 40 and 80 mesh, as well as indigenous microbial Bulkhorderia nodosa G.52.Rif1 and Trichoderma sp. added. The biochar production and research were conducted in the Department of Forestry Laboratory and in the Department of Agronomy Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Palangka Raya University. In general, the study showed that biochar-microbes could maintain the soil pH value and tends to increase the soil pH, increasing the holding capacity of sandy soil to the elements of P and K as well as increasing the availability of nutrients N, P and K. Furthermore, this study showed that the biochar process by 400oC heating for 3 hours and 40 mesh with microbes or without microbes were the best effect on the improvement of the quality of holding capacity and the nutrients supply in sandy soils.

Characteristic of oil palm residue for energy conversion system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muharnif; Zainal, Z.A.

2006-01-01

Malaysia is the major producer of palm oil in the world. It produces 8.5 tones per year (8.5 x 10 6 ty -1 ) of palm oil from 38.6 x 10 6 ty - 1 of fresh fruit bunches. Palm oil production generates large amounts of process residue such as fiber (5.4 x 10 6 ty - 1 ), shell (2.3 x 10 6 ty - 1 ), and empty fruit bunches (8.8 x 10 6 ty - 1 ). A large fraction of the fiber and much of the shell are used as fuel to generate process steam and electricity. The appropriate energy conversion system depends on the characteristic of the oil palm residue. In this paper, a description of characteristic of the oil palm residue is presented. The types of the energy conversion system presented are stoker type combustor and gasified. The paper focuses on the pulverized biomass material and the use of fluidized bed gasified. In the fluidized bed gasified, the palm shell and fiber has to be pulverized before feeding into gasified. For downdraft gasified and furnace, the palm shell and fiber can be used directly into the reactor for energy conversion. The heating value, burning characteristic, ash and moisture content of the oil palm residue are other parameters of the study

Material flow analysis for resource management towards resilient palm oil production

Science.gov (United States)

Kamahara, H.; Faisal, M.; Hasanudin, U.; Fujie, K.; Daimon, H.

2018-03-01

Biomass waste generated from palm oil mill can be considered not only as the feedstock of renewable energy but also as the nutrient-rich resources to produce organic fertilizer. This study explored the appropriate resource management towards resilient palm oil production by applying material flow analysis. This study was conducted based on two palm oil mills in Lampung, Indonesia. The results showed that the empty fruit bunch (EFB) has the largest potential in terms of amount and energy among the biomass waste. The results also showed that the palm oil mills themselves had already self-managed their energy consumption thatwas obtained from palm kernel shell and palm press fiber. Finally, this study recommended the several utilization options of EFB for improvement of soil sustainability to contribute towards resilient palm oil production.

Emission studies from combustion of empty fruit bunch pellets in a fluidized bed combustor

Science.gov (United States)

Fazli Othaman, Muhamad; Sabudin, Sulastri; Faizal Mohideen Batcha, Mohd

2017-08-01

Malaysia is producing a very large amount of biomass annually from milling activities of oil palm. This biomass is currently being used efficiently in many ways including as fuel for boilers together with fossil fuels. This paper reports the emission characteristics from biomass combustion in a swirling fluidized bed combustor (SFBC). Pelletized empty fruit bunch (PEFB), one of largest biomass produced from oil palm industries were used as fuel in the present study. Combustion experiments were conducted with several quantitiesof excess air: 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% for a constant fuel feedrate of 30kg/hr. The effect of excess air was investigated for three major emissions gaseous namely CO, CO2 and NOx. Fly ash produced from the combustion was also analysed to find the contents of unburnt carbon and other impurities. From the results, it was found that the emission of CO decreased from 64 ppm to 40 ppm while the amount of CO2 increased slightly with the increasing of excess air from 20% to 80%. The NOx emission also increased from 290 ppm to 350 ppm because of N2 in the EA reacts with O2 due to high combustion temperature. The combustion efficiencies of about 99% obtained in the present study, showing the prospects of using SFBC in commercial scale.

THE PAPER CHARACTERISTICS FROM COMBINATION OF RICE HUSKS AND EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuli Ristianingsih

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract- Rice husk and empty fruit bunches are agricultural and plantation wastes which have fiber cellulose and hemicellulose, it can be converted to pulp and paper. This research aims to study the effect of NaOH concentration (2, 4, 6 and 8% w/v and raw material composition to pulp yield and to study characteristics of the paper combination of rice husk and empty fruit bunches using soda process based on SEM and XRD analysis. This research using soda process because it is suitable for non-wood raw materials, low cost operations and not use sulfur compounds. Dry raw materials are mixed with NaOH and digesting using autoclave (100°C, 1 atm for 60 minutes. NaOH concentration optimum used in the pulping process a combination rice husk and empty fruit bunches (1:3, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1 and then cooled for 30 minutes. Pulp is bleached with NaClO 5.25% (v / v, then formed and dried as paper. The lowest pulp yield obtained in a ratio of 2: 1 is 27.6%. Based on the observation of SEM known the fiber of rice husk and empty fruit bunches is 5.88 to 9.8 μm and 8.82 to 14.71 μm, while based on XRD observations, chemical treatment can improve the characteristic of peak intensity on paper combination. The highest advances of peak intensity in the 1:3 ratio is 71.28% (cellulose I dan 83.33% (cellulose II.

THE PAPER CHARACTERISTICS FROM COMBINATION OF RICE HUSKS AND EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuli Ristianinsih

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Rice husk and empty fruit bunches are agricultural and plantation wastes which have fiber cellulose and hemicellulose, it can be converted to pulp and paper. This research aims to study the effect of NaOH concentration (2, 4, 6 and 8% w/v and raw material composition to pulp yield and to study characteristics of the paper combination of rice husk and empty fruit bunches using soda process based on SEM and XRD analysis. This research using soda process because it is suitable for non-wood raw materials, low cost operations and not use sulfur compounds. Dry raw materials are mixed with NaOH and digesting using autoclave (100°C, 1 atm for 60 minutes. NaOH concentration optimum used in the pulping process a combination rice husk and empty fruit bunches (1:3, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1 and then cooled for 30 minutes. Pulp is bleached with NaClO 5.25% (v / v, then formed and dried as paper. The lowest pulp yield obtained in a ratio of 2: 1 is 27.6%. Based on the observation of SEM known the fiber of rice husk and empty fruit bunches is 5.88 to 9.8 μm and 8.82 to 14.71 μm, while based on XRD observations, chemical treatment can improve the characteristic of peak intensity on paper combination. The highest advances of peak intensity in the 1:3 ratio is 71.28% (cellulose I dan 83.33% (cellulose II.

Processing of palm oil mill wastes based on zero waste technology

Science.gov (United States)

Irvan

2018-02-01

Indonesia is currently the main producer of palm oil in the world with a total production reached 33.5 million tons per year. In the processing of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) besides producing palm oil and kernel oil, palm oil mills also produce liquid and solid wastes. The increase of palm oil production will be followed by an increase in the production of waste generated. It will give rise to major environmental issues especially the discharge of liquid waste to the rivers, the emission of methane from digestion pond and the incineration of empty fruit bunches (EFB). This paper describes a zero waste technology in processing palm oil mill waste after the milling process. The technology involves fermentation of palm oil mill effluent (POME) to biogas by using continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) in the presence of thermophilic microbes, producing activated liquid organic fertilizer (ALOF) from discharge of treated waste effluent from biogas digester, composting EFB by spraying ALOF on the EFB in the composter, and producing pellet or biochar from EFB by pyrolysis process. This concept can be considered as a promising technology for palm oil mills with the main objective of eliminating the effluent from their mills.

Conversion and characterization of activated carbon fiber derived from palm empty fruit bunch waste and its kinetic study on urea adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Ooi, Chee-Heong; Cheah, Wee-Keat; Sim, Yoke-Leng; Pung, Swee-Yong; Yeoh, Fei-Yee

2017-07-15

Urea removal is an important process in household wastewater purification and hemodialysis treatment. The efficiency of the urea removal can be improved by utilizing activated carbon fiber (ACF) for effective urea adsorption. In this study, ACF was prepared from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fiber via physicochemical activation using sulfuric acid as an activating reagent. Based on the FESEM result, ACF obtained after the carbonization and activation processes demonstrated uniform macropores with thick channel wall. ACF was found better prepared in 1.5:1 acid-to-EFB fiber ratio; where the pore size of ACF was analyzed as 1.2 nm in diameter with a predominant micropore volume of 0.39 cm 3  g -1 and a BET surface area of 869 m 2  g -1 . The reaction kinetics of urea adsorption by the ACF was found to follow a pseudo-second order kinetic model. The equilibrium amount of urea adsorbed on ACF decreased from 877.907 to 134.098 mg g -1 as the acid-to-fiber ratio increased from 0.75 to 4. During the adsorption process, the hydroxyl (OH) groups on ACF surface were ionized and became electronegatively charged due to the weak alkalinity of urea solution, causing ionic repulsion towards partially anionic urea. The ionic repulsion force between the electronegatively charged ACF surface and urea molecules became stronger when more OH functional groups appeared on ACF prepared at higher acid impregnation ratio. The results implied that EFB fiber based ACF can be used as an efficient adsorbent for the urea removal process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cellobiohydrolase B of Aspergillus niger over-expressed in Pichia pastoris stimulates hydrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunches

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James Sy-Keen Woon

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background Aspergillus niger, along with many other lignocellulolytic fungi, has been widely used as a commercial workhorse for cellulase production. A fungal cellulase system generally includes three major classes of enzymes i.e., β-glucosidases, endoglucanases and cellobiohydrolases. Cellobiohydrolases (CBH are vital to the degradation of crystalline cellulose present in lignocellulosic biomass. However, A. niger naturally secretes low levels of CBH. Hence, recombinant production of A. niger CBH is desirable to increase CBH production yield and also to allow biochemical characterisation of the recombinant CBH from A. niger. Methods In this study, the gene encoding a cellobiohydrolase B (cbhB from A. niger ATCC 10574 was cloned and expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris X-33. The recombinant CBHB was purified and characterised to study its biochemical and kinetic characteristics. To evaluate the potential of CBHB in assisting biomass conversion, CBHB was supplemented into a commercial cellulase preparation (Cellic® CTec2 and was used to hydrolyse oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB, one of the most abundant lignocellulosic waste from the palm oil industry. To attain maximum saccharification, enzyme loadings were optimised by response surface methodology and the optimum point was validated experimentally. Hydrolysed OPEFB samples were analysed using attenuated total reflectance FTIR spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR to screen for any compositional changes upon enzymatic treatment. Results Recombinant CBHB was over-expressed as a hyperglycosylated protein attached to N-glycans. CBHB was enzymatically active towards soluble substrates such as 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-cellobioside (MUC, p-nitrophenyl-cellobioside (pNPC and p-nitrophenyl-cellobiotrioside (pNPG3 but was not active towards crystalline substrates like Avicel® and Sigmacell cellulose. Characterisation of purified CBHB using MUC as the model substrate revealed that optimum

Development and material properties of new hybrid plywood from oil palm biomass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdul Khalil, H.P.S.; Nurul Fazita, M.R.; Bhat, A.H.; Jawaid, M.; Nik Fuad, N.A.

2010-01-01

Shortage of wood as a raw material has forced wood-based industries to find alternative local raw materials. Currently, oil palm biomass is undergoing research and development (R and D) and appears to be the most viable alternative. This work examines the conversion of oil palm trunk (OPT) and oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) into new plywood and analyses its properties. We prepared five-ply veneer hybrid plywood (alternating layers of oil palm trunk veneer and empty fruit bunch mat) with different spread levels (300 g/m 2 and 500 g/m 2 ) of resins (phenol formaldehyde and urea formaldehyde). We then studied the mechanical and physical properties of the plywood. The results show that hybridisation of EFB with OPT improves some properties of plywood, such as bending strength, screw withdrawal and shear strength. The thermal properties of the plywood panels were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The panels glued with phenol formaldehyde with a spread level of 500 g/m 2 showed better thermal stability than the other panels. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to study the fibre matrix bonding and surface morphology of the plywood at different glue spread levels of the resins. The fibre-matrix bonding showed good improvement for the hybrid panel glued with 500 g/m 2 phenol formaldehyde.

A REVIEW OF OIL PALM BIOCOMPOSITES FOR FURNITURE DESIGN AND APPLICATIONS: POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES

OpenAIRE

Siti Suhaily,; Mohammad Jawaid,; H. P. S. Abdul Khalil,; A. Rahman Mohamed; , F. Ibrahim

2012-01-01

This review considers the potential and challenges of using agro-based oil palm biomasses, including the trunk, frond, empty fruit bunch, and palm press fiber biocomposites, for furniture applications. Currently, design and quality rather than price are becoming the primary concern for consumers when buying new furniture. Within this context, this paper focuses on the design of innovative, sustainable furniture from agro-based biocomposites to meet the needs of future population growth and te...

Effects of palm oil mill effluent (POME) anaerobic sludge from 500 m ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this study, co-composting of pressed-shredded empty fruit bunches (EFB) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) anaerobic sludge from 500 m3 closed anaerobic methane digested tank was carried out. High nitrogen and nutrients content were observed in the POME anaerobic sludge. The sludge was subjected to the ...

Pre-irradiation technique for processing of oil palm fruit bunch fibers - polypropylene composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khairul Zaman Dahlan; Manarpaac, G.A.; Harun Jalaluddin

2002-01-01

Researches on oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers and thermoplastic composites have been carried out by many workers in the last decade. The main focus was to enhance the properties of the resultant composites in view of the incompatibility of the two components. Thus, efforts have been made to enhance their properties by using coupling agents, treating the fibers and modifying the matrices. In this study, the effects of electron beam (EB) irradiation and some reactive additives (RAs) on the mechanical properties of EFB-PP (polypropylene) composites were evaluated. Different modes of irradiation were investigated. Mono, di and tri functional of monomers of RAs were used. irradiating PP alone, compared to irradiating the EFB fibers or irradiating both components, gave optimum properties for EFB-PP composites. Further, improvements of the properties of the composites were achieved with the addition of RAs with TMPTA (trymethylol propane triacrylate) giving the optimum results. (Author)

Optimum conditions for maximising pyrolysis liquids of oil palm empty fruit bunches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulaiman, F.; Abdullah, N.

2011-01-01

As production of palm oil is expanding, a more efficient use of oil palm biomass to obtain more energy from oil palm plantations is investigated. The work was carried out on a fluidised bed bench scale fast pyrolysis unit, with the objective of determining the important conditions and key variables which are required to maximise the liquid yield and its quality. The investigation on the impact of reactor temperature, varying residence time by changing the nitrogen flow rate and combined impact of ash content and particle size on the product yields is presented. The properties of the liquid product were analysed and compared with wood derived bio-oil and petroleum fuels. It was found that in all cases the liquid product separated into two phases presenting difficulties for fuel applications, which are critically discussed. Potential solutions are also proposed which include upgrading of the liquid for fuel applications and other useful applications. -- Highlights: → Fibre analysis, proximate analysis and elemental analysis were carried out in this work. → Thermal degradation behaviour of EFB using thermogravimetry and differential thermogravimetry curves is in good agreement with other studies. → Maximum yield for liquids was determined to be around 55% at reactor temperature, 450 o C utilising residence time of 1.03 s → The low organic yield obtained for highest ash content of size below 150 μm is not due to low closure. → The phase separated liquid produced would present a challenging fuel due to its high viscosity and high water content.

Chemical composition of Chinese palm fruit and chemical properties ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ajl user 4

2012-05-15

May 15, 2012 ... African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. ... (PK) of oil palm fruit (Elaeis guineensis S.L.Dura) produced in Hainan, China were investigated. The ..... MS conditions: ionization type, .... number of fatty acids of low molecular weight.

Relative Estimation of Water Content for Flat-Type Inductive-Based Oil Palm Fruit Maturity Sensor

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Norhisam Misron

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to study the sensor that identifies the maturity of oil palm fruit bunches by using a flat-type inductive concept based on a resonant frequency technique. Conventionally, a human grader is used to inspect the ripeness of the oil palm fresh fruit bunch (FFB which can be inconsistent and inaccurate. There are various new methods that are proposed with the intention to grade the ripeness of the oil palm FFB, but none has taken the inductive concept. In this study, the resonance frequency of the air coil is investigated. Samples of oil palm FFB are tested with frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 10 MHz and the results obtained show a linear relationship between the graph of the resonance frequency (MHz against time (Weeks. It is observed that the resonance frequencies obtained for Week 10 (pre-mature and Week 18 (mature are around 8.5 MHz and 9.8 MHz, respectively. These results are compared with the percentage of the moisture content. Hence, the inductive method of the oil palm fruit maturity sensor can be used to detect the change in water content for ripeness detection of the oil palm FFB.

development of motorized development of motorized oil palm fruit

African Journals Online (AJOL)

eobe

industrial activity in a number of developing West. African and ... pharmaceutical industries for the manufacture of drugs. ... production line of which oil palm fruit digestion is one. Thus, one ... For effective design of the machine, it was necessary.

Biotechnological applications for the utilisation of wastes from palm oil mills

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheah, S C; Ma, A N; Ooi, L C.L.; Ong, A S.H.

1988-05-01

The milling of oil palm fruits produces about two-and-a-half to three times as much effluent as oil does. It also generates a large amount of lignocellulosic wastes, mainly in the form of empty fruit bunches, press cake fibres and nut shell. Research efforts at PORIM have been directed towards the utilisation of these wastes as a means to solve the problem of environmental pollution as well as for the generation of economic returns for the mills. We have studied a thermophilic contact process for the anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent and its potential for generating biogas for energy uses. Our work has also shown that the condensate derived from the fruit sterilisation process during milling is amenable to fermentation for the production of single cell protein (SCP) and exo-enzymes. The enzymes produced have been applied for oil clarification, oil recovery from press cake fibers and saccharification of the fibers for the production of sugar feedstocks. This paper will also introduce the concept of integrated waste management for the palm oil mill through the implementation of these technologies.

Exploration of a Chemo-Mechanical Technique for the Isolation of Nanofibrillated Cellulosic Fiber from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch as a Reinforcing Agent in Composites Materials

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Ireana Yusra A. Fatah

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of sulphuric acid hydrolysis and high-pressure homogenization as an effective chemo-mechanical process for the isolation of quality nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC. The cellulosic fiber was isolated from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB using acid hydrolysis methods and, subsequently, homogenized using a high-pressure homogenizer to produce NFC. The structural analysis and the crystallinity of the raw fiber and extracted cellulose were carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR and X-ray diffraction (XRD. The morphology and thermal stability were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM and thermogravimetric (TGA analyses, respectively. The FTIR results showed that lignin and hemicellulose were removed effectively from the extracted cellulose nanofibrils. XRD analysis revealed that the percentage of crystallinity was increased from raw EFB to microfibrillated cellulose (MFC, but the decrease for NFC might due to a break down the hydrogen bond. The size of the NFC was determined within the 5 to 10 nm. The TGA analysis showed that the isolated NFC had high thermal stability. The finding of present study reveals that combination of sulphuric acid hydrolysis and high-pressure homogenization could be an effective chemo-mechanical process to isolate cellulose nanofibers from cellulosic plant fiber for reinforced composite materials.

QUALITY CHARACTERISTIS OF FRUITS AND OILS OF PALMS NATIVE TO THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

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MARY DE FÁTIMA GUEDES DOS SANTOS

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Native palm trees are highly important plant resources for the Amazon region; however, despite the great diversity and utilities, few species have been studied, requiring more comprehensive studies on quality and composition for species not yet explored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of fruits and oils of palm trees from the Brazilian Amazon and to identify potential uses. Fruits from five palm trees (bacaba, buriti, inajá, pupunha, and tucumã were evaluated for total mass, length, diameter, and yield, soluble solids (SS, titratable acidity (TA, pH, SS/TA ratio, total soluble sugar (TSS, reducing sugar (RS, total pectin (TP soluble pectin (SP, and starch. The oils from the edible portion of fruits were evaluated for acidity and peroxide indexes, oxidative stability, unsaponifiable matter, polar compounds and fatty acids composition analyzed by gas chromatography. Pupunha showed the highest yield of the edible portion (76.38% and starch content (24.89%. The mesocarp of palm fruits showed SS values between 7.5 and 14.3 ºBrix, low acidity (0.30%, pH (4.2 to 6.3, higher content of total sugars in tucuma and reducing sugars in bacaba and 0.81% for total pectin. The content of lipids was high, ranging from 17.0% for pupunha to 38.3% for bacaba in dry basis. In buriti, tucuma, and bacaba oils, high content of unsaturated fatty acids was found, with more than 83, 75, and 61%, respectively. Therefore, not only fruits but also oils showed excellent quality and great nutritional potential.

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) as a pretreatment for oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) in production of sugar

Science.gov (United States)

Nor, Nur Atikah Md; Mustapha, Wan Aida Wan; Hassan, Osman

2015-09-01

Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) was pretreated using Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) at different parameters to enable a highest yield of sugar. DES is a combination of two or more cheap and safe components to form a eutectic mixture through hydrogen bond interaction, which has a melting point lower than that of each component. DES can be used to replace ionic liquids (ILs), which are more expensive and toxic. In this study, OPEFB was pretreated with DES mixture of choline chloride: urea in 1:2 molar ratio. The pretreatment was performed at temperature 110°C and 80°C for 4 hours and 1 hour. Pretreatment A (110°C, 4 hours), B (110°C, 1 hour), C (80°C, 4 hours) and D (80°C, 1 hour). Enzymatic hydrolysis was done by using the combination of two enzymes, namely, Cellic Ctec2 and Cellic Htec2. The treated fiber is tested for crystallinity using XRD and functional group analysis using FTIR, to check the effect of the pretreatment on the fiber and compared it with the untreated fiber. From XRD analysis, DES successfully gave an effect towards degree of crystallinity of cellulose. Pretreatment A (110°C, 4 hours) and B (110°C, 1 hour) successfully reduce the percentage of crystallinity while pretreatment C (80°C, 4 hours) and D (80°C, 1 hour) increased the percentage of crystallinity. From FTIR analysis, DES cannot remove the functional group of lignin and hemicellulose but it is believed that DES can expose the structure of cellulose. Upon enzymatic hydrolysis, DES-treated fiber successfully produced sugar but not significantly when compared with raw. Pretreatment A (110°C, 4 hours), B (110°C, 1 hour), C (80°C, 4 hours) and D (80°C, 1 hour) produced glucose at the amount of 60.47 mg/ml, 66.33 mg/ml, 61.96 mg/ml and 59.12 mg/ml respectively. However, pretreatment C gave the highest xylose (70.01 mg/ml) production compared to other DES pretreatments.

Fruit maturation and in vitro germination of macaw palm embryos ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

-industrial potential. Seed dormancy in palm species may be due to embryo immaturity, which could result from delayed embryogenesis. We evaluated the correspondence between the visual characteristics of maturing fruits and their ...

Determination of heavy metals in the fruit of date palm growing at different locations of Riyadh.

Science.gov (United States)

Aldjain, Ibrahim M; Al-Whaibi, Mohamed H; Al-Showiman, Salim S; Siddiqui, Manzer H

2011-04-01

Exposure of heavy metals to human beings has risen dramatically in the last 50 years. In today's urban and industrial society, there is no escaping from exposure to toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Humans are more likely to be exposed to heavy metal contamination from the dust that adheres to edible plants than from bioaccumulation. This is because it is very difficult to wash off all the dust particles from the plant material before ingesting them. The objectives of this experiment were to determine the concentrations of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in washing residues and in the tissues of fruits of date palm growing in 14 sites of Riyadh and also to assess whether the fruits were safe for human consumption. The washing residues and tissue of date palm fruits collected from different sites showed the presence of significant amounts of the Pb and Cd. The concentration of Pb in the dust and fruit tissue increased with increasing anthropogenic sources. Therefore, fruits of date palm might be used as a pollution indicator; it might be recommend that fruits of date palm could be safe for human consumption after washing. The mean concentration of Pb and Cd in all the samples collected from different sites is within the safe limits recommended by FAO/WHO.

Isolation, Characterization, and Application of Nanocellulose from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber as Nanocomposites

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N. S. Lani

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nanocomposites, consisting of a polymeric matrix and nanosized elements as reinforcement, have attracted significant scientific attention because of their high mechanical performance. A large variety of nanocomposites have been prepared using bio-based materials as a matrix and nanoreinforcement, so that it can reduce the dependence on nondegradable products and move to a sustainable materials basis. The objective of this study was to isolate nanocellulose from empty fruit bunch (EFB fiber and their reinforcing effect on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA/starch blend films. A series of PVA/starch films with different content of nanocellulose were prepared by solution casting method. Nanocellulose fiber with diameters ranging from 4 to 15 nm has been successfully prepared. On the other hand, PVA/starch films reinforced with nanocellulose fiber possess significantly improved properties compared to unreinforced film. From the results, PVA/starch films with the addition of 5% (v/v of nanocellulose exhibited best combination of properties. This nanocomposite was found to have tensile strength at about 5.694 MPa and elongation at break was 481.85%. In addition to good mechanical properties, this nanocomposite has good water resistance and biodegradability.

Investigations on a Novel Inductive Concept Frequency Technique for the Grading of Oil Palm Fresh Fruit Bunches

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Kunihisa Tashiro

2013-02-01

Full Text Available From the Malaysian harvester’s perspective, the determination of the ripeness of the oil palm (FFB is a critical factor to maximize palm oil production. A preliminary study of a novel oil palm fruit sensor to detect the maturity of oil palm fruit bunches is presented. To optimize the functionality of the sensor, the frequency characteristics of air coils of various diameters are investigated to determine their inductance and resonant characteristics. Sixteen samples from two categories, namely ripe oil palm fruitlets and unripe oil palm fruitlets, are tested from 100 Hz up to 100 MHz frequency. The results showed the inductance and resonant characteristics of the air coil sensors display significant changes among the samples of each category. The investigations on the frequency characteristics of the sensor air coils are studied to observe the effect of variations in the coil diameter. The effect of coil diameter yields a significant 0.02643 MHz difference between unripe samples to air and 0.01084 MHz for ripe samples to air. The designed sensor exhibits significant potential in determining the maturity of oil palm fruits.

Waste to Wealth: Hidden Treasures in the Oil Palm Industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loh Soh Kheang; Astimar Abdul Aziz; Ravigadevi Sambathamurthi; Mohd Basri Wahid

2010-01-01

The palm oil industry plays an important role in the creation of waste to wealth using the abundant oil palm biomass resources generated from palm oil supply chain i.e. upstream to downstream activities. The oil palm biomass and other palm-derived waste streams available are oil palm trunks (felled), fronds (felled and pruned), shell, mesocarp fibers, empty fruit bunches (EFB), palm oil mill effluent (POME), palm kernel expelled (PKE), palm fatty acid distillates (PFAD), used frying oil (UFO), residual oil from spent bleaching earth (SBE) and glycerol. For 88.5 million tonnes of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) processed in 2008, the amount of oil palm biomass generated was more than 25 million tones (dry weight basis) with the generation of 59 million tonnes of POME from 410 palm oil mills. Oil palm biomass consists of mainly lignocellulose materials that can be potentially and fully utilized for renewable energy, wood-based products and high value-added products such as pytonutrients, phenolics, carotenes and vitamin E. Oil palm biomass can be converted to bio energy with high combustible characteristics such as briquettes, bio-oils, bio-producer gas, boiler fuel, biogas and bio ethanol. Oil palm biomass can also be made into wood-based products such as composite and furniture, pulp and paper and planting medium. The recovery of phenolics from POME as valuable antioxidants has potential drug application. Other possible applications for oil palm biomass include fine chemicals, dietary fibers, animal feed and polymers. There must be a strategic and sustainable resource management to distribute palm oil and palm biomass to maximize the use of the resources so that it can generate revenues, bring benefits to the palm oil industry and meet stringent sustainability requirements in the future. (author)

Palm oil mill effluent treatment and utilization to ensure the sustainability of palm oil industries.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasanudin, U; Sugiharto, R; Haryanto, A; Setiadi, T; Fujie, K

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current condition of palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment and utilization and to propose alternative scenarios to improve the sustainability of palm oil industries. The research was conducted through field survey at some palm oil mills in Indonesia, in which different waste management systems were used. Laboratory experiment was also carried out using a 5 m(3) pilot-scale wet anaerobic digester. Currently, POME is treated through anaerobic digestion without or with methane capture followed by utilization of treated POME as liquid fertilizer or further treatment (aerobic process) to fulfill the wastewater quality standard. A methane capturing system was estimated to successfully produce renewable energy of about 25.4-40.7 kWh/ton of fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 109.41-175.35 kgCO2e/tonFFB (CO2e: carbon dioxide equivalent). Utilization of treated POME as liquid fertilizer increased FFB production by about 13%. A palm oil mill with 45 ton FFB/hour capacity has potential to generate about 0.95-1.52 MW of electricity. Coupling the POME-based biogas digester and anaerobic co-composting of empty fruit bunches (EFBs) is capable of adding another 0.93 MW. The utilization of POME and EFB not only increases the added value of POME and EFB by producing renewable energy, compost, and liquid fertilizer, but also lowers environmental burden.

Intelligent Color Vision System for Ripeness Classification of Oil Palm Fresh Fruit Bunch

OpenAIRE

Fadilah, Norasyikin; Mohamad-Saleh, Junita; Halim, Zaini Abdul; Ibrahim, Haidi; Ali, Syed Salim Syed

2012-01-01

Ripeness classification of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) during harvesting is important to ensure that they are harvested during optimum stage for maximum oil production. This paper presents the application of color vision for automated ripeness classification of oil palm FFB. Images of oil palm FFBs of type DxP Yangambi were collected and analyzed using digital image processing techniques. Then the color features were extracted from those images and used as the inputs for Artificial Ne...

Polymeric reaction between aldehyde group in furfural and phenolic derivatives from liquefaction of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber as phenol-furfural resin

Science.gov (United States)

Masli, M. Z.; Zakaria, S.; Chia, C. H.; Roslan, R.

2016-11-01

Resinification of liquefied empty fruit bunch with furfural (LEFB-Fu) was performed. During the resinification process, the samples were taken every hour up to 4 hours. FTIR analysis of the samples was conducted to understand the progress of the reaction. It showed that the bands of 1512 cm-1 and 1692 cm-1 evolving and diminishing respectively, indicating the consumption of furfural. The postulation of polymerization was also proven as the increasing extent of substitution of aromatic ring observed.

Successful scaling-up of self-sustained pyrolysis of oil palm biomass under pool-type reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Idris, Juferi; Shirai, Yoshihito; Andou, Yoshito; Mohd Ali, Ahmad Amiruddin; Othman, Mohd Ridzuan; Ibrahim, Izzudin; Yamamoto, Akio; Yasuda, Nobuhiko; Hassan, Mohd Ali

2016-02-01

An appropriate technology for waste utilisation, especially for a large amount of abundant pressed-shredded oil palm empty fruit bunch (OFEFB), is important for the oil palm industry. Self-sustained pyrolysis, whereby oil palm biomass was combusted by itself to provide the heat for pyrolysis without an electrical heater, is more preferable owing to its simplicity, ease of operation and low energy requirement. In this study, biochar production under self-sustained pyrolysis of oil palm biomass in the form of oil palm empty fruit bunch was tested in a 3-t large-scale pool-type reactor. During the pyrolysis process, the biomass was loaded layer by layer when the smoke appeared on the top, to minimise the entrance of oxygen. This method had significantly increased the yield of biochar. In our previous report, we have tested on a 30-kg pilot-scale capacity under self-sustained pyrolysis and found that the higher heating value (HHV) obtained was 22.6-24.7 MJ kg(-1) with a 23.5%-25.0% yield. In this scaled-up study, a 3-t large-scale procedure produced HHV of 22.0-24.3 MJ kg(-1) with a 30%-34% yield based on a wet-weight basis. The maximum self-sustained pyrolysis temperature for the large-scale procedure can reach between 600 °C and 700 °C. We concluded that large-scale biochar production under self-sustained pyrolysis was successfully conducted owing to the comparable biochar produced, compared with medium-scale and other studies with an electrical heating element, making it an appropriate technology for waste utilisation, particularly for the oil palm industry. © The Author(s) 2015.

Development of Motorized Oil Palm Fruit Rotary Digester | Asoiro ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A motorized oil palm fruit rotary digester comprising of a feed hopper, hammers, axle, screening plate, v-belt, 2hp electric motor, digesting chamber and frame was designed and developed using standard and locally sourced materials. The performance test analysis showed that its throughput capacity is 117.93kg/hr with a ...

Pulping and paper properties of Palmyra palm fruit fibers

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Waranyou Sridach

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Palmyra palm fruit fibers have the properties to be used as an alternative raw material of cellulosic pulps for papermaking.Acid and alkali pulping were investigated by using nitric acid and caustic soda on a laboratory scale, with the purpose of producing printing or writing grade pulp. The chemical composition of fiber strands from palmyra palm fruits were examined, such as holocellulose, cellulose, pentosan, lignin and extractives. The yields of acid and soda pulps were below 40%. The main physical and mechanical properties of hand sheets produced from acid and soda processes were evaluated on 80 g/m2 test sheets as functions of the following parameters: tensile index, tear index, and brightness. The mechanical properties of soda pulps were developed by twin-roll press while it was not necessary to fibrillate acidic pulps through the beating step. The soda pulp sheets presented a lower brightness than that of acidic pulp sheets. The mechanicaland physical properties of the acidic and alkaline pulps verified that they were of an acceptable quality for papermaking.

Integration of energy-efficient empty fruit bunch drying with gasification/combined cycle systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, Muhammad; Prawisudha, Pandji; Prabowo, Bayu; Budiman, Bentang Arief

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Novel integrated drying, gasification and combined cycle for empty fruit bunch. • Application of enhanced process integration to achieve high total energy efficiency. • The technology covers exergy recovery and process integration. • High overall energy efficiency can be achieved (about 44% including drying). - Abstract: A high-energy-efficient process for empty fruit bunch drying with integration to gasification and combined cycle processes is proposed. The enhancement is due to greater exergy recovery and more efficient process integration. Basically, the energy/heat involved in a single process is recovered as much as possible, leading to minimization of exergy destruction. In addition, the unrecoverable energy/heat is utilized for other processes through process integration. During drying, a fluidized bed dryer with superheated steam is used as the main evaporator. Exergy recovery is performed through exergy elevation via compression and effective heat coupling in a dryer and heat exchangers. The dried empty fruit bunches are gasified in a fluidized bed gasifier using air as the fluidizing gas. Furthermore, the produced syngas is utilized as fuel in the combined cycle module. From process analysis, the proposed integrated processes can achieve a relatively high energy efficiency. Compared to a standalone drying process employing exergy recovery, the proposed integrated drying can reduce consumed energy by about 1/3. In addition, the overall integrated processes can reach a total power generation efficiency of about 44%

Effect of Kevlar and carbon fibres on tensile properties of oil palm/epoxy composites

Science.gov (United States)

Amir, S. M. M.; Sultan, M. T. H.; Jawaid, M.; Cardona, F.; Ishak, M. R.; Yusof, M. R.

2017-12-01

Hybrid composites with natural and synthetic fibers have captured the interests of many researchers. In this work, Kevlar/oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB)/Kevlar and carbon/oil palm EFB hybrid/carbon composites were prepared using hand lay-up technique by keeping the oil palm EFB fiber as the core material. The tensile properties which include tensile strength, tensile modulus and elongation at break were investigated. It is observed that the tensile strength and modulus for carbon/oil palm EFB/carbon hybrid composites were much higher as compared with Kevlar/oil palm EFB/Kevlar hybrid composites. However, the elongation at break for Kevlar/oil palm EFB/Kevlar hybrid composites exhibited higher value as compared to carbon/oil palm EFB/carbon hybrid composites and oil palm EFB/epoxy composites. The tensile strength for carbon/oil palm EFB/carbon hybrid composites is 93.6 MPa and the tensile modulus for carbon/oil palm EFB/carbon hybrid composites is 6.5 GPa. The elongation at break for Kevlar/oil palm EFB/Kevlar hybrid composites is 3.6%.

Cultivation of Flammulina velutipesmushroom using various agro-residues as a fruiting substrate

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Nooraishah Harith

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate the feasibility of different agro-residues as a carbon source in the fruiting substrates of Flammulina velutipesmushroom and the effect of supplementation with the nitrogen sources spent brewer's yeast and rice bran. The following fruiting substrates were evaluated: rubber wood sawdust (SD, paddy straw (PS, palm empty fruit bunches (EFB, and palm-pressed fiber (PPF. Cultivation was done on each agro-residue, based on formulations consisting of two substrates at the ratios of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3. Mycelial growth rate and basidiocarp yield were evaluated. The best fruiting substrates were PS+EFB (25:75, PS+PPF (50:50, and PPF (100, with biological efficiency of 185.09±36.98, 150.89±50.35, and 129.06±14.51%, respectively. No significant effects of supplementation with rice bran and spent yeast were observed on mycelial growth rate and biological efficiency. The cultivation of F. velutipes on oil palm wastes does not require additional nitrogen sources.

Tribological Evaluation of Date Palm Fruit Syrup–A Potential Environmental-Friendly Lubricant

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Abdul Samad Mohammed

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Date palm is one of the most cultivated palms mostly found in the Middle Eastern regions of the world. The date palm fruits are not only nutritionally rich, but also have a good amount of fatty acids such as oleic acid, palmitic acid, and linoleic acids, which have excellent anti-wear and lubricating properties, making it a potentially good candidate to be used as an environmentally-friendly lubricant. This study is a preliminary effort to explore the lubricating properties of date palm fruit syrup by conducting ball-on-disc wear tests on mild steel samples. Different concentrations (50, 75, and 100 vol % of the syrup in water were tested at a normal load of 50 N and a sliding linear speed of 0.1 m/s. Scanning electron microscopy and optical profilometry were used to characterize the wear tracks and estimate the wear rates. 100 vol % date syrup with a viscosity of 16.95 mPa·s showed excellent results by reducing the coefficient of friction of steel-on-steel from 0.6 (dry conditions to a value of ~0.1. The depth of the wear track reduced from ~152 µm (dry conditions to ~11 µm, signifying a considerable reduction in wear.

Isolation of Thermophilic Lignin Degrading Bacteria from Oil-Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) Compost

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, C. M. T.; Chua, H. B.; Danquah, M. K.; Saptoro, A.

2017-06-01

Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) is a potential and sustainable feedstock for bioethanol production due to its high cellulosic content and availability in Malaysia. Due to high lignin content of EFB and the lack of effective delignification process, commercial bioethanol production from EFB is presently not viable. Enzymatic delignification has been identified as one of the key steps in utilising EFB as a feedstock for bioethanol conversion. To date, limited work has been reported on the isolation of lignin degrading bacteria. Hence, there is a growing interest to search for new lignin degrading bacteria with greater tolerance to temperature and high level of ligninolytic enzymes for more effective lignin degradation. This study aimed to isolate and screen thermophilic ligninolytic microorganisms from EFB compost. Ten isolates were successfully isolated from EFB compost. Although they are not capable of decolorizing Methylene Blue (MB) dye under agar plate assay method, they are able to utilize lignin mimicked compound - guaiacol as a sole carbon on the agar plate assay. This infers that there is no correlation of ligninolytic enzymes with dye decolourization for all the isolates that have been isolated. However, they are able to produce ligninolytic enzymes (Lignin peroxidase, Manganese peroxidase, Laccase) in Minimal Salt Medium with Kraft Lignin (MSM-KL) with Lignin Peroxidase (LiP) as the predominant enzyme followed by Manganese Peroxidase (MnP) and Laccase (Lac). Among all the tested isolates, CLMT 29 has the highest LiP production up to 8.7673 U/mL following 24 h of growth.

Comparative Proteome Analysis of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) Floret and Fruit Tissues

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Kok S.Y.; Ong-Abdullah M.

2012-01-01

Marked changes are expected when flowers are fertilized and fruit formation is initiated.In this study,differentially expressed proteins between florets (day before pollination and day after pollination) and fruit (2 weeks after pollination) tissues of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) were identified and characterized.Proteins were extracted using phenol-based method and subjected to one-and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.One-dimensional gel electrophoresis of protein extracts showed a number of protein bands common to both types of floret and fruit tissues.Subsequently,protein extracts resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in the 4 to 7 pH range revealed about 53 expressed proteins showed significant differences during fertilization and fruit formation.The differentially expressed proteins were excised and digested with trypsin.Proteins were then identified with the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS),resulting in a 73.5％ success in protein identification.The identified proteins were mainly involved in protein metabolism,biological regulation,stress response and oxidationreduction process.Further verification of the results are underway but nonetheless this study has provided some valuable information on fertilization and early fruit formation in oil palm.

Microwave heat treatment as a substitute for conventional treatment of palm oil fruits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mujahid H Al-Fayadh; Nor Azura Masabbir Ali

1996-01-01

Microwave energy has become a sound method of heat treatment because of its high penetration power, cleanliness and possible economic significance. In this research, microwave heat was used as a substitute for conventional blanching method of palm oil fruits. Microwave treatment at 2450 MHz and 800 watts gave very close color and frn,frying characteristics to oil of blanched fruits after one minute exposure time. However, five minutes of microwave heat gave severe husk oil discoloration after 49 hours of deep frying, compared to all oils extracted from fruits treated by either low, microwave exposure time or conventional steam treatment. Kernel oil, after five minutes of microwave treatment, was less discolored than both steam or microwave-treated fruits for one minute. More carotenes and discoloration compounds may be contributed to discoloration during microwave treatments. Oil chemical constants of both husk and kernel oils treated by microwave heat were close to those treated by conventional heat. Further research is needed to investigate detailed oil characteristics and evaluate the feasibility study for using microwave energy, as a substitute for conventional heat in palm oil industry

Dynamic changes in the date palm fruit proteome during development and ripening

KAUST Repository

Marondedze, Claudius

2014-08-06

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is an economically important fruit tree in the Middle East and North Africa and is characterized by large cultivar diversity, making it a good model for studies on fruit development and other important traits. Here in gel comparative proteomics combined with tandem mass spectrometry were used to study date fruit development and ripening. Total proteins were extracted using a phenol-based protocol. A total of 189 protein spots were differentially regulated (p≤0.05). The identified proteins were classified into 14 functional categories. The categories with the most proteins were ‘disease and defense’ (16.5%) and ‘metabolism’ (15.4%). Twenty-nine proteins have not previously been identified in other fleshy fruits and 64 showed contrasting expression patterns in other fruits. Abundance of most proteins with a role in abiotic stress responses increased during ripening with the exception of heat shock proteins. Proteins with a role in anthocyanin biosynthesis, glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle and cell wall degradation were upregulated particularly from the onset of ripening and during ripening. In contrast, expression of pentose phosphate- and photosynthesis-related proteins decreased during fruit maturation. Although date palm is considered a climacteric species, the analysis revealed downregulation of two enzymes involved in ethylene biosynthesis, suggesting an ethylene-independent ripening of ‘Barhi’ fruits. In summary, this proteomics study provides insights into physiological processes during date fruit development and ripening at the systems level and offers a reference proteome for the study of regulatory mechanisms that can inform molecular and biotechnological approaches to further improvements of horticultural traits including fruit quality and yield.

Pemanfaatan Abu Tandan Kosong Kelapa Sawit Untuk Menurunkan Kandungan Minyak/Lemak BOD Dan COD Dari Limbah Cair Pabrik Kelapa Sawit

OpenAIRE

Sari, Riris Duma

2011-01-01

An investigation of the utilization of oil palm empty fruit bunch ash to reduce the content of oil/grease, BOD and COD from oil mill effluent. Samples of palm oil mill effluent from wastewater treatment plant of PT Nusantara IV (Persero) oil processing unit sopsa of Padang Lawas district. Samples taken from the last pond will be discharged into the environment. Empty Fruit of Oil Palm Ash taken from the kitchen burning empty fruit bunches PT Nusantara IVB (Persero) units Sosa of Padang Law...

Differential metabolite profiles during fruit development in high-yielding oil palm mesocarp.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huey Fang Teh

Full Text Available To better understand lipid biosynthesis in oil palm mesocarp, in particular the differences in gene regulation leading to and including de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, a multi-platform metabolomics technology was used to profile mesocarp metabolites during six critical stages of fruit development in comparatively high- and low-yielding oil palm populations. Significantly higher amino acid levels preceding lipid biosynthesis and nucleosides during lipid biosynthesis were observed in a higher yielding commercial palm population. Levels of metabolites involved in glycolysis revealed interesting divergence of flux towards glycerol-3-phosphate, while carbon utilization differences in the TCA cycle were proven by an increase in malic acid/citric acid ratio. Apart from insights into the regulation of enhanced lipid production in oil palm, these results provide potentially useful metabolite yield markers and genes of interest for use in breeding programmes.

Biodegradation of oil palm empty fruit bunch by composite micro-organisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yusri Atan; Mat Rasol Awang; Mohammed Omar; Azizah Hashim; Tamikazu Kume; Shoji Hashimoto

1998-01-01

A comparison study on the comparative biodegradation ability on EFB by five groups of composite micro-organisms [Organomine, Thomas, Ohres C, Ohres II and micro-organisms from POME (palm oil mill effluent)] has been performed with the aim of producing a compost at a faster rate than that by natural biodegradation. The experiment was carried out by mixing 50 gram EFB (dry weight basis) with 3% ammonium sulphate to which was added 1% composite micro-organisms and water to produce a composting media of moisture content about 60%. Respiration of composite micro-organisms as well as from decomposition of EFB releasing CO sub 2. The choice of useful micro-organisms was based on its ability to degrade EFB as reflected by higher evolution rate of CO sub 2 released and retaining higher percentage of nitrogen in the final product

Oil palm empty fruit bunch as media for mushroom cultivation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mat Rasol Awang; Wan Badrin Wan Husin; Tajuddin Osman; Tamikazu Kume; Shinpei Matsuhashi

1998-01-01

The mushroom strains Pleurotus sajor caju(grey oyster mushroom), Pleurotus flavellatus((pink oyster mushroom), Pleurotus cystidiosus(abalone mushroom) and Auricularia polytricha (black jelly mushroom) grow satisfactorily on the EFB media treated with lime. Based on their Biological Efficiency (BE) or yield, the strain Pleurotus sajor caju was selected for further investigation. The BE of the Pleurotus sajor caju was 73.8 %. The lime treatment, aeration and four weeks incubation period was necessary for fruiting

Palm Oil

Science.gov (United States)

Palm oil is obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree. Palm oil is used for preventing vitamin A deficiency, cancer, ... blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cyanide poisoning. Palm oil is used for weight loss and increasing the ...

Greenhouse gas reductions through enhanced use of residues in the life cycle of Malaysian palm oil derived biodiesel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Sune Balle; Olsen, Stig Irving; Ujang, Zaini

2012-01-01

This study identifies the potential greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, which can be achieved by optimizing the use of residues in the life cycle of palm oil derived biodiesel. This is done through compilation of data on existing and prospective treatment technologies as well as practical experiments...... extraction from empty fruit bunches was found to be the most significant in the biodiesel production life cycle. All the studied waste treatment technologies performed significantly better than the conventional practices and with dedicated efforts of optimized use in the palm oil industry, the production...

Gasification of bio char from empty fruit bunch in a fluidized bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nsamba Hussein Kisiki; Amran Mohammad Salleh; Wan Azlina; Hamdan Yusof

2010-01-01

Full text: Bio char from empty fruit bunch was gasified in a fluidized bed reactor using compressed air as a gasifying agent. The experiment was conducted in the temperature ranges of 500-850 degree Celsius and the equivalence ratio, temperature and size of the feedstock was varied. A series of parameters such as gas yield, overall carbon conversion, gas quality, and composition, were measured as a function of temperature, equivalence ratio and temperature. Results obtained were compared to the actual values of coal and other gasification feedstock reveal that, bio char has the potential to replace coal as a gasification agent in power plants .Hydrogen gas from bio char was also optimized during the experiment. There is great potential of making Hydrogen from Bio char through thermo chemical gasification It was observed that it has a very great potential of being upgraded to Fischer Tropsh fuels. There is a great opportunity of using this char from empty fruit bunch as an alternative fuel in power plants and all the adverse effects of coal gasification can be counteracted. (author)

Productivity improvement with green approach to palm oil factory productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Matondang, N.

2018-02-01

The palm oil factory (POF) processes fresh fruit bunches into crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel oil (PKO) by products in the form of liquid and solid waste. One of the solid wastes produced in POF Tanjung Kasau is empty fruit bunches of palm oil (FBPO) which have been burned completely on incinerator tubes so that potentially produces pollutants that pollute the environment. If FBPO waste is managed properly, it will improve the productivity of the company. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a study to find out how far the increased productivity of the company can reduce their impact on the environment, if FBPO is used as raw material of liquid smoke. The productivity improvement approach is done by Green Productivity concept, by looking at three aspects: environmental, social and economical. Green Productivity aims to protect the environment simultaneously by increasing the productivity of the company. One way is to turn FBPO waste into liquid smoke product is by pyrolysis process. The results showed that turning FBPO solid waste into liquid smoke will increase productivity by 18.18%. Implementation of Green Productivity can improve productivity through the improvement of FBPO waste treatment process which has been done by perfect combustion by pyrolysis process so that waste can be minimized to create environment industry POF clean and friendly environment.

Environmental sustainability assessment of palm biodiesel production in Thailand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silalertruksa, Thapat; Gheewala, Shabbir H.

2012-01-01

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 environmental performances depend on various factors such as the management efficiency of empty fruit bunches (EFB) and POME and the possible land-use change in the future. Recommendations are made for improving environmental performance of palm biodiesel and for securing the long-term availability of crude palm oil supply with a view towards sustainable palm biodiesel production. -- Highlights: ► Environmental sustainability of palm biodiesel production in Thailand is assessed. ► Palm biodiesel can provide GHG reduction of around 46–73% as compared to diesel. ► Net energy ratio and renewability of palm biodiesel both range between 2 and 4. ► Efficient use of by-products in the value chain enhances environmental benefits.

Intelligent color vision system for ripeness classification of oil palm fresh fruit bunch.

Science.gov (United States)

Fadilah, Norasyikin; Mohamad-Saleh, Junita; Abdul Halim, Zaini; Ibrahim, Haidi; Syed Ali, Syed Salim

2012-10-22

Ripeness classification of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) during harvesting is important to ensure that they are harvested during optimum stage for maximum oil production. This paper presents the application of color vision for automated ripeness classification of oil palm FFB. Images of oil palm FFBs of type DxP Yangambi were collected and analyzed using digital image processing techniques. Then the color features were extracted from those images and used as the inputs for Artificial Neural Network (ANN) learning. The performance of the ANN for ripeness classification of oil palm FFB was investigated using two methods: training ANN with full features and training ANN with reduced features based on the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) data reduction technique. Results showed that compared with using full features in ANN, using the ANN trained with reduced features can improve the classification accuracy by 1.66% and is more effective in developing an automated ripeness classifier for oil palm FFB. The developed ripeness classifier can act as a sensor in determining the correct oil palm FFB ripeness category.

Intelligent Color Vision System for Ripeness Classification of Oil Palm Fresh Fruit Bunch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haidi Ibrahim

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Ripeness classification of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFBs during harvesting is important to ensure that they are harvested during optimum stage for maximum oil production. This paper presents the application of color vision for automated ripeness classification of oil palm FFB. Images of oil palm FFBs of type DxP Yangambi were collected and analyzed using digital image processing techniques. Then the color features were extracted from those images and used as the inputs for Artificial Neural Network (ANN learning. The performance of the ANN for ripeness classification of oil palm FFB was investigated using two methods: training ANN with full features and training ANN with reduced features based on the Principal Component Analysis (PCA data reduction technique. Results showed that compared with using full features in ANN, using the ANN trained with reduced features can improve the classification accuracy by 1.66% and is more effective in developing an automated ripeness classifier for oil palm FFB. The developed ripeness classifier can act as a sensor in determining the correct oil palm FFB ripeness category.

Chemical resistance, void content and tensile properties of oil palm/jute fibre reinforced polymer hybrid composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jawaid, M.; Khalil, H.P.S. Abdul; Bakar, A. Abu; Khanam, P. Noorunnisa

2011-01-01

Tri layer hybrid composites of oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) and jute fibres was prepared by keeping oil palm EFB as skin material and jute as the core material and vice versa. The chemical resistance, void content and tensile properties of oil palm EFB/Jute composites was investigated with reference to the relative weight of oil palm EFB/Jute, i.e. 4:1, the fibre loading was optimized and different layering pattern were investigated. It is found from the chemical resistance test that all the composites are resistant to various chemicals. It was observed that marked reduction in void content of hybrid composites in different layering pattern. From the different layering pattern, the tensile properties were slightly higher for the composite having jute as skin and oil palm EFB as core material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study tensile fracture surfaces of different composites.

Effects of Enzymatic Treatment on Physicochemical Properties of Sugar Palm Fruit Juice

OpenAIRE

P, Arsad; R, Sukor; WZ, Wan Ibadullah; NA, Mustapha; AS, Meor Hussin

2015-01-01

The interest in fruit and vegetable juices production has increased significantly all over the world due to their benefit value, quality of production and increasing of consumer awareness and preference for healthy food. The production of sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) fruit juice with exotic characteristics has the potential to be explored based on the new technologies and methods in juices industry. In beverage industry, enzyme is an essential tool for quality improvement and cost saving by in...

Composting of empty fruit bunches in the tower composter - effect of air intake holes

Science.gov (United States)

Irvan; Husaini, T.; Trisakti, B.; Batubara, F.; Daimon, H.

2018-02-01

The process of composting empty fruit bunches (EFB) by mixing with activated liquid organic fertilizer (ALOF) is an alternative utilization of solid waste generated from palm oil mill. This study aims to find composting techniques of EFB and to obtain degradation data of composting EFB by varying the air intake holes to produce good quality compost. Composting process was carried out by tearing the EFB into four shreds, then put into the tower composter while adding ALOF until it reached the optimum moisture content of 55 -65%. During the composting process, we maintained moisture content at optimum conditions by adding ALOF. Variations of air intake holes area to the outer surface area of the composter are 0/44.314; 72.39/44.314 and 144.78/44.314 (cm2/cm2). Composting is carried out for forty days, however, based on the result, compost began to mature on the 10th day. The results revealed that there was an influence of air intake holes to the composting process. The best degradation of EFB was obtained on the variation of air intake holes 72.39/44.314 (cm2/cm2), pH 8.1, moisture content 79.14%, water holding capacity 60%, electrical conductivity 4.725 dS/m and C/N ratio 20.97.

Effects of Different Pretreatments to Fresh Fruit on Chemical and Thermal Characteristics of Crude Palm Oil.

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Tang, Minmin; Xia, Qiuyu; Holland, Brendan J; Wang, Hui; Zhang, Yufeng; Li, Rui; Cao, Hongxing

2017-12-01

This study selected 5 methods, including boiling, hot air drying, high-pressurized steam, freezing, and microwave radiation to pretreat fresh oil palm fruit before solvent extraction of the oil. Using fresh fruit as a control, the pretreatment methods were compared for the effects on the activity of the 2 main enzymes in the fruit and some physicochemical properties of the crude palm oil. The results indicated, although all the 5 pretreatments could inactivate lipase and peroxidase in the treated flesh significantly (P oils. The crude oil from frozen fruit contained significantly more vitamin E (37829.33 ppm) than previously reported. Microwave radiation was shown to significantly decrease the free fatty acid content and the peroxide value, while increasing the oxidative stability index. Thermal behaviors of the oils were significantly different to each other with the exception a few parameters (P < 0.05). © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Mechanical properties of short random oil palm fibre reinforced epoxy composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Zuhri Mohamed Yusoff; Mohd Sapuan Salit; Napsiah Ismail; Riza Wirawan

2010-01-01

This paper presents the study of mechanical properties of short random oil palm fibre reinforced epoxy (OPF/epoxy) composites. Empty fruit bunch (EFB) was selected as the fibre and epoxy as the matrix. Composite plate with four different volume fractions of oil palm fibre was fabricated, (5 vol %, 10 vol %, 15 vol % and 20 vol %). The fabrication was made by hand-lay up techniques. The tensile and flexural properties showed a decreasing trend as the fibre loading was increased. The highest tensile properties was obtained for the composite with fibre loading of 5 vol % and there were no significant effect for addition of more than 5 vol % to the flexural properties. Interaction between fibre and matrix was observed from the scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrograph. (author)

Lipid-dissolved γ-carotene, β-carotene, and lycopene in globular chromoplasts of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) fruits.

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Hempel, Judith; Amrehn, Evelyn; Quesada, Silvia; Esquivel, Patricia; Jiménez, Víctor M; Heller, Annerose; Carle, Reinhold; Schweiggert, Ralf M

2014-11-01

High levels of β-carotene, lycopene, and the rare γ-carotene occur predominantly lipid-dissolved in the chromoplasts of peach palm fruits. First proof of their absorption from these fruits is reported. The structural diversity, the physical deposition state in planta, and the human bioavailability of carotenoids from the edible fruits of diverse orange and yellow-colored peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) varieties were investigated. HPLC-PDA-MS(n) revealed a broad range of carotenes, reaching total carotenoid levels from 0.7 to 13.9 mg/100 g FW. Besides the predominant (all-E)-β-carotene (0.4-5.4 mg/100 g FW), two (Z)-isomers of γ-carotene (0.1-3.9 mg/100 g FW), and one (Z)-lycopene isomer (0.04-0.83 mg/100 g FW) prevailed. Approximately 89-94 % of total carotenoid content pertained to provitamin A carotenoids with retinol activity equivalents ranging from 37 to 609 µg/100 g FW. The physical deposition state of these carotenoids in planta was investigated using light, transmission electron, and scanning electron microscopy. The plastids found in both orange and yellow-colored fruit mesocarps were amylo-chromoplasts of the globular type, containing carotenoids predominantly in a lipid-dissolved form. The hypothesis of lipid-dissolved carotenoids was supported by simple solubility estimations based on carotenoid and lipid contents of the fruit mesocarp. In our study, we report first results on the human bioavailability of γ-carotene, β-carotene, and lycopene from peach palm fruit, particularly proving the post-prandial absorption of the rarely occurring γ-carotene. Since the physical state of carotenoid deposition has been shown to be decisive for carotenoid bioavailability, lipid-dissolved carotenoids in peach palm fruits are expected to be highly bioavailable, however, further studies are required.

Devolatilization studies of oil palm biomass for torrefaction process optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daud, D; Rahman, A Abd; Shamsuddin, A H

2013-01-01

Torrefaction of palm biomass, namely Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) and Palm Kernel Shell (PKS), was conducted using thermogravimetric analyser (TGA). The experiment was conducted in variation of temperatures of 200 °C, 260 °C and 300 °C at a constant residence time of 30 minutes. During the torrefaction process, the sample went through identifiable drying and devolatilization stages from the TGA mass loss. The percentage of volatile gases released was then derived for each condition referring to proximate analysis results for both biomass. It was observed an average of 96.64% and 87.53 % of the total moisture is released for EFB and PKS respectively. In all cases the volatiles released was observed to increase as the torrefaction temperature was increased with significant variation between EFB and PKS. At 300°C EFB lost almost half of its volatiles matter while PKS lost slightly over one third. Results obtained can be used to optimise condition of torrefaction according to different types of oil palm biomass.

Life cycle assessment of two palm oil production systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stichnothe, Heinz; Schuchardt, Frank

2011-01-01

In 2009 approx. 40 Mt of palm oil were produced globally. Growing demand for palm oil is driven by an increasing human population as well as subsidies for biodiesel and is likely to increase further in coming years. The production of 1 t crude palm oil requires 5 t of fresh fruit bunches (FFB). On average processing of 1 t FFB in palm oil mills generates 0.23 t empty fruit bunches (EFB) and 0.65 t palm oil mill effluents (POME) as residues. In this study it is assumed that land use change does not occur. In order to estimate the environmental impacts of palm oil production a worst and a best case scenario are assessed and compared in the present study using 1000 kg of FFB as functional unit. The production and treatment of one t FFB causes more than 460 kg CO 2eq in the worst case scenario and 110 kg CO 2eq in the best case scenario. The significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction is achieved by co-composting residues of the palm oil mill. Thus treating those residues appropriately is paramount for reducing environmental impacts particularly global warming potential (GWP) and eutrophication potential (EP). Another important contributor to the EP but also to the human toxicity potential (HTP) is the biomass powered combined heat and power (CHP) plant of palm oil mills. Frequently CHP plants of palm oil mills operate without flue gas cleaning. The CHP plant emits heavy metals and nitrogen oxides and these account for 93% of the HTP of the advanced palm oil production system, of which heavy metal emissions to air are responsible for 79%. The exact emission reduction potential from CHP plants could not be quantified due to existing data gaps, but it is apparent that cleaning the exhaust gas would reduce eutrophication, acidification and toxicity considerably. -- Highlights: → We have estimated the environmental impacts of two palm oil production systems. → Residues from palm oil mills are a wasted resource rather than waste. → Co-composting of EFB and

Effect of Turning Frequency on Composting of Empty Fruit Bunches Mixed with Activated Liquid Organic Fertilizer

Science.gov (United States)

Trisakti, B.; Lubis, J.; Husaini, T.; Irvan

2017-03-01

Composting of Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) by mixing it with activated liquid organic fertilizer (ALOF) is an alternative way in the utilization of solid waste produced from the palm oil mill (POM). This research was to determine the effect of turning frequency on the rate of composting of EFB mixed with ALOF in a basket composter. The composting process was started with cutting the EFB into pieces with size 1-3 cm, inserting the EFB pieces into basket composter (33 cm W × 28 cm L × 40 cm H), and adding ALOF until moisture content (MC) in the range of 55-65%. During composting, the MC was maintained at 55-65% range by adding the ALOF. The turning frequency on each composter was varied i.e. once in every 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 days. The parameters analysed during composting were temperature, pH, MC, compost weight, water holding capacity (WHC), CN ratio, and the quality of the final compost. Composting was carried out for 40 days and the best result obtained at turning frequency was 3 days. The best compost characteristic was pH 9.0; MC 57.24%; WHC 76%; CN ratio 12.15%; P 0.58%; and K 0. 95%.

A case study of pyrolysis of oil palm wastes in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, Nurhayati; Sulaiman, Fauziah; Aliasak, Zalila

2013-05-01

Biomass seems to have a great potential as a source of renewable energy compared with other sources. The use of biomass as a source of energy could help to reduce the wastes and also to minimize the dependency on non-renewable energy, hence minimize environmental degradation. Among other types of biomass, oil palm wastes are the major contribution for energy production in Malaysia since Malaysia is one of the primary palm oil producers in the world. Currently, Malaysia's plantation area covers around 5 million hectares. In the oil palm mill, only 10% palm oil is produced and the other 90% is in the form of wastes such as empty fruit bunches (EFB), oil palm shells (OPS), oil palm fibre (OPFb) and palm oil mill effluent (POME). If these wastes are being used as a source of renewable energy, it is believed that it will help to increase the country's economy. Recently, the most potential and efficient thermal energy conversion technology is pyrolysis process. The objective of this paper is to review the current research on pyrolysis of oil palm wastes in Malaysia. The scope of this paper is to discuss on the types of pyrolysis process and its production. At present, most of the research conducted in this country is on EFB and OPS by fast, slow and microwave-assisted pyrolysis processes for fuel applications.

Application of Palm Stearin-Chitosan Edible Coating on Star Fruits (Averrhoa carambola L.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nurul Hanani Mohamad Zaki; Halimahton Zahrah Mohamed Som; Zaibunnisa Abdul Haiyee

2012-01-01

An edible coating comprising of hydrophilic (chitosan) and hydrophobic (palm stearin) components which demonstrated gas barrier and moisture barrier properties respectively, was developed to prolong the post harvest life of star fruits (Averrhoa carambola L.). The physicochemical properties of the coated star fruits were evaluated in terms of weight loss, firmness, visual appearance, colour and glossiness, respiratory gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) concentrations and ethylene concentration during storage at chilled temperature for 40 days. The results obtained showed that coating reduced weight loss, and maintained firmness and appearance of star fruits. Formulation 1:1 (chitosan:stearin) prevented decline in oxygen production, slowed down carbon dioxide production, and maintained firmness of star fruits. Visual appearance of star fruits showed that coating had lengthened the post harvest life of star fruits up to 40 days with no sign of mould growth. (author)

EBM Irradiation Modification of Palm Oil Biomass Filled Reclaimed Rubber-Mechanical Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pairu Ibrahim; Ratnam, C.T.

2016-01-01

In this project, a study was done to evaluate the mechanical properties of reclaimed rubber filled with palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB) as fillers. The purpose of filler is to help improve the properties of reclaim rubber and the addition of filler is fixed at 10 parts. Palm oil EFB was obtained from Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and prepared at different size. Various samples were prepared with various sizes of filler blended with reclaim rubber using Haake Hot Mixer. The compounds were then compression-moulded at 120 degree Celsius using an electrically heated hydraulic press for their cure times. Dumbbell-shaped tensile and test specimens for hardness and impact test were punched out from the compression-moulded slabs along the mill grain direction. From the test result, it was found that the addition of fillers able to increase the mechanical properties of reclaim rubber and the smaller size of fillers added produced higher tensile properties. The study shows that the palm oil EFB suitable to be used as filler in reclaim rubber. (author)

Application of Microwave Moisture Sensor for Determination of Oil Palm Fruit Ripeness

Science.gov (United States)

Yeow, You Kok; Abbas, Zulkifly; Khalid, Kaida

2010-01-01

This paper describes the development of a low cost coaxial moisture sensor for the determination of moisture content (30 % to 80 % wet-weight basis) of the oil palm fruits of various degree of fruit ripeness. The sensor operating between 1 GHz and 5 GHz was fabricated from an inexpensive 4.1 mm outer diameter SMA coaxial stub contact panel which is suitable for single fruit measurement. The measurement system consists of the sensor and a PC-controlled vector network analyzer (VNA). The actual moisture content was determined by standard oven drying method and compared with predicted value of fruit moisture content obtained using the studied sensor. The sensor was used to monitor fruit ripeness based on the measurement of the phase or magnitude of reflection coefficient and the dielectric measurement software was developed to control and acquire data from the VNA using Agilent VEE. This software was used to calculate the complex relative permittivity from the measured reflection coefficient between 1GHz and 5 GHz.

Estimation of glycaemic index of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) cooked fruits and chips, and pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) pulp.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiménez, Gin; Gómez, Georgina; Pérez, Ana M; Blanco-Metzler, Adriana

2012-09-01

The glycaemic index (GI) is a physiological measure of a food's potential to increase postprandial blood glucose, as compared to the effect produced by food taken as reference, such as glucose or white bread. Currently researchers and consumers are interested in low GI foods, since their consumption is associated with better weight control and reduced risk of incidence of chronic diseases, like diabetes. In the present study, the GI value for peach palm cooked fruit, peach palm chips and pitahaya pulp was estimated. The methodology established by the FAO/WHO for determining the GI of food was used. A total of 12 healthy, non-smoking volunteers were selected and they ingested the fore mentioned foods on different occasions, in 25 g portions of available carbohydrates, after 12-14 h overnight fast. Blood glucose levels were measured in 30 min intervals up to 120 min after ingestion. Average GI value was 48 +/- 11 for the pitahaya pulp and 35 +/- 6 for the peach palm cooked fruit, which may be classified as low glyceamic index foods. The GI of peach palm chips was 60 +/- 7, corresponding to a food with a moderate GI. The processing for producing the chips caused an increase in the GI value when compared to the cooked fruit, probably because the stages of miIling, moulding and baking promote availability of starch during hydrolysis by the digestive enzymes.

Komponen Kimia Asap Cair Hasil Pirolisis Limbah Padat Kelapa Sawit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Gani Haji

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Chemical components of liquid smoke which is produced via pyrolisis of palm oil solid waste have been analyzed by using gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS. Solid waste consists of shell, empty fruit bunch, and palm fiber. Solid waste was obtained from palm oil manufactory in Tanjung Semantok,  Aceh province. The objective of this research was to investigate the chemical components in liquid smoke obtained from various palm oil solid waste. Sample was pyrolyzed at 500°C for 5 hours by using tube furnace reactor type 21100 which is equipped by thermolyne as temperature adjustment. The yield of pyrolysis from shell, empty fruit bunch and palm fiber are 52,02; 29,59; and 34,88%, respectively. The results showed that 27; 13 and 11 compounds of chemical were observed in liquid smoke obtained by pyrolysis of shell, empty fruit bunch, and palm fiber, respectively. Overall, acetic acid and phenol are the highest concentration of chemical obtained in this research. Keywords: palm oil solid waste, pyrolysis, liquid smoke, chemical compound

Study on Fired Clay Bricks by Replacing Clay with Palm Oil Waste: Effects on Physical and Mechanical Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Kadir, A. A.; Sarani, N. A.; Abdullah, M. M. A. B.; Perju, M. C.; Sandu, A. V.

2017-06-01

Palm oil is one of the major agricultural industries in Malaysia. Due to the poor management system, the discarded palm oil waste has always been linked to the environment issues. During processing of palm oil, a considerable amount of solid waste by-products in the form of fibres, shells, empty fruit bunches and fly ashes are produce rapidly. Therefore, this study was conducted to incorporate 1%, 5% and 10% of palm oil waste into fired clay brick. Samples of brick were fired at 1050°C temperature with heating rates of 1°C/min. Manufactured bricks were tested with physical and mechanical properties including firing shrinkage, dry density, water absorption and compressive strength. The results demonstrated that the replacement of 1% up to 5% of palm oil waste had improved several properties, although, a decrease of performance in certain aspects has also been observed. As a result, palm oil waste can be utilized in an environmentally safe way into fired clay brick thus providing adequate properties of fired clay brick.

Gamma Irradiation Effects on Oil Palm (Elaies Guineensis) Pollen Viability, Fruits and Bunch Formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aida Nazlyn Nazari; Azhar Mohamad; Shuhaimi Shamsuddin

2014-01-01

Assessing performance and genetic diversity of the wild material of oil palm is important for understanding genetic structure of natural oil palm populations towards improvement of the crops. This information is important for oil palm breeding programs, and also for continued ex-situ conservation of the germplasm and breeding program in Malaysia. Mutation induction is one of the alternative ways in creating variants for selection in the breeding program. In this study, evaluation on the effect of irradiated pollen towards pollen viability, bunches formation and no. of parthenocarpic fruits were conducted. Series of acute gamma radiation at dose 0, 10, 20, 40, 50, 100, 200, 300, 500, 100 and 2000 Gy were exposed to Elaies guineensis pollen. Increasing level of irradiation higher than 200 Grays (Gy) affects pollen viability based on the 12 consecutive days observation evaluated in situ conditions. Besides, at this level of irradiation (> 200 Gy), the pollen tube formation were disrupted and subsequently unable the pollen to reach the ovule which cause the embryo to aborted and contributed to the formation of parthenocarpic fruits and rotten bunches. These observations suggested that at low levels of irradiation (< 200 Gy) may damage only part of the generative nucleus while maintaining its capacity to fertilise the egg cells and lead to hybridization. (author)

Modeling Potential Impacts of Planting Palms or Tree in Small Holder Fruit Plantations on Ecohydrological Processes in the Central Amazon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norbert Kunert

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Native fruiting plants are widely cultivated in the Amazon, but little information on their water use characteristics can be found in the literature. To explore the potential impacts of plantations on local to regional water balance, we studied plant water use characteristics of two native fruit plants commonly occurring in the Amazon region. The study was conducted in a mixed fruit plantation containing a dicot tree species (Cupuaçu, Theobroma grandiflorum and a monocot palm species (Açai, Euterpe oleracea close to the city of Manaus, in the Central Amazon. Scaling from sap flux measurements, palms had a 3.5-fold higher water consumption compared to trees with a similar diameter. Despite the high transpiration rates of the palms, our plantation had only one third of the potential water recycling capacity of natural forests in the area. Converting natural forest into such plantations will thus result in significantly higher runoff rates.

Upgrading of oil palm wastes to animal feeds by radiation and fermentation treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kume, Tamikazu; Ito, Hitoshi; Hashimoto, Shoji; Mutaat, H.H.; Awang, M.R.

1992-01-01

Upgrading of oil palm cellulosic wastes to animal feeds by radiation and fermentation treatment has been investigated in order to recycle the agro-resources and to reduce the smoke pollution. The process is as follows; decontamination of microorganisms in fermentation media using oil palm wastes by irradiation, inoculation of useful microorganisms, and subsequent microbial digestion of cellulosic materials as well as production of proteins. The dose of 25 kGy was required to sterilize the contaminated bacteria whereas the dose of 5 - 10 kGy was enough to eliminate the fungi. Among many kinds of fungi tested, C. cinereus was selected as the most suitable seed microorganism for the fermentation of EFB (Empty Fruit Bunch of oil palm). The protein content increased to 13 % and the crude fiber content decreased to 20 % after 30 days incubation with C. cinereus at 30degC in solid state fermentation. It is considered that these fermented products can be used for the ruminant animal feeds. (author)

Devolatilization Studies of Oil Palm Biomass for Torrefaction Process through Scanning Electron Microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Daud, D.; Abd. Rahman, A.; Shamsuddin, A. H.

2016-03-01

In this work, palm oil biomass consisting of empty fruit bunch (EFB), mesocarp fibre and palm kernel shell (PKS) were chosen as raw material for torrefaction process. Torrefaction process was conducted at various temperatures of 240 °C, 270 °C and 300 °C with a residence time of 60 minutes. The morphology of the raw and torrefied biomass was then observed through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images. Also, through this experiment the correlation between the torrefaction temperatures with the volatile gases released were studied. From the observation, the morphology structure of the biomass exhibited inter-particle gaps due to the release of volatile gases and it is obviously seen more at higher temperatures. Moreover, the change of the biomass structure is influenced by the alteration of the lignocellulose biomass.

Characterizing haploinsufficiency of SHELL gene to improve fruit form prediction in introgressive hybrids of oil palm.

Science.gov (United States)

Teh, Chee-Keng; Muaz, Siti Dalila; Tangaya, Praveena; Fong, Po-Yee; Ong, Ai-Ling; Mayes, Sean; Chew, Fook-Tim; Kulaveerasingam, Harikrishna; Appleton, David

2017-06-08

The fundamental trait in selective breeding of oil palm (Eleais guineensis Jacq.) is the shell thickness surrounding the kernel. The monogenic shell thickness is inversely correlated to mesocarp thickness, where the crude palm oil accumulates. Commercial thin-shelled tenera derived from thick-shelled dura × shell-less pisifera generally contain 30% higher oil per bunch. Two mutations, sh MPOB (M1) and sh AVROS (M2) in the SHELL gene - a type II MADS-box transcription factor mainly present in AVROS and Nigerian origins, were reported to be responsible for different fruit forms. In this study, we have tested 1,339 samples maintained in Sime Darby Plantation using both mutations. Five genotype-phenotype discrepancies and eight controls were then re-tested with all five reported mutations (sh AVROS , sh MPOB , sh MPOB2 , sh MPOB3 and sh MPOB4 ) within the same gene. The integration of genotypic data, pedigree records and shell formation model further explained the haploinsufficiency effect on the SHELL gene with different number of functional copies. Some rare mutations were also identified, suggesting a need to further confirm the existence of cis-compound mutations in the gene. With this, the prediction accuracy of fruit forms can be further improved, especially in introgressive hybrids of oil palm. Understanding causative variant segregation is extremely important, even for monogenic traits such as shell thickness in oil palm.

Combustion characteristics of Malaysian oil palm biomass, sub-bituminous coal and their respective blends via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

Science.gov (United States)

Idris, Siti Shawalliah; Rahman, Norazah Abd; Ismail, Khudzir

2012-11-01

The combustion characteristics of Malaysia oil palm biomass (palm kernel shell (PKS), palm mesocarp fibre (PMF) and empty fruit bunches (EFB)), sub-bituminous coal (Mukah Balingian) and coal/biomass blends via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were investigated. Six weight ratios of coal/biomass blends were prepared and oxidised under dynamic conditions from temperature 25 to 1100°C at four heating rates. The thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the EFB and PKS evolved additional peak besides drying, devolatilisation and char oxidation steps during combustion. Ignition and burn out temperatures of blends were improved in comparison to coal. No interactions were observed between the coal and biomass during combustion. The apparent activation energy during this process was evaluated using iso-conversional model free kinetics which resulted in highest activation energy during combustion of PKS followed by PMF, EFB and MB coal. Blending oil palm biomass with coal reduces the apparent activation energy value. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of pollen source and pollination frequency on fruit drop, yield and quality of date palm (phoenix dactylifera l.) cv. Dhakki

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafique, M.; Khan, A.S.; Malik, A.U.; Shahid, M.; Rajwana, I.A.; Saleem, B.A.; Amin, M.; Ahmad, I.

2011-01-01

The study was undertaken to determine the influence of pollen sources and pollination frequency on fruit drop, yield and quality of date palm cv. 'Dhakki'. Three 'Dhakki' female trees and three different male trees (M-1, M-2 and M-3) were selected for the experiment. On each female tree six spathes were chosen and were pollinated with pollens collected from one of the selected male parent. Out of six, three spathes were pollinated once and other three were pollinated twice (second pollination was done two days after first pollination). Data were collected for physico-chemical characteristics of the fruit including fruit drop, fruit weight, flesh weight, seed weight, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), TSS: TA ratio, sugars, level of ascorbic acid and total phenols. The results indicated that pollen source significantly affected the fruit drop percentage as minimum fruit drop was observed from the tree pollinated with M-3. Physical properties of the fruit like fruit weight, flesh weight and seed weight were significantly improved with pollination from M-1 compared to other male trees. After harvest chemical quality parameters like TSS and TSS: TA ratio, ascorbic acid contents, and reducing sugars were highest in fruit pollinated with M-3 and M-2 respectively. Whereas lowest level of TA was recorded in fruits pollinated with M-3. Pollen source and number of pollinations did not significantly affect the level of total phenols in the date palm fruit. Total and non-reducing sugars were significantly higher in the fruit pollinated twice. In conclusion, the pollen source had significant impact on the physicochemical properties of date palm cv. 'Dhakki'. The results suggested that best pollen source (male trees) should be selected for their respective female trees to get most desired characteristics. (author)

Life cycle energy efficiency and potentials of biodiesel production from palm oil in Thailand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papong, Seksan; Chom-In, Tassaneewan; Noksa-nga, Soottiwan

2010-01-01

Biodiesel production from palm oil has been considered one of the most promising renewable resources for transportation fuel in Thailand. The objective of this study was to analyze the energy performance and potential of the palm oil methyl ester (PME) production in Thailand. The PME system was divided into four stages: the oil palm plantation, transportation, crude palm oil (CPO) production, and transesterification into biodiesel. The results showed that the highest fossil-based energy consumption was in the transesterification process, followed by the plantation, transportation, and CPO production. A net energy value and net energy ratio (NER) of 24.0 MJ/FU and 2.5, respectively, revealed that the PME system was quite energy efficient. In addition, if all the by-products from the CPO production (such as empty fruit branches, palm kernel shells, and biogas) were considered in terms of energy sources, the NER would be more than 3.0. The PME can be a viable substitute for diesel and can decrease the need for oil imports. Based on B100 demand in 2008, PME can be substituted for 478 million liters of diesel. Moreover, with palm oil output potential and B5 implementation, it can be substituted for 1134 million liters of diesel. (author)

AGRO-INDUSTRIAL WASTE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT – A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO PALM OIL MILLS IN MALAYSIA

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Wai Loan Liew

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Over the decades the palm oil industry has managed some challen ging environmental concerns regarding land transformation and degradation, increas e in eutrophication, changing habitats of wildlife, pesticides runoff into inland wa tercourses, and probable climate change. Countries producing palm oil desire to do so in a more sustainable way that will leave the environment evergreen. Therefore this paper aims to encourage sustainable management of agro-industrial waste and its potenti al in making financial returns from the same waste. Hence, the study was conducted with the participation of seven local palm oil mills having different capacities and oper ation age. Attention was given to milling waste as they could cause serious environmenta l menace if unattended to properly. Milling waste includ es lignocellulosic palm biomas s namely the empty fruit bunches (EFB, oil palm shell (OPS, mesocarp fibres, pal m oil mill effluent (POME, and palm oil mill sludge (POMS, as well as solid waste generated from the further processing of these biomass into the palm oil fuel ashe s (POFA and palm oil clinkers (POC. The opportunities available to the Malaysian pa lm oil industry and the financial benefits which may accr ue from waste generated during palm oil production process cannot be over emphasized.

The effect of combination of sugar palm fruit, carrageenan, and citric acid on mechanical properties of biodegradable film

Science.gov (United States)

Rinanda, S. A.; Nastabiq, M.; Raharjo, S. H.; Hayati, S. K.; Yaqin, M. A.; Ratnawati

2017-11-01

Biodegradable film is a type of plastic material that can be degraded naturally and is usually made of organic material. The material commonly used is polysaccharides. The purpose of this study is to observe the effect of the combination of sugar palm fruit, carrageenan, and citric acid (CA) on the mechanical properties of the biodegradable films, such as tensile strength, elongation and film thickness. The experiment begins with dissolving the sugar palm fruit porridge and carrageenan with ratios of 1:0, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1 in water. The mixture was heated using a heater and magnetic stirrer at 80° C for 10 minutes. Glycerol and citric acid (CA) were added to the solution and stirred for 5 minutes. Each film solution was printed on a modified acrylic and, dried for 18 hours in an oven at 55° C. The formed film layer was then removed from the acrylic mold and inserted in a desiccatorsat 23° C for 1 hour. Then the film analyzed for its tensile strength, elongation using Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA), and thickness. The optimum result shown by sugar palm fruit and carrageenan ratio of 1:1 with 1% citric acid (CA).

Effect of pieces size of Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) on composting of EFB mixed with activated liquid organic fertilizer

Science.gov (United States)

Trisakti, B.; Mhardela, P.; Husaini, T.; Irvan; Daimon, H.

2018-02-01

This research was to determine the effect of pieces sizes of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) on the composting of EFB mixed with activated liquid organic fertilizer (ALOF) in a basket composter in order to obtain high quality compost. The composting process was started by cutting the EFB into pieces with varies sizes, inserting the EFB pieces into basket composter (33 cm W × 28 cm L × 40 cm H), and adding ALOF until moisture content (MC) in the range of 55-65%. During composting, the compost pile was turned every 3 days and the MC was maintained at 55-65% range by adding the ALOF. The sizes of the EFB pieces were varied into <1, 1-3, 4-7, 8-11, and 12-15 cm. The parameters analysed during the composting were temperature, pH, MC, compost weight, water holding capacity (WHC), CN ratio, and the quality of the final compost. Composting was carried out for 40 days and the best result obtained at EFB pieces size was 1-3 cm with compost characteristic were pH 9.0; MC 52.59%; WHC 76%; CN ratio 12.15; N 1.96%; P 0.58%; and K 0. 95%.

Major components in oils obtained from Amazonian palm fruits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santos, M. F. G.

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Native palm trees belong to the Arecaceae family and are among the most useful plant resources in the Amazons. Despite its great diversity and various uses, few species have been study in detail, which makes it necessary to perform more comprehensive studies on the quality and composition of species not yet explored. This study deals with the characterization of the major compounds in the oils obtained from the mesocarp of fruits of the main palm species from the State of Amapá, Brasil, i.e. bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba, buriti (Mauritia flexuosa, inajá (Maximiliana maripa, pupunha (Bactris gasipaes and tucumã (Astrocaryum vulgare. Physicochemical characteristics, fatty acids and triacylglycerol (TAG contents were analyzed by HPLC and GC. The proximate composition of the fruits was also analyzed. The results relating to acidity, peroxide value and polar compounds indicate good quality of the oils obtained. Oleic acid ranging from 39.2 to 71.6% and palmitic acid ranging from 20.8 to 39.6% were the two major fatty acids in all the samples. The oils from inajá were characterized by the presence of significant amounts of lauric (4.6% and miristic (10.7% acids while in bacaba, buriti, pupunha and tucumã, as in most edible vegetable oils, only the fatty acids of 16 and 18 carbon atoms were present. Accordingly, the major TAG species in all the samples were POP, POO and OOO. The mesocarp of the palm fruit had a high content in lipids ranging from 17.0% for pupunha to 38.3% for bacaba, expressed as dry basis.Las palmeras nativas de la familia Arecaceae constituyen recursos alimentarios de gran importancia en la región amazónica. A pesar de su diversidad y utilidad, muchas especies son poco conocidas por lo que son de interés los estudios dirigidos a conocer la calidad y composición de las especies menos exploradas para evaluar su potencial económico. El objetivo de este estudio fue la caracterización de los aceites obtenidos del mesocarpio

Oil palm: domestication achieved?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerritsma, W.; Wessel, M.

1997-01-01

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

Oil palm fresh fruit bunch ripeness classification based on rule- based expert system of ROI image processing technique results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfatni, M S M; Shariff, A R M; Marhaban, M H; Shafie, S B; Saaed, O M B; Abdullah, M Z; BAmiruddin, M D

2014-01-01

There is a processing need for a fast, easy and accurate classification system for oil palm fruit ripeness. Such a system will be invaluable to farmers and plantation managers who need to sell their oil palm fresh fruit bunch (FFB) for the mill as this will avoid disputes. In this paper,a new approach was developed under the name of expert rules-based systembased on the image processing techniques results of thethree different oil palm FFB region of interests (ROIs), namely; ROI1 (300x300 pixels), ROI2 (50x50 pixels) and ROI3 (100x100 pixels). The results show that the best rule-based ROIs for statistical colour feature extraction with k-nearest neighbors (KNN) classifier at 94% were chosen as well as the ROIs that indicated results higher than the rule-based outcome, such as the ROIs of statistical colour feature extraction with artificial neural network (ANN) classifier at 94%, were selected for further FFB ripeness inspection system

Effects of Hydrological Parameters on Palm Oil Fresh Fruit Bunch Yield)

Science.gov (United States)

Nda, M.; Adnan, M. S.; Suhadak, M. A.; Zakaria, M. S.; Lopa, R. T.

2018-04-01

Climate change effects and variability have been studied by many researchers in diverse geophysical fields. Malaysia produces large volume of palm oil, the effects of climate change on hydrological parameters (rainfall and precipitation) could have adverse effects on palm oil fresh fruit bunch (FFB) production with implications at both local and international market. It is important to understand the effects of climate change on crop yield to adopt new cultivation techniques and guaranteeing food security globally. Based on this background, the paper’s objective is to investigate the effects of rainfall and temperature pattern on crop yield (FFB) within five years period (2013 - 2017) at Batu Pahat District. The Man - Kendall rank technique (trend test) and statistical analyses (correlation and regression) were applied to the dataset used for the study. The results reveal that there are variabilities in rainfall and temperature from one month to the other and the statistical analysis reveals that the hydrological parameters have an insignificant effect on crop yield.

Physicochemical characterization of the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth, Arecaceae fruit skin residue flour obtained by convective drying

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Jader Martínez-Girón

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The production of flour from residues of peach -palm fruit skin has been a forgotten topic from the view point of its physicochemical properties, because studies reported in the literature have focused on mesocarp flour characterization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties of the peach palm fruit epicarp flour obtained by convective drying at 60±2 °C through a specific production and storage process. As a result, the flour was found to be a source of bioactive compounds, showing total phenol concentration (23.40±1.30 mg gallic acid/100 g, antioxidant activity (33.10%±3.20, total carotenoids (59.31±1.61 mg β-carotene/100 g, color a* (4.95±0.58, color b* (3.25±0.57, and luminosity (33.95±3.16. On the other hand, there was a high level of total carotenoids (85% and phenolic compounds (94% retention after six months. Additionally, color change showed no significant difference during storage. In conclusion, the flour obtained is a byproduct with properties that can be used as an alternative to agroalimentary substitutes, mainly due to its color and antioxidant activity attributes. It is noteworthy to mention that this is one of the first studies to physicochemically characterize peach palm fruit skin flour from Valle del Cauca (Colombia.

Enumeration, identification and decontamination of microorganisms on empty fruit bunches (EFB) and palm press fibre (PPF) from selected palm oil mills in the Peninsular Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foziah Ali; Muhammad Lebai Juri; Mat Rasol Awang

1998-01-01

The PPF and EFB temporarily disposed into the environment at the mill are heavily contaminated with micro-organisms, therefore require decontamination prior to utilisation. The current methods for decontaminating PPF and EFB has been briefly reviewed (Mat Rasol et. al.,1987). They suggested that these by-products can be effectively decontaminated by gamma-irradiation and the resulting sterilised by-products could subsequently be used for conversion into animals feeds by fermentation with fungi or chemical stock. The primary objectives of the investigation are: a) to enumerate contaminating microorganisms on PPF and EFB collected from various oil palm mills in the Peninsular Malaysia, and b) to establish the inactivation curves of the PPF and EFB from the selected palm oil mills

A REVIEW OF OIL PALM BIOCOMPOSITES FOR FURNITURE DESIGN AND APPLICATIONS: POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES

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Siti Suhaily,

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This review considers the potential and challenges of using agro-based oil palm biomasses, including the trunk, frond, empty fruit bunch, and palm press fiber biocomposites, for furniture applications. Currently, design and quality rather than price are becoming the primary concern for consumers when buying new furniture. Within this context, this paper focuses on the design of innovative, sustainable furniture from agro-based biocomposites to meet the needs of future population growth and technology. This research also discusses the need for biocomposite materials that do not depend on the growth of populations, but on the growth and development of the economy. This study focuses on globally available agro-based biocomposites, especially those from oil palm biomass: plywood, medium density fiberboard (MDF, wood plastic composite (WPC, laminated veneer lumber (LVL, oriented strand board (OSB, hardboards, and particleboard. Additional positive aspects of biocomposites are their environmentally friendly character, high quality, competitive design, and capacity to improve the value proposition of high-end products. These attributes increase the demand for agro-based biocomposite furniture on the international market.

Gastric emptying, glucose metabolism and gut hormones

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vermeulen, Mechteld A R; Richir, Milan C; Garretsen, Martijn K

2011-01-01

To study the gastric-emptying rate and gut hormonal response of two carbohydrate-rich beverages. A specifically designed carbohydrate-rich beverage is currently used to support the surgical patient metabolically. Fruit-based beverages may also promote recovery, due to natural antioxidant and carb......To study the gastric-emptying rate and gut hormonal response of two carbohydrate-rich beverages. A specifically designed carbohydrate-rich beverage is currently used to support the surgical patient metabolically. Fruit-based beverages may also promote recovery, due to natural antioxidant...... and carbohydrate content. However, gastric emptying of fluids is influenced by its nutrient composition; hence, safety of preoperative carbohydrate loading should be confirmed. Because gut hormones link carbohydrate metabolism and gastric emptying, hormonal responses were studied....

Thermal properties of biopolyol from oil palm fruit fibre (OPFF) using solvolysis liquefaction technique

Science.gov (United States)

Kormin, Shaharuddin; Rus, Anika Zafiah M.; Azahari, M. Shafiq M.

2017-09-01

Liquefaction is known to be an effective method for converting biomass into a biopolyol. The biomass liquefaction of oil palm fruit waste (PFW) in the presence of liquefaction solvent/polyhydric alcohol (PA): polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400) using sulfuric acid as catalyst was studied. For all experiments, the liquefaction was conducted at 150°C and atmospheric pressure. The mass ratio of OPFW to liquefaction solvents used in all the experiments was, 1/3. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) were used to analyze their biopolyol and residue behaviors. It was found that thermal stability of oil palm mesocarp fibre (PM), oil palm shell (PS) and oil palm kernel (PK) fibre exhibited the first degradation of hard segment at (232, 104, 230°C) and the second degradation of soft segment at (314, 226, 412°C) as compared to PM, PS and PK residue which (229, 102, 227°C) of hard segment and (310, 219, 299°C) of segment, respectively. This behavior of thermal degradation of the hard segment and soft segment of biopolyol was changes after undergo solvolysis liquefaction process. The result analysis showed that the resulting biopolyol and its residue was suitable monomer for polyurethane (PU) synthesis for the production of PU foams.

A Survey on the Usage of Biomass Wastes from Palm Oil Mills on Sustainable Development of Oil Palm Plantations in Sarawak

Science.gov (United States)

Phang, K. Y.; Lau, S. W.

2017-06-01

As one of the world’s largest palm oil producers and exporters, Malaysia is committed to sustainable management of this industry to address the emerging environmental challenges. This descriptive study aims to evaluate the oil palm planters’ opinions regarding the usage of biomass wastes from palm oil mills and its impact on sustainable development of oil palm plantations in Sarawak. 253 planters across Sarawak were approached for their opinions about the usage of empty fruit bunch (EFB), palm oil mill effluent (POME), mesocarp fibre (MF), and palm kernel shell (PKS). This study revealed that the planters had generally higher agreement on the beneficial application of EFB and POME in oil palm plantations. This could be seen from the higher means of agreement rating of 3.64 - 4.22 for EFB and POME, compared with the rating of 3.19 - 3.41 for MF and PKS in the 5-point Likert scale (with 5 being the strongest agreement). Besides, 94.7 percent of the planters’ companies were found to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements where nearly 38 percent carried out the EIA practice twice a year. Therefore high means of agreement were correlated to the compliance of environmental regulations, recording a Likert rating of 3.89 to 4.31. Lastly, the usage of EFB and POME also gained higher Likert scale point of 3.76 to 4.17 against MF and PKS of 3.34 to 3.49 in the evaluation of the impact of sustainability in oil palm plantations. The planters agreed that the usage of EFB and POME has reduced the environmental impact and improved the sustainable development, and its application has been improved and increased by research and development. However the planters were uncertain of the impact of usage of biomass wastes with respect to the contribution to social responsibility and company image in terms of transparency in waste management.

Pengayaan Kompos Tandan Kosong Kelapa Sawit (Tkks) dengan Spent Earth terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Hasil Tanaman Kedelai (Glycine Max (L.)Merril) di Lahan Gambut

OpenAIRE

Adwa, Tengku Yulia Ispi; ', Nelvia

2014-01-01

This research aims to study the effect composting of oil palm empty fruit bunches enriched spent earth to the growth and yield of soybean. This research conducted on peat soil at Kualu Nenas village, Tambang sub-district, Kampar Regency starts from March to June 2013. The material used was soybean variety Grobogan, empty fruit bunches of oil palm (EFBOP) compost and spent earth (spent earth is a byproduct of vegetable oil processing). Research carried out experimentally using complete randomi...

Combination of Superheated Steam with Laccase Pretreatment Together with Size Reduction to Enhance Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Oil Palm Biomass

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Nur Fatin Athirah Ahmad Rizal

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The combination of superheated steam (SHS with ligninolytic enzyme laccase pretreatment together with size reduction was conducted in order to enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of oil palm biomass into glucose. The oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB and oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF were pretreated with SHS and ground using a hammer mill to sizes of 2, 1, 0.5 and 0.25 mm before pretreatment using laccase to remove lignin. This study showed that reduction of size from raw to 0.25 mm plays important role in lignin degradation by laccase that removed 38.7% and 39.6% of the lignin from OPEFB and OPMF, respectively. The subsequent saccharification process of these pretreated OPEFB and OPMF generates glucose yields of 71.5% and 63.0%, which represent a 4.6 and 4.8-fold increase, respectively, as compared to untreated samples. This study showed that the combination of SHS with laccase pretreatment together with size reduction could enhance the glucose yield.

Thermogravimetric analysis and kinetic modeling of low-transition-temperature mixtures pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunch for possible maximum yield of pyrolysis oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Yiin, Chung Loong; Yusup, Suzana; Quitain, Armando T; Uemura, Yoshimitsu; Sasaki, Mitsuru; Kida, Tetsuya

2018-05-01

The impacts of low-transition-temperature mixtures (LTTMs) pretreatment on thermal decomposition and kinetics of empty fruit bunch (EFB) were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. EFB was pretreated with the LTTMs under different duration of pretreatment which enabled various degrees of alteration to their structure. The TG-DTG curves showed that LTTMs pretreatment on EFB shifted the temperature and rate of decomposition to higher values. The EFB pretreated with sucrose and choline chloride-based LTTMs had attained the highest mass loss of volatile matter (78.69% and 75.71%) after 18 h of pretreatment. For monosodium glutamate-based LTTMs, the 24 h pretreated EFB had achieved the maximum mass loss (76.1%). Based on the Coats-Redfern integral method, the LTTMs pretreatment led to an increase in activation energy of the thermal decomposition of EFB from 80.00 to 82.82-94.80 kJ/mol. The activation energy was mainly affected by the demineralization and alteration in cellulose crystallinity after LTTMs pretreatment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of a β-1,4-D endoglucanase from Trichoderma virens wholly applied in a palm-fruit husk-based diet for poultry layers

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Olubusola A. Odeniyi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The characteristics of an endoglucanase produced by a Trichoderma virens strain T9 newly isolated from a palm-fruit husk dump site, its physiological characteristics and enzyme production were studied. Whole cells of the depolymerizing-enzyme producing T. virens were applied to palm-fruit husk and bird performance characteristics when employed as poultry diet additive were considered. Endoglucanase activity in submerged fermentation was 1.6 nkat. Optimum activity was recorded at pH 6.0 and 55ºC. The enzyme retained 50% residual glucanase activity at 70ºC for 10 minutes. 1.0% Tween-80 and SDS yielded endoglucanase activity 2.15 times higher than the control. Activity wasboosted by 20mM Ca2+ (115.0%; 10mM K+ (106.5%; and was totally inhibited by 1mM Hg2+. The addition of T. virens -fermented palm-fruit husk with other layer feed components on the bird characteristics showed that change in bird weight between the control and test birds were not significantly different (p>0.05 but differed in terms of daily feed ingested (p0.05. The shell thickness (0.64mm and yolk content (23.61% were highest in the microbially-modified husk diet. The alternative to maize based diets proffered by the application of T. virens -modified palm-fruit husk in poultry nutrition in terms of bird weight and feed to weight-gain ratio affords the poultry farmer an economic advantage and allows for a greater utilization of the maize in human diets.

Oil palm biomass-based adsorbents for the removal of water pollutants--a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Tanweer; Rafatullah, Mohd; Ghazali, Arniza; Sulaiman, Othman; Hashim, Rokiah

2011-07-01

This article presents a review on the role of oil palm biomass (trunks, fronds, leaves, empty fruit bunches, shells, etc.) as adsorbents in the removal of water pollutants such as acid and basic dyes, heavy metals, phenolic compounds, various gaseous pollutants, and so on. Numerous studies on adsorption properties of various low-cost adsorbents, such as agricultural wastes and its based activated carbons, have been reported in recent years. Studies have shown that oil palm-based adsorbent, among the low-cost adsorbents mentioned, is the most promising adsorbent for removing water pollutants. Further, these bioadsorbents can be chemically modified for better efficiency and can undergo multiple reuses to enhance their applicability at an industrial scale. It is evident from a literature survey of more than 100 recent papers that low-cost adsorbents have demonstrated outstanding removal capabilities for various pollutants. The conclusion is been drawn from the reviewed literature, and suggestions for future research are proposed.

Ethanol production from non-detoxified whole slurry of sulfite-pretreated empty fruit bunches at a low cellulase loading

Science.gov (United States)

Jinlan Cheng; Shao-Yuan Leu; J.Y. Zhu; Thomas W. Jeffries

2014-01-01

Sulfite pretreatment to overcome the recalcitrance of lignocelluloses (SPORL) was applied to an empty fruit bunches (EFB) for ethanol production. SPORL facilitated delignification through lignin sulfonation and dissolution of xylan to result in a highly digestible substrate. The pretreated whole slurry was enzymatically saccharified at a solids loading of 18% using a...

DRAGON FRUIT JUICE ADDITION IN PALM OIL-PUMPKIN EMULSION: PANELIST ACCEPTANCE AND ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY

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Anton Rahmadi*

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Addition of dragon juice to emulsion products formulated from olein fraction of red palm oil and pumpkin juice was conducted as an effort to improve the taste thus it can be accepted by consumers. This study aims to (1 observe the acceptance of 60 panelists aged 17-21 years on the parameters of taste, aroma, mouthfeel, color, flavor and aroma of each contributing components of dragon fruit, palm oil, and raspberry flavor with the addition of dragon fruit juice at level 0 (control, 25, 50, and 75% (v/v, and (2 observe the changes in chemical components i.e. vitamin C and total titrable acids, total carotenoid by spectrophotometry, and antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhdrazyl (DPPH reduction method. The best formula was the one containing 75% (v/v of red dragon juice in fresh condition with vitamin C content of 19.32±0.62 mg/100 mL, antioxidant activity of 354.25±0.77 ppm, hedonic color, taste, and viscosity between favorable and very favorable. After 2 weeks of storage at room temperature (28±2ºC, the vitamin C, total carotene, and antioxidant activity of the mixture decreased by 29.72, 15.44, and 46.59%, res-pectively.

Population density of oil palm pollinator weevil Elaeidobius kamerunicus based on seasonal effect and age of oil palm

Science.gov (United States)

Daud, Syarifah Nadiah Syed Mat; Ghani, Idris Abd.

2016-11-01

The pollinating weevil, Elaedobius kamerunicus (EK) has been known to be the most efficient insect pollinator of oil palm, and has successfully improved the oil palm pollination and increased the yield. Its introduction has greatly reduced the need for assisted pollination. The purpose of this study was to identify the population density of oil palm pollinator weevil EK using the concept of pollinator force and to relate the population density with the seasonal effect and the age of oil palm at Lekir Oil Palm Plantation Batu 14, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia. The pollinator force of the weevil was sustained at a range between 3095.2 to 19126.1 weevils per ha. The overall mean of weevil per spikelet shows that the range of weevil was between 13.51 and 54.06 per spikelet. There was no correlation between rainfall and population density of EK. However, positive correlation was obtained between weevil density and the number of anthesising female inflorescence of oil palm (r= 0.938, poil palm stands had significantly different population density than that of a 8-year old oil palm stand. The information of this study should be useful as a baseline data to investigate why there is such a wide range of weevils per ha or spikelet. Further study should also be done to relate the number pollinator force per spikelete and the Fresh fruit Bunch (FFB), fruit set or fruit to bunch ratio.

The effect of fiber treatment on abrasive wear properties of palm fiber reinforced epoxy composite

Science.gov (United States)

Razak, Muhammad Firdaus Abdul; Bakar, Mimi Azlina Abu; Kasolang, Salmiah; Ahmad, Mohamad Ali

2017-12-01

Oil palm industries generate at least 30 million tons of lignocellulosic biomass annually in the form of oil palm trunks (OPT), empty fruit bunches (EFB), oil palm fronds (OPF) and palm pressed fibres (PPF). The palm fiber is one of the natural fibers used as reinforcement in composite materials in order to decrease environmental issues and promotes utilization of renewable resources. This paper presents a study on the effect of alkaline treatment on wear properties of palm fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite. Abrasive wear testing was deployed to investigate the wear profile of the composite surfaces. Testing was carried out which focused on the effect of alkaline treatment to the palm fiber under different amounts of fiber loading i.e. 1 wt%, 3 wt%, 5 wt% and 7 wt%. The palm fibers were soaked into 6 % of alkaline solution or natrium hydroxide (NaOH) for 12 hours. The fiber was treated in order to remove amorphous materials such as hemicelluloses, lignins and pectins of the fiber. The wear test samples were fabricated using hand lay-up technique and cured at room temperature for 24 hours. Surface roughness of the composite material was also measured using the surface measuring instrument. Dry sliding wear test was performed at room temperature at a constant velocity of 1.4 m/s with a constant load of 10 N by using the Abrasion Test Machine. Result shows that 5 wt% and 7 wt% treated palm fiber loadings have better specific wear rate compared to lower fiber loadings. The finding of this study contributes towards material development and utilization in promoting `waste into wealth' which is in line with national aspiration.

Influence of Alternate Bearing on Leaf and Fruit Mineral Composition at Different Developmental Stages of Date Palm Fruits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.O. El-Mardi

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Samples of leaflets and fruits at different stages were collected from 6 “on-palms” and 6 “off-palms” (15-16 years of the Fard Cultivar. Samples were dried, ashed and digested. Macro and micronutrient concentrations of K, Ca, Mg,Na, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mg were determined by ICP-AES and N was measured by Kjeldhal method. Significant changes in the elemental concentrations of leaf and fruit occurred between Kimri (green color and Bisir (yellowish-red color development stages. Potassium and Mg concentration was reduced in leaf and fruit. Calcium and Na were reduced in the fruit and increased in the leaf. Iron, Zn and Mn were not significantly different between Bisir and Kimi. However, Fe in the fruit and leaf increased between Kimri and Bisir and decreased from Bisir to Rutab stages. The concentration of Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn was higher in the leaf than fruit. In contrast K, Zn and Cu were higher in the fruit. Higher Ca and Mg in leaves through the developmental stages were associated with higher concentration of K in the fruit than the leaf. These variations in the leaf and fruit elemental concentration were associated with physiological and biochemical changes during fruit development. Significant differences in the fruit elemental concentrations between the “on” (high yield producing and “off” (low yield producing palms during the developmental stages were in Ca, K, Mn and Fe and in the leaf in Mg and K. However, the general trend during Rutab (honey color, soft tissue indicates that “off-palm” leaves have higher N, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn than “on-palm” leaves. Potassium and Na were higher in the “on-palm” leaves than “off-palm” leaves. But in the fruit, Rutab Ca, Mg, Fe, and Zn content followed similar trends as in the “off-palm” leaves; in contrast to leaves, K and Na were higher in “off-palms” fruits and Cu and Mn higher in “on-palm” fruits. The results indicate the need for further research.

Arabinan-rich pectic polysaccharides from buriti (Mauritia flexuosa): an Amazonian edible palm fruit.

Science.gov (United States)

Cantu-Jungles, Thaisa Moro; Almeida, Carolina Pierobom de; Iacomini, Marcello; Cipriani, Thales R; Cordeiro, Lucimara M C

2015-05-20

Primary cell wall polysaccharides from aqueous extract of buriti fruit pulp (Mauritia flexuosa, an exotic tropical palm) were isolated and characterized. After freeze-thaw and α-amylase treatments, extracted polysaccharides were purified by sequential ultrafiltration through membranes. Two homogeneous fractions were obtained, SBW-100R and SBW-30R (Mw of 126 kDa and 20 kDa, respectively). Monosaccharide composition, methylation and (13)C NMR analysis showed that fraction SBW-100R contained a (1 → 5)-linked arabinan, branched at O-3 and O-2 positions, linked to a type I rhamnogalacturonan. Low amounts of these polymers were also present in fraction SBW-30R according to (13)C NMR analysis and monosaccharide composition. However, a high methyl esterified homogalacturonan (HG) was present in higher proportions. These results reinforce previous findings present in literature data which indicate that pectic polysaccharides are found in high amounts in primary cell walls of palms, which are commelinid monocotyledons. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inhibitory effect of double atmospheric pressure argon cold plasma on spores and mycotoxin production of Aspergillus niger contaminating date palm fruits.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouf, Salama A; Basher, Abdulrahman H; Mohamed, Abdel-Aleam H

2015-12-01

Aspergillus niger has been reported as a potentially dangerous pathogen of date-palm fruits in Saudi Arabia due to the production of fumonisin B2 (FB2 ) and ochratoxin A (OTA). In a trial to disinfect this product, a double atmospheric pressure argon cold plasma (DAPACP) jet system was set up and evaluated against spore germination and mycotoxin production of the pathogen. The plasma jets were characterised photographically, electrically and spectroscopically. DAPACP jet length increases with the increase of argon flow rate, with optimum rate at 3.5 L min(-1) . The viability of A. niger spores, inoculated onto sterilised date palm fruit discs, progressively decreases with extension of the exposure time of DAPACP due to the more quantitative amount of OH and O radicals interacting with the examined samples. There was a progressive reduction of the amount of FB2 and OTA detected in date palm discs on extension of the exposure time of the plasma-treated inoculums at flow rate of 3.5 L min(-1) . FB2 was not detected in the discs inoculated with 6-min plasma-treated A. niger, while OTA was completely absent when the fungus was treated for 7.5 min. DAPACP showed promising results in dry fruit decontamination and in inhibition of mycotoxin release by A. niger contaminating the fruits. The progress in the commercial application of cold plasma needs further investigation concerning the ideal width of the plasma output to enable it to cover wider surfaces of the sample and consequently inducing greater plasma performance. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Profiling microRNA expression during multi-staged date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit development

KAUST Repository

Xin, Chengqi; Liu, Wanfei; Lin, Qiang; Zhang, Xiaowei; Cui, Peng; Li, Fusen; Zhang, Guangyu; Pan, Linlin; Al-Amer, Ali; Mei, Hailiang; Al-Mssallem, Ibrahim S.; Hu, Songnian; Al-Johi, Hasan Awad; Yu, Jun

2015-01-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in multiple stages of plant development and regulate gene expression at posttranscriptional and translational levels. In this study, we first identified 238 conserved miRNAs in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) based on a high-quality genome assembly and defined 78 fruit-development-associated (FDA) miRNAs, whose expression profiles are variable at different fruit development stages. Using experimental data, we subsequently detected 276 novel P. dactylifera-specific FDA miRNAs and predicted their targets. We also revealed that FDA miRNAs function mainly in regulating genes involved in starch/sucrose metabolisms and other carbon metabolic pathways; among them, 221 FDA miRNAs exhibit negative correlation with their corresponding targets, which suggests their direct regulatory roles on mRNA targets. Our data define a comprehensive set of conserved and novel FDA miRNAs along with their expression profiles, which provide a basis for further experimentation in assigning discrete functions of these miRNAs in P. dactylifera fruit development.

Profiling microRNA expression during multi-staged date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit development

KAUST Repository

Xin, Chengqi

2015-01-29

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in multiple stages of plant development and regulate gene expression at posttranscriptional and translational levels. In this study, we first identified 238 conserved miRNAs in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) based on a high-quality genome assembly and defined 78 fruit-development-associated (FDA) miRNAs, whose expression profiles are variable at different fruit development stages. Using experimental data, we subsequently detected 276 novel P. dactylifera-specific FDA miRNAs and predicted their targets. We also revealed that FDA miRNAs function mainly in regulating genes involved in starch/sucrose metabolisms and other carbon metabolic pathways; among them, 221 FDA miRNAs exhibit negative correlation with their corresponding targets, which suggests their direct regulatory roles on mRNA targets. Our data define a comprehensive set of conserved and novel FDA miRNAs along with their expression profiles, which provide a basis for further experimentation in assigning discrete functions of these miRNAs in P. dactylifera fruit development.

Properties of fresh and hardened sustainable concrete due to the use of palm oil fuel ash as cement replacement

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Hamada, Hussein M.; Jokhio, Gul Ahmed; Mat Yahaya, Fadzil; Humada, Ali M.

2018-04-01

Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) is a by-product resulting from the combustion of palm oil waste such as palm oil shell and empty fruit bunches to generate electricity in the palm oil mills. Considerable quantities of POFA thus generated, accumulate in the open fields and landfills, which causes atmospheric pollution in the form of generating toxic gases. Firstly, to protect the environment; and secondly, having excellent properties for this purpose; POFA can be and has been used as partial cement replacement in concrete preparation. Therefore, this paper compiles the results obtained from previous studies that address the properties of concrete containing POFA as cement replacement in fresh and hardened states. The results indicate that there is a great potential to using POFA as cement replacement because of its ability to improve compressive strength, reduce hydration heat of cement mortar and positively affect other fresh and hardened concrete properties. The paper recommends that conducting further studies to exploit high volume of POFA along with other additives as cement replacement while maintaining high quality of concrete can help minimize CO2 emissions due to concrete.

Preliminary evaluation of physical and chemical characterization of waste palm oil shell as cool material replaced in asphaltic concrete as fine aggregate

Science.gov (United States)

Anuar, M. A. M.; Anting, N.; Shahidan, S.; Lee, Y. Y.; Din, M. F. Md; Khalid, F. S.; Nazri, W. M. H. W.

2017-11-01

Malaysia is one of the biggest producer of palm oil product and currently as main source of economy for the country. During the production of crude palm oil, a large amount of waste material is generated, such as palm oil fibres, palm oil shells and empty fruit bunches. Palm oil shell aggregate (POSA) is identified as a material that shows good potential to be used as a fine aggregate replacement in asphaltic concrete. On other hand, the chemical compound that exist in the Palm Oil Shell (POS) have shown a good potential as reflective component in cool-material. The purpose of this study is to obtain the physical and chemical properties of palm oil shell. The result shows the apparent particle density of Palm Oil Shell is 1.6 mg/m3. The specific gravity of palm oil shell was obtained with the value 1.6 and the water absorption amount of palm oil shell recorded from this study was 25.1%. The X-Ray Fluorescence study shows that palm oil shell contains the highest amount of SiO2 (46.412 wt%) and the second highest amount of Fe2O3 (34.016 wt%), both is the main output of relectivity compound. As a conclusion, waste palm oil shell has a potential to be used as alternative material for fine aggregate replacement. Besides that, the amount of chemical element that consist in palm oil shell which high in SiO2 and Fe2O3, promising the benefit to mitigate urban heat island as a cooling material agent.

Life cycle inventory for palm based plywood: A gate-to-gate case study

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Shamim; Sahid, Ismail; Subramaniam, Vijaya; Muhamad, Halimah; Mokhtar, Anis

2013-11-01

The oil palm industry heavily relies on the world market. It is essential to ensure that the oil palm industry is ready to meet the demands and expectation of these overseas customers on the environmental performance of the oil palm industry. Malaysia produces 13.9 million tons of oil palm biomass including oil palm trunk (OPT), frond and empty fruits bunches (EFB) annually. OPT felled in some oil palm plantations during replanting is transported to various industries and one such industry is the plywood factories. In order to gauge the environmental performance of the use of OPT as plywood a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study was conducted for palm based plywood. LCA is an important tool to assess the environmental performance of a product or process. Life cycle inventory (LCI) is the heart of a LCA study. This LCI study has a gate-to-gate system boundary and the functional unit is 1 m3 palm plywood produced and covers three types of plywood; Moisture Resistance Plywood (MR), Weather Boiling Proof Plywood Grade 1 (WBP Grade 1) at Factory D and Weather Boiling Proof Plywood Grade 2 (WBP Grade 2) at Factory E. Both factories use two different types of drying processes; conventional drying at Factory D and kiln drying at Factory E. This inventory data was collected from two factories (D and E) representing 40% of Malaysia palm plywood industry. The inputs are mainly the raw materials which are the oil palm trunks and tropical wood veneers and the energy from diesel and electricity from grid which is mainly used for the drying process. The other inputs include water, urea formaldehyde, phenol formaldehyde, flour and melamine powder. The outputs are the biomass waste which consists of oil palm trunk off-cut and emission from boiler. Generally, all types of plywood production use almost same materials and processing methods in different quantities. Due to the different process efficiency, Factory D uses less input of raw materials and energy compared to Factory E.

Combustion of palm oil solid waste in fluidized bed combustor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdullah, I.; Shamsuddin, A.H.; Sopian, K.

2000-01-01

Results of experimental investigations of fluidized bed combustion of palm oil wastes consisting of shell, fibre and empty fruit bunches high heating value of 17450 kJ/kg and low heating value of 14500 kJ/kg. The fluidized bed combuster used has a vessel size of 486 x 10 6 mm 3 , surface area of evaporation tubes and distribution air pipes of 500 mm 2 and 320 mm 2 respectively. It was found that a fuel feeding rate 160 kg/h is required to achieve a steam flow rate of 600 kg/h, with the combustion efficiency 96% and boiler efficiency of 72%, emission level of flue gas NO x at less than 180 ppm, SO 2 at less than 20 ppm are measured in the flue gas. (Author)

African palm ethno-medicine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gruca, Marta; Blach-Overgaard, Anne; Balslev, Henrik

2015-01-01

-medicinal data on African palms, and investigate patterns of palm uses in traditional medicine; and highlight possible under-investigated areas. Materials and methods References were found through bibliographic searches using several sources including PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar and search engines...... in traditional medicine, with most of the uses related to fruit (and palm oil), root, seed and leaf. Palms were used in traditional medicine mostly without being mixed with other plants, and less commonly in mixtures, sometimes in mixture with products of animal origin. Future ethno-botanical surveys should...... were able to demonstrate the value of palms in traditional medicine, and provide recommendations for the areas that should be targeted in future ethno-botanical surveys....

Influence of Kenaf Core Fiber Incorporation on the Mechanical Performance and Dimensional Stability of Oil Palm Fiber Reinforced Poly(lactic acid Hybrid Biocomposites

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Abubakar Umar Birnin-Yauri

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This study demonstrated the reinforcing potential of kenaf core fiber (KCF to complement and sustain oil palm fiber supply chain in the production of natural fiber-thermoplastic biocomposites. The lignin-rich KCF was incorporated into cellulose-rich oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFBF- and oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF-poly(lactic acid (PLA composites, aimed at achieving synergism. The hybrid biocomposites developed by melt blending and subsequent compression molding were characterized for possible application as an alternative to medium-density fiberboards. The mechanical properties and dimensional stability of both single fiber- and hybrid fiber-PLA biocomposites were evaluated and compared. The test results showed a synergistic improvement as a consequence of fiber hybridization. Also, the findings suggested the best material performance with the incorporation of 5% KCF into 55% EFBF or OPMF and 40% PLA matrix. The OPMF-KCF-PLA hybrid biocomposites gave better results than the EFBF-KCF-PLA hybrid biocomposites.

Variability and performance evaluation of introgressed Nigerian dura x Deli dura oil palm progenies.

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Noh, A; Rafii, M Y; Mohd Din, A; Kushairi, A; Norziha, A; Rajanaidu, N; Latif, M A; Malek, M A

2014-04-03

Twelve introgressed oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) progenies of Nigerian dura x Deli dura were evaluated for bunch yield, yield attributes, bunch quality components and vegetative characters at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board Research Station, in Keratong, Pahang, Malaysia. Analysis of variance revealed significant to highly significant genotypic differences, indicating sufficient genetic variability among the progenies for bunch yield and its attributes, vegetative characters and bunch quality components, except fruit to bunch ratio. Fresh fruit bunch yield ranged from 167 kg·palm(-1)·year(-1) in PK1330 to 212 kg·palm(-1)·year(-1) in PK1351, with a mean yield of 192 kg·palm(-1)·year(-1). Among the progeny, PK1313 had the highest oil to bunch ratio (19.36%), due to its high mesocarp to fruit ratio, fruit to bunch ratio and low shell to fruit ratio. Among the progenies, PK1313 produced the highest oil yield of 31.4 kg·palm(-1)·year(-1), due to a high mesocarp to fruit ratio (61.2%) and a low shell to fruit ratio (30.7%), coupled with high fruit to bunch ratio (65.6%). PK1330 was found promising for selection, as it had desirable vegetative characters, including smaller petiole cross section (27.15 cm2), short rachis length (4.83 m), short palm height (1.85 m), and the lowest leaf number (164.6), as these vegetative characters are prerequisites for selecting palms for high density planting and high yield per hectare. The genetic variability among the progenies was found to be high, indicating ample scope for further breeding, followed by selection.

Air gasification of empty fruit bunch for hydrogen-rich gas production in a fluidized-bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammed, M.A.A.; Salmiaton, A.; Wan Azlina, W.A.K.G.; Mohammad Amran, M.S.; Fakhru'l-Razi, A.

2011-01-01

A study on gasification of empty fruit bunch (EFB), a waste of the palm oil industry, was investigated. The composition and particle size distribution of feedstock were determined and the thermal degradation behaviour was analysed by a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Then fluidized bed bench scale gasification unit was used to investigate the effect of the operating parameters on EFB air gasification namely reactor temperature in the range of 700-1000 o C, feedstock particle size in the range of 0.3-1.0 mm and equivalence ratio (ER) in the range of 0.15-0.35. The main gas species generated, as identified by a gas chromatography (GC), were H 2 , CO, CO 2 and CH 4 . With temperature increasing from 700 o C to 1000 o C, the total gas yield was enhanced greatly and reached the maximum value (∼92 wt.%, on the raw biomass sample basis) at 1000 o C with big portions of H 2 (38.02 vol.%) and CO (36.36 vol.%). Feedstock particle size showed an influence on the upgrading of H 2 , CO and CH 4 yields. The feedstock particle size of 0.3-0.5 mm, was found to obtain a higher H 2 yield (33.93 vol.%), and higher LHV of gas product (15.26 MJ/m 3 ). Equivalence ratio (ER) showed a significant influence on the upgrading of hydrogen production and product distribution. The optimum ER (0.25) was found to attain a higher H 2 yield (27.31 vol.%) at 850 o C. Due to the low efficiency of bench scale gasification unit the system needs to be scaling-up. The cost analysis for scale-up EFB gasification unit showed that the hydrogen supply cost is RM 6.70/kg EFB ($2.11/kg = $0.18/Nm 3 ).

Evaluation of removal efficiency of heavy metals by low-cost activated carbon prepared from African palm fruit

Science.gov (United States)

Abdulrazak, Sani; Hussaini, K.; Sani, H. M.

2017-10-01

This study details the removal of heavy metals; Cadmium, Copper, Nickel, and Lead from wastewater effluent using an activated carbon produced from African palm fruit. The effluent was obtained from Old Panteka market; a metal scrap Market located in Kaduna State, Nigeria, which has several components that constitute high level of pollution in the environment. The effect of temperature and contact time on the removal of these heavy metals using the activated carbon produced was investigated. The activated carbon showed a significant ability in removing heavy metals; Cadmium, Copper, Nickel, and Lead from the wastewater. Higher percentage removal was observed at a temperature of 80 °C (93.23 ± 0.035, 96.71 ± 0.097, 92.01 ± 0.018, and 95.42 ± 0.067 % for Cadmium, Copper, Nickel, and Lead, respectively) and at an optimum contact time of 60 min (99.235 ± 0.148, 96.711 ± 0.083, 95.34 ± 0.015, and 97.750 ± 0.166 % for Cadmium, Copper, Nickel, and Lead, respectively) after which the percentage removal decreases. This work, therefore, suggests that African palm fruit can be successfully applied to solve this environmental pollution.

Utilization of agro-resources by radiation treatment -production of animal feed and mushroom from oil palm wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kume, Tamikazu; Matsuhashi, Shinpei; Hashimoto, Shoji

1993-01-01

The production of animal feeds and mushrooms from oil palm cellulosic wastes by radiation and fermentation has been investigated in order to utilize the agro-resources and to reduce the smoke pollution. The process is as follows: decontamination of microorganisms in fermentation media of empty fruit bunch of oil palm (EBF) by irradiation, inoculation of useful fungi, and subsequently production of proteins and edible mushrooms. The dose of 25 kGy was required for the sterilization of contaminating bacteria whereas the dose of 10 kGy was enough to eliminate the fungi. Among many kinds of fungi tested, C. cinereus and P. sajor-caju were selected as the most suitable microorganism for the fermentation of EFB. The protein content of the product increased to 13% and the crude fiber content decreased to 20% after 30 days of incubation with C. cinereus at 30 o C in solid state fermentation. P. sajor-caju was suitable for the mushroom production on EFB with rice bran. (author)

Utilization of agro-resources by radiation treatment -production of animal feed and mushroom from oil palm wastes

Science.gov (United States)

Kume, Tamikazu; Matsuhashi, Shinpei; Hashimoto, Shoji; Awang, Mat Rasol; Hamdini, Hassan; Saitoh, Hideharu

1993-10-01

The production of animal feeds and mushrooms from oil palm cellulosic wasres by radiation and fermentation has been investigated in order to utilize the agro-resources and to reduce the smoke pollution. The process is as follows: decontamination of microorganisms in fermentation media of empty fruit bunch of oil palm (EFB) by irradiation, inoculation of useful fungi, and subsequently production of proteins and edible mushrooms. The dose of 25 kGy was required for the sterilization of contaminating bacteria whereas the dose of 10 kGy was enough to eliminate the fungi. Among many kinds of fungi tested, C. cinereus and P. sajor-caju were selected as the most suitable microorganism for the fermentation of EFB. The protein content of the product increased to 13 % and the crude fiber content decreased to 20% after 30 days of incubation with C. cinereus at 30°C in solid state fermentation. P. sajor-caju was suitable for the mushroom production on EFB with rice bran.

Effect of Reinforced Hybrid Palm Shells on Mechanical Properties of Polyurethane-Jute Woven/ Vinyl Ester Sandwich Board

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, T.S.; Nurul Ain Nanyan; Lan, D.N.U.; Leng, T.P.

2014-01-01

A natural fiber sandwich was constructed from palm shells/polyurethane core and jute woven/vinyl ester face sheets by the in-situ sandwich process (core and panel prepared simultaneously). The polyurethane sandwich core was reinforced by hybrid shell systems of dried palm shell (DPS) and palm kernel shell (PKS) (50P-50D, 25P-75D), and single shell system of PKS (100P) as well as 20 phr empty fruit bunch (EFB) based on hundred part of polyurethane. The sandwich face sheets are prepared by using two jute woven layers and impregnated by vinyl ester. Interlocking between DPS and polyurethane matrix was formed, which hence enhanced the mechanical properties. The interfacial adhesion between DPS, PKS, and EFB with the polyurethane binder played the important role to achieve high mechanical properties. It was found that hybrid shells exhibited high reinforcement for sandwich's performance resulting better compression (50P-50D) and flexural (25P-75D) properties. The single shell 100P showed only improvement on flexural modulus.The fracture surface morphology of sandwich under mechanical test was performed by using optical microscopy. (author)

Analisis sifat fisika pemanfaatan pati tandan kosong sawit dan limbah plastik LDPE sebagai bahan pembuatan plastik biodegradabel

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Tengku Rachmi Hidayani

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to overcome the issue of plastic packaging waste that accumulates in nature because synthetic polymers cannot be easily unraveled by bacteria. Biodegradable plastics were produced by mixing waste of plastics of the low density polyethylene (LDPE with starch of empty palm fruit bunches, modified with the addition of maleic anhydride as a crosslinking agent. To produce biodegradable plastics, different compositions of LDPE waste, starch of empty palm fruit bunch, maleic anhydride, and benzoyl peroxide were used, namely (90: 10: 1: 1, (80: 20: 1: 1, (70: 30: 1: 1, and (60: 40: 1: 1. Research stages consisted of extraction of starch from palm empty fruit bunch (PEFB; preparation of biodegradable plastic powder with the reflux method and xylene solvents; and making of biodegradable plastics using the press molding method. Based on the results of characterization, it was revealed that the optimum condition was generated by biodegradable plastics with the composition of LDPE waste, starch of empty palm bunches, maleic anhydride, and benzoyl peroxide was equal to 60: 40: 1: 1, which generated the tensile strength value of 6.9410 N/m2, the elongation at break of 3.1875%, the the melting point temperature of 103oC, and the decomposition temperature of 384oC. Besides, the thermal gravimetric test generated a residue of 12.6% and results of the analysis on morphological properties suggested that the starch distributed evenly.

Colletrotrichum gloeosporioides causando antracnose em frutos de pupunheira nos estados de Minas Gerais e Paraná Colletrotrichum gloeosporioides causing anthracnosis on peach palm fruits in Minas Gerais and Paraná States, Brazil

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João Batista Vida

2006-09-01

Full Text Available O cultivo de pupunha (Bactris gasipaes para palmito tem-se expandido para algumas regiões do Sudeste e Sul do Brasil, ocupando áreas abandonadas pela agricultura no espaço territorial de domínio da Mata Atlântica. Em plantas adultas de pupunheira, cultivadas para a produção de sementes nos estados de Minas Gerais e Paraná, verificou-se ocorrência de antracnose nos frutos, causando severa podridão. O fungo Colletotrichum gloeosporioides foi isolado de tecidos doentes e a sua patogenicidade aos frutos da pupunheira foi confirmada em condições controladas. Essa foi a primeira constatação da doença em frutos nos estados de Minas Gerais e Paraná.The cultivation of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes for production of palm heart has increased in Southeast and Southern Brazil, in areas of domain of Atlantic Forest. Adult peach palm plants kept for seed production have suffered severe rot damages on fruits, resulting from coalescence of spots. The fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was isolated from the damaged tissues and its pathogenicity to peach palm fruits was confirmed under controlled conditions. This is the first report of this disease damaging peach palm fruits in the Minas Gerais and Parana States.

Effect of Different Sterilization Methods on the Extracted Oil from Oil Palm Fruit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasimah Kasmin; Hasimah Kasmin; Roila Awang; Azwan Mat Lazim

2015-01-01

Sterilization is important process during the processing of oil palm fruits in order to produce crude palm oil (CPO). This process can be carried out using steam (conventional method), dry heating or wet heating method. In this study, the effectiveness of the dry heating and wet heating method for sterilization and solvent extraction were carried out. The sterilization time of these two methods were varied at 30, 60 and 90 min in order to determine their effectiveness on the oil extraction and their quality. Results showed that, at 30 min of sterilization, the wet heating produced a higher percentage of oil extraction compared to the conventional and dry heating, with average of 27.65 %, 19.01 % and 20.21 % respectively. In comparison with the conventional method, both sterilization methods gave better FFA and DOBI results. This can be seen where the average of free fatty acid (FFA) content for proposed sterilization method was between 0.37 % to 0.93 % while, average deterioration of bleach ability index (DOBI) was from 4.89 to 6.12. The average carotene content was in agreement with the conventional method at a range of 644.64 ppm to 764.80 ppm. (author)

Socio-economic consequences of technical change in palm fruit processing in Osun State, Nigeria

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T Alimi

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The traditional palm fruit processing method is basically manual, but is currently undergoing changes. This study identifies the stages that have been mechanised in traditional processing methods and the socio-economic implications of the technical change to assist decision-making on the superiority or otherwise of the mechanised (modern method over the traditional method used by processors in Osun State of Nigeria. Primary data were collected during the 2004 production season with the aid of a structured questionnaire on the production resources and outputs of the two methods. These were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, budgetary technique dominance and sensitivity analyses, and attitudinal measure. Results indicate that only two (pounding to form paste and cracking of the stages identified in the traditional method were mechanised in the modern method. This resulted in greater efficiency of palm oil extraction, higher labour productivity, more income to stakeholders, greater market orientation, increased volume of operation and unchanged product types and quality. Other consequences are the creation of one additional group of stakeholders (machine owners, dominance, resilience to adverse yield and machine charges by 27 per cent and 150 per cent, respectively; more favourable attitude, less drudgery and health hazards, less labour requirements (female and lower processing time in the modern method than the traditional method. This made the modern method a better choice, which could boost palm oil production at the aggregate level.

WRI1-1, ABI5, NF-YA3 and NF-YC2 increase oil biosynthesis in coordination with hormonal signaling during fruit development in oil palm.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeap, Wan-Chin; Lee, Fong-Chin; Shabari Shan, Dilip Kumar; Musa, Hamidah; Appleton, David Ross; Kulaveerasingam, Harikrishna

2017-07-01

The oil biosynthesis pathway must be tightly controlled to maximize oil yield. Oil palm accumulates exceptionally high oil content in its mesocarp, suggesting the existence of a unique fruit-specific fatty acid metabolism transcriptional network. We report the complex fruit-specific network of transcription factors responsible for modulation of oil biosynthesis genes in oil palm mesocarp. Transcriptional activation of EgWRI1-1 encoding a key master regulator that activates expression of oil biosynthesis genes, is activated by three ABA-responsive transcription factors, EgNF-YA3, EgNF-YC2 and EgABI5. Overexpression of EgWRI1-1 and its activators in Arabidopsis accelerated flowering, increased seed size and oil content, and altered expression levels of oil biosynthesis genes. Protein-protein interaction experiments demonstrated that EgNF-YA3 interacts directly with EgWRI1-1, forming a transcription complex with EgNF-YC2 and EgABI5 to modulate transcription of oil biosynthesis pathway genes. Furthermore, EgABI5 acts downstream of EgWRKY40, a repressor that interacts with EgWRKY2 to inhibit the transcription of oil biosynthesis genes. We showed that expression of these activators and repressors in oil biosynthesis can be induced by phytohormones coordinating fruit development in oil palm. We propose a model highlighting a hormone signaling network coordinating fruit development and fatty acid biosynthesis. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Loading Effect of Aluminum Hydroxide onto the Mechanical, Thermal Conductivity, Acoustical and Burning Properties of the Palm-based Polyurethane Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nor Rabbiatul Adawiyah Norzali; Khairiah Badri; Khairiah Badri; Mohd Zaki Nuawi

2011-01-01

Effects of aluminium hydroxide (ATH) addition on the properties of palm-based polyurethane composites were investigated. The hybrid composites were prepared by mixing 10 wt % of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFB) with ATH at varying amount of 2, 4 and 6 wt % of the overall mass of the resin. The compression stress and modulus gave the highest values of 575 and 2301 kPa, respectively at 2 wt % loading of ATH. The compression stress and modulus decreased drastically at 4 wt % (431 kPa and 1659 kPa, respectively) and further decreased at 6 wt % ATH (339 and 1468 kPa, respectively). However, the burning rate is inversely proportional to the loading percentage where the highest burning rate was observed at 2 wt % ATH. Sound absorption analysis indicated a large absorption coefficient at high frequency (4000 Hz) for all samples. The highest absorption coefficient was obtained from PU-EFB/ ATH with 4 wt % ATH. (author)

Gastric emptying, glucose metabolism and gut hormones: evaluation of a common preoperative carbohydrate beverage.

Science.gov (United States)

Vermeulen, Mechteld A R; Richir, Milan C; Garretsen, Martijn K; van Schie, Annelies; Ghatei, Mohammed A; Holst, Jens J; Heijboer, Annemieke C; Uitdehaag, Bernard M J; Diamant, Michaela; Eekhoff, E Marelise W; van Leeuwen, Paul A M; Ligthart-Melis, Gerdien C

2011-09-01

To study the gastric-emptying rate and gut hormonal response of two carbohydrate-rich beverages. A specifically designed carbohydrate-rich beverage is currently used to support the surgical patient metabolically. Fruit-based beverages may also promote recovery, due to natural antioxidant and carbohydrate content. However, gastric emptying of fluids is influenced by its nutrient composition; hence, safety of preoperative carbohydrate loading should be confirmed. Because gut hormones link carbohydrate metabolism and gastric emptying, hormonal responses were studied. In eight volunteers, gastric emptying rates of both 400 mL of a ready-to-use beverage (A: Nutricia preOp; 50.4 g carbohydrates-mainly polysaccharides; 260 mOsm/kg) and 400 mL over-the-counter fruit-based lemonade (B: Roosvicee Original; 48 g carbohydrates--mainly fruit-associated saccharides; 805 mOsm/kg) were determined scintigraphically (using hepatate Tc-99(m)) according to a crossover design. Plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), peptide YY, total glucagon, and ghrelin were studied. Gastric emptying showed no differences in residual volumes. Earlier onset in emptying for beverage A versus B was observed (trend), with significantly higher glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and glucagon responses at 15-90 min. GLP-1 was inversely related to residual volume. Fruit-based lemonade is a safe alternative for preoperative purposes. It induces a more limited glucose, insulin, and C-peptide response. Later onset in gastric emptying (B versus A: trend), lower glucagon release, and differences in beverage content and osmolarity may have contributed to those differences. Efficient emptying was reflected by early GLP-1 levels. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ACC oxidase and miRNA 159a, and their involvement in fresh fruit bunch yield (FFB) via sex ratio determination in oil palm.

Science.gov (United States)

Somyong, Suthasinee; Poopear, Supannee; Sunner, Supreet Kaur; Wanlayaporn, Kitti; Jomchai, Nukoon; Yoocha, Thippawan; Ukoskit, Kittipat; Tangphatsornruang, Sithichoke; Tragoonrung, Somvong

2016-06-01

Oil palm (Elaeis guineesis Jacq.) is the most productive oil-bearing crop, yielding more oil per area than any other oil-bearing crops. However, there are still efforts to improve oil palm yield, in order to serve consumer and manufacturer demand. Oil palm produces female and male inflorescences in an alternating cycle. So, high sex ratio (SR), the ratio of female inflorescences to the total inflorescences, is a favorable trait in term of increasing yields in oil palm. This study aims to understand the genetic control for SR related traits, such as fresh fruit bunch yield (FFB), by characterizing genes at FFB quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on linkage 10 (chromosome 6) and linkage 15 (chromosome 10). Published oil palm sequences at the FFB QTLs were used to develop gene-based and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. We used the multiple QTL analysis model (MQM) to characterize the relationship of new markers with the SR traits in the oil palm population. The RNA expression of the most linked QTL genes was also evaluated in various tissues of oil palm. We identified EgACCO1 (encoding aminocyclopropane carboxylate (ACC) oxidase) at chromosome 10 and EgmiR159a (microRNA 159a) at chromosome 6 to be the most linked QTL genes or determinants for FFB yield and/or female inflorescence number with a phenotype variance explained (PVE) from 10.4 to 15 % and suggest that these play the important roles in sex determination and differentiation in oil palm. The strongest expression of EgACCO1 and the predicted precursor of EgmiR159a was found in ovaries and, to a lesser extent, fruit development. In addition, highly normalized expression of EgmiR159a was found in female flowers. In summary, the QTL analysis and the RNA expression reveal that EgACCO1 and EgmiR159a are the potential genetic factors involved in female flower determination and hence would affect yield in oil palm. However, to clarify how these genetic factors regulate female flower determination, more investigation

Pleurotus pulmonarius cultivation on amended palm press fibre waste

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In the last few decades, rapid global demand for edible oils has resulted in a significant increase in the land area of oil crop cultivation. In the process of extraction of palm oil from oil palm fruit, biomass materials such as palm pressed fibre (PPF) are generated as waste products. This research was undertaken to evaluate ...

Palms and Palm Communities in the Upper Ucayali River Valley - a Little-Known Region in the Amazon Basin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balslev, Henrik; Eiserhardt, Wolf L.; Kristiansen, Thea

2010-01-01

The Amazon region and its palms are inseparable. Palms make up such an important part of the rain forest ecosystem that it is impossible to imagine the Amazon basin without them. Palms are visible in the canopy and often fill up the forest understory. Palms – because of their edible fruits...... – are cornerstone species for the survival of many animals, and palms contribute substantially to forest inventories in which they are often among the ten most important families. Still, the palms and palm communities of some parts of the Amazon basin remain poorly studied and little known. We travelled to a little......-explored corner of the western Amazon basin, the upper Ucayali river valley. There, we encountered 56 different palms, 18 of which had not been registered for the region previously, and 21 of them were found 150–400 km beyond their previously known limits....

Enhancing biological control of basal stem rot disease (Ganoderma boninense) in oil palm plantations.

Science.gov (United States)

Susanto, A; Sudharto, P S; Purba, R Y

2005-01-01

Basal Stem Rot (BSR) disease caused by Ganoderma boninense is the most destructive disease in oil palm, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia. The available control measures for BSR disease such as cultural practices and mechanical and chemical treatment have not proved satisfactory due to the fact that Ganoderma has various resting stages such as melanised mycelium, basidiospores and pseudosclerotia. Alternative control measures to overcome the Ganoderma problem are focused on the use of biological control agents and planting resistant material. Present studies conducted at Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute (IOPRI) are focused on enhancing the use of biological control agents for Ganoderma. These activities include screening biological agents from the oil palm rhizosphere in order to evaluate their effectiveness as biological agents in glasshouse and field trials, testing their antagonistic activities in large scale experiments and eradicating potential disease inoculum with biological agents. Several promising biological agents have been isolated, mainly Trichoderma harzianum, T. viride, Gliocladium viride, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Bacillus sp. A glasshouse and field trial for Ganoderma control indicated that treatment with T. harzianum and G. viride was superior to Bacillus sp. A large scale trial showed that the disease incidence was lower in a field treated with biological agents than in untreated fields. In a short term programme, research activities at IOPRI are currently focusing on selecting fungi that can completely degrade plant material in order to eradicate inoculum. Digging holes around the palm bole and adding empty fruit bunches have been investigated as ways to stimulate biological agents.

Thermal, crystallinity and morphological studies of the filled RBD palm kernel oil polyurethane foam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khairiah Badri; Sahrim Ahmad; Sarani Zakaria

2000-01-01

The synthesis of RBD palm kernel oil (PKO) polyurethane polyol and the polyurethane foam has well been documented. However, less study has been put in discovering the thermal properties and crystallinity of the foam. It is also an initiative to investigate the effect of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) and sorbitol as fillers in the polyurethane (PU) foam to these properties. Thermogravimetric (TGA) investigation of the PKO PU foam was performed to study their decompositions. The semi-crystalline nature of EFB-filled PU was confirmed by x-ray diffratogram and DSC thermogram of glass transition temperature, T g . The x-ray diffraction (XRD) study of the unfilled PU showed a broad amorphous halo, indicative of absence of crystallinity in the polymer, which has been explained as due to strong hydrogen bonding in the hard phase. Overall crystallinity decreases with an increase in the polyester content in agreement with the XRD results. The crystallinity however, increases with the inclusion of EFB in the polyurethane system. This study was followed by the observation of the surface morphologies of the PKO PU foam with and without fillers. The scanning electron micrographs verified the finding on the improved k-factor values. (Author)

Palms, peccaries and perturbations: widespread effects of small-scale disturbance in tropical forests

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Queenborough Simon A

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Disturbance is an important process structuring ecosystems worldwide and has long been thought to be a significant driver of diversity and dynamics. In forests, most studies of disturbance have focused on large-scale disturbance such as hurricanes or tree-falls. However, smaller sub-canopy disturbances could also have significant impacts on community structure. One such sub-canopy disturbance in tropical forests is abscising leaves of large arborescent palm (Arececeae trees. These leaves can weigh up to 15 kg and cause physical damage and mortality to juvenile plants. Previous studies examining this question suffered from the use of static data at small spatial scales. Here we use data from a large permanent forest plot combined with dynamic data on the survival and growth of > 66,000 individuals over a seven-year period to address whether falling palm fronds do impact neighboring seedling and sapling communities, or whether there is an interaction between the palms and peccaries rooting for fallen palm fruit in the same area as falling leaves. We tested the wider generalisation of these hypotheses by comparing seedling and sapling survival under fruiting and non-fruiting trees in another family, the Myristicaceae. Results We found a spatially-restricted but significant effect of large arborescent fruiting palms on the spatial structure, population dynamics and species diversity of neighbouring sapling and seedling communities. However, these effects were not found around slightly smaller non-fruiting palm trees, suggesting it is seed predators such as peccaries rather than falling leaves that impact on the communities around palm trees. Conversely, this hypothesis was not supported in data from other edible species, such as those in the family Myristicaceae. Conclusions Given the abundance of arborescent palm trees in Amazonian forests, it is reasonable to conclude that their presence does have a significant, if spatially

Palms, peccaries and perturbations: widespread effects of small-scale disturbance in tropical forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Queenborough, Simon A; Metz, Margaret R; Wiegand, Thorsten; Valencia, Renato

2012-03-19

Disturbance is an important process structuring ecosystems worldwide and has long been thought to be a significant driver of diversity and dynamics. In forests, most studies of disturbance have focused on large-scale disturbance such as hurricanes or tree-falls. However, smaller sub-canopy disturbances could also have significant impacts on community structure. One such sub-canopy disturbance in tropical forests is abscising leaves of large arborescent palm (Arececeae) trees. These leaves can weigh up to 15 kg and cause physical damage and mortality to juvenile plants. Previous studies examining this question suffered from the use of static data at small spatial scales. Here we use data from a large permanent forest plot combined with dynamic data on the survival and growth of > 66,000 individuals over a seven-year period to address whether falling palm fronds do impact neighboring seedling and sapling communities, or whether there is an interaction between the palms and peccaries rooting for fallen palm fruit in the same area as falling leaves. We tested the wider generalisation of these hypotheses by comparing seedling and sapling survival under fruiting and non-fruiting trees in another family, the Myristicaceae. We found a spatially-restricted but significant effect of large arborescent fruiting palms on the spatial structure, population dynamics and species diversity of neighbouring sapling and seedling communities. However, these effects were not found around slightly smaller non-fruiting palm trees, suggesting it is seed predators such as peccaries rather than falling leaves that impact on the communities around palm trees. Conversely, this hypothesis was not supported in data from other edible species, such as those in the family Myristicaceae. Given the abundance of arborescent palm trees in Amazonian forests, it is reasonable to conclude that their presence does have a significant, if spatially-restricted, impact on juvenile plants, most likely on the

GC-MS analysis of aroma of Medemia argun (mama-n-khanen or mama-n-xanin), an ancient Egyptian fruit palm.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamed, Arafa I; Leonardi, Michele; Stochmal, Anna; Oleszek, Wieslaw; Pistelli, Luisa

2012-05-01

The fruits of the edible and medicinal Egyptian palm, Medemia argun, were collected from Aswan in Egypt and the essential oil (EO) from fruits and headspace (HS) of the seeds and fleshy mesocarps were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Results obtained by GC-MS analysis indicated a high variability in the oil and in the headspace from seeds and mesocarps. Sesquiterpene derivatives were the main group of volatiles in the EO from fruits and in the HS from seeds (45.0 and 64.0%, respectively), while oxygenated hydrocarbon derivatives were the main constituents in the HS obtained from fleshy mesocarps (96.5%). The different chemical composition of the headspace obtained from the seeds and mesocarps of M. argun can be correlated with the different roles that the different constituents play in the prevention of dehydration of the fruits in the desert region from where the plant was collected.

Characterization of Empty Fruit Bunch Treated with Ionic Liquid Prior to Enzymatic Delignification

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Revie Financie

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The technological utility of enzymes for delignification can be increased by using ionic liquid to open more accessible surface area for biomass transformation into bio-based products. The present paper demonstrates application of ionic liquid (IL [emim][DEP] 1-ethyl-3 methyllimidazolium-diethyl phospate for empty fruit bunch (EFB pretreatment process followed by enzymatic delignification by using Laccase.  It was found that [emim][DEP] increased the performance of the enzyme laccase and henced higher cellulose rich materials, whereas also reduced the lignin content in the EFB. The lowest lignin content obtained from IL-laccase treated EFB was approximately 17.92%, lower than the lignin content in the untreated EFB. Both treated and untreated EFB were characterized in chemical and physical properties by using scanning electron microscope (SEM, fourier transform infrared (FTIR, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG to observe the changes resulted from the pretreatment.

Oil palm natural diversity and the potential for yield improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Barcelos, Edson; Rios, Sara de Almeida; Cunha, Raimundo N V; Lopes, Ricardo; Motoike, Sérgio Y; Babiychuk, Elena; Skirycz, Aleksandra; Kushnir, Sergei

2015-01-01

African oil palm has the highest productivity amongst cultivated oleaginous crops. Species can constitute a single crop capable to fulfill the growing global demand for vegetable oils, which is estimated to reach 240 million tons by 2050. Two types of vegetable oil are extracted from the palm fruit on commercial scale. The crude palm oil and kernel palm oil have different fatty acid profiles, which increases versatility of the crop in industrial applications. Plantations of the current varieties have economic life-span around 25-30 years and produce fruits around the year. Thus, predictable annual palm oil supply enables marketing plans and adjustments in line with the economic forecasts. Oil palm cultivation is one of the most profitable land uses in the humid tropics. Oil palm fruits are the richest plant source of pro-vitamin A and vitamin E. Hence, crop both alleviates poverty, and could provide a simple practical solution to eliminate global pro-vitamin A deficiency. Oil palm is a perennial, evergreen tree adapted to cultivation in biodiversity rich equatorial land areas. The growing demand for the palm oil threatens the future of the rain forests and has a large negative impact on biodiversity. Plant science faces three major challenges to make oil palm the key element of building the future sustainable world. The global average yield of 3.5 tons of oil per hectare (t) should be raised to the full yield potential estimated at 11-18t. The tree architecture must be changed to lower labor intensity and improve mechanization of the harvest. Oil composition should be tailored to the evolving needs of the food, oleochemical and fuel industries. The release of the oil palm reference genome sequence in 2013 was the key step toward this goal. The molecular bases of agronomically important traits can be and are beginning to be understood at the single base pair resolution, enabling gene-centered breeding and engineering of this remarkable crop.

Oil palm natural diversity and the potential for yield improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edson eBarcelos

2015-03-01

Full Text Available African oil palm has the highest productivity amongst cultivated oleaginous crops. Species can constitute a single crop capable to fulfil the growing global demand for vegetable oils, which is estimated to reach 240 million tons by 2050. Two types of vegetable oil are extracted from the palm fruit on commercial scale. The crude palm oil and kernel palm oil have different fatty acid profiles, which increases versatility of the crop in industrial applications. Plantations of the current varieties have economic life-span around 25-30 years and produce fruits around the year. Thus, predictable annual palm oil supply enables marketing plans and adjustments in line with the economic forecasts. Oil palm cultivation is one of the most profitable land uses in the humid tropics. Oil palm fruits are the richest plant source of pro-vitamin A and vitamin E. Hence, crop both alleviates poverty, and could provide a simple practical solution to eliminate global pro-vitamin A deficiency. Oil palm is a perennial, evergreen tree adapted to cultivation in biodiversity rich equatorial land areas. The growing demand for the palm oil threatens the future of the rain forests and has a large negative impact on biodiversity. Plant science faces three major challenges to make oil palm the key element of building the future sustainable world. The global average yield of 3.5 tons of oil per hectare (t should be raised to the full yield potential estimated at 11-18t. The tree architecture must be changed to lower labor intensity and improve mechanization of the harvest. Oil composition should be tailored to the evolving needs of the food, oleochemical and fuel industries. The release of the oil palm reference genome sequence in 2013 was the key step towards this goal. The molecular bases of agronomically important traits can be and are beginning to be understood at the single base pair resolution, enabling gene-centered breeding and engineering of this remarkable crop.

Oil palm natural diversity and the potential for yield improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Barcelos, Edson; Rios, Sara de Almeida; Cunha, Raimundo N. V.; Lopes, Ricardo; Motoike, Sérgio Y.; Babiychuk, Elena; Skirycz, Aleksandra; Kushnir, Sergei

2015-01-01

African oil palm has the highest productivity amongst cultivated oleaginous crops. Species can constitute a single crop capable to fulfill the growing global demand for vegetable oils, which is estimated to reach 240 million tons by 2050. Two types of vegetable oil are extracted from the palm fruit on commercial scale. The crude palm oil and kernel palm oil have different fatty acid profiles, which increases versatility of the crop in industrial applications. Plantations of the current varieties have economic life-span around 25–30 years and produce fruits around the year. Thus, predictable annual palm oil supply enables marketing plans and adjustments in line with the economic forecasts. Oil palm cultivation is one of the most profitable land uses in the humid tropics. Oil palm fruits are the richest plant source of pro-vitamin A and vitamin E. Hence, crop both alleviates poverty, and could provide a simple practical solution to eliminate global pro-vitamin A deficiency. Oil palm is a perennial, evergreen tree adapted to cultivation in biodiversity rich equatorial land areas. The growing demand for the palm oil threatens the future of the rain forests and has a large negative impact on biodiversity. Plant science faces three major challenges to make oil palm the key element of building the future sustainable world. The global average yield of 3.5 tons of oil per hectare (t) should be raised to the full yield potential estimated at 11–18t. The tree architecture must be changed to lower labor intensity and improve mechanization of the harvest. Oil composition should be tailored to the evolving needs of the food, oleochemical and fuel industries. The release of the oil palm reference genome sequence in 2013 was the key step toward this goal. The molecular bases of agronomically important traits can be and are beginning to be understood at the single base pair resolution, enabling gene-centered breeding and engineering of this remarkable crop. PMID:25870604

Stabilization of Empty Fruit Bunch derived Bio-oil using Solvents

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Chung Loong Yiin

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The intention of this research was to select the ideal condition for accelerated aging of bio-oil and the consequences of additive in stabilizing the bio-oil. The bio-oil was produced from the catalytic pyrolysis of empty fruit bunch. The optimum reaction conditions applied to obtain the utmost bio-oil yield were 5 wt% of H-Y catalyst at reaction temperature of 500 °C and nitrogen flow rate of 100 ml/min. A 10 wt% of solvents including acetone, ethanol, and ethyl acetate were used to study the bio-oil’s stability. All the test samples were subjected to accelerated aging at temperature of 80 oC for 7 days. The properties of samples used as the indicator of aging were viscosity and water content. The effectiveness of solvents increased in the following order: acetone, ethyl acetate, and 95 vol% ethanol. Based on the result of Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS, it could impede the chain of polymerization by converting the active units in the oligomer chain to inactive units. The solvent reacted to form low molecular weight products which resulted in lower viscosity and lessen the water content in bio-oil. Addition of 95 vol% ethanol also inhibited phase separation.

Optimum drying time for palm nuts for efficient nut cracking in small ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Palm kernel, one of the end products of oil palm fruit processing is recovered by the cracking of the palm nuts which is first dried to aid efficient kernel recovery. In small-scale mills palm nuts are air-dried. This paper investigates the optimum drying time necessary for efficient nut cracking. Such factors as wholeness of kernel, ...

Advanced power generation using biomass wastes from palm oil mills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, Muhammad; Kurniawan, Tedi; Oda, Takuya; Kashiwagi, Takao

2017-01-01

This study focuses on the energy-efficient utilization of both solid and liquid wastes from palm oil mills, particularly their use for power generation. It includes the integration of a power generation system using empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm oil mill effluent (POME). The proposed system mainly consists of three modules: EFB gasification, POME digestion, and additional organic Rankine cycle (ORC). EFBs are dried and converted into a syngas fuel with high calorific value through integrated drying and gasification processes. In addition, POME is converted into a biogas fuel for power generation. Biogas engine-based cogenerators are used for generating both electricity and heat. The remaining unused heat is recovered by ORC module to generate electricity. The influences of three EFB gasification temperatures (800, 900 and 1000 °C) in EFB gasification module; and working fluids and pressure in ORC module are evaluated. Higher EFB gasification leads to higher generated electricity and remaining heat for ORC module. Power generation efficiency increases from 11.2 to 24.6% in case of gasification temperature is increased from 800 to 1000 °C. In addition, cyclohexane shows highest energy efficiency compared to toluene and n-heptane in ORC module. Higher pressure in ORC module also leads to higher energy efficiency. Finally, the highest total generated power and power generation efficiency obtained by the system are 8.3 MW and 30.4%, respectively.

Study on upgrading of oil palm wastes to animal feeds by radiation and fermentation processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kume, Tamikazu; Matsuhashi, Shinpei; Ito, Hitoshi

1998-03-01

Upgrading of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB), which is a main by-product of palm oil industry, to animal feeds by radiation pasteurization and fermentation was investigated for recycling the agro-resources and reducing the environmental pollution. The following results were obtained: 1) The necessary dose for pasteurization of EFB contaminated by various microorganisms including aflatoxin producing fungi was determined as 10 kGy. The chemical and biological properties of EFB were changed little by irradiation up to 50 kGy. 2) In the fermentation process, Pleurotus sajor-caju was selected as the most effective fungi and the optimum condition for fermentation was clarified. The process of fermentation in suspension was also established for the liquid seed preparation. 3) The digestibility and nutritional value of fermented products were evaluated as ruminant animal feeds and the mushroom can be produced as by-product. 4) The pilot plant named Sterifeed was built at MINT and a large volume production has been trying for animal feeding test and economical evaluation. It is expected to develop the process for the commercial use in Malaysia and to expand the technique to Asian region through UNDP/RCA/IAEA project. (author)

Study on upgrading of oil palm wastes to animal feeds by radiation and fermentation processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kume, Tamikazu; Matsuhashi, Shinpei; Ito, Hitoshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment; and others

1998-03-01

Upgrading of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB), which is a main by-product of palm oil industry, to animal feeds by radiation pasteurization and fermentation was investigated for recycling the agro-resources and reducing the environmental pollution. The following results were obtained: (1) The necessary dose for pasteurization of EFB contaminated by various microorganisms including aflatoxin producing fungi was determined as 10 kGy. The chemical and biological properties of EFB were changed little by irradiation up to 50 kGy. (2) In the fermentation process, Pleurotus sajor-caju was selected as the most effective fungi and the optimum condition for fermentation was clarified. The process of fermentation in suspension was also established for the liquid seed preparation. (3) The digestibility and nutritional value of fermented products were evaluated as ruminant animal feeds and the mushroom can be produced as by-product. (4) The pilot plant named Sterifeed was built at MINT and a large volume production has been trying for animal feeding test and economical evaluation. It is expected to develop the process for the commercial use in Malaysia and to expand the technique to Asian region through UNDP/RCA/IAEA project. (author)

Adsorption of mercury from aqueous solutions using palm oil fuel ash as an adsorbent - batch studies

Science.gov (United States)

Imla Syafiqah, M. S.; Yussof, H. W.

2018-03-01

Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) is one of the most abundantly produced waste materials. POFA is widely used by the oil palm industry which was collected as ash from the burning of empty fruit bunches fiber (EFB) and palm oil kernel shells (POKS) in the boiler as fuel to generate electricity. Mercury adsorption was conducted in a batch process to study the effects of contact time, initial Hg(II) ion concentration, and temperature. In this study, POFA was prepared and used for the removal of mercury(II) ion from the aqueous phase. The effects of various parameters such as contact time (0- 360 min), temperature (15 – 45 °C) and initial Hg(II) ion concentration (1 – 5 mg/L) for the removal of Hg(II) ion were studied in a batch process. The surface characterization was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and particle size distribution analysis. From this study, it was found that the highest Hg(II) ion removal was 99.60 % at pH 7, contact time of 4 h, initial Hg(II) ion concentration of 1 mg/L, adsorbent dosage 0.25 g and agitation speed of 100 rpm. The results implied that POFA has the potential as a low-cost and environmental friendly adsorbent for the removal of mercury from aqueous solution.

Population structure and fruit availability of the babassu palm ( Attalea speciosa Mart. ex Spreng in human-dominated landscapes of the Northeast Region of Brazil

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Juliana Loureiro Almeida Campos

Full Text Available ABSTRACT We studied the population structure and fruit availability of the babassu palm, Attalea speciosa, in three human-dominated landscapes located near a rural community in the region of Araripe, in the Northeast Region of Brazil, that were under intense fruit harvest. Fifty 10 x 10 m plots were randomly established in each of the three landscapes, and all individuals of A. speciosa within the plots were classified as seedlings, juveniles or adults, with the height of all adult individuals being measured. An additional 20 individuals were marked in each landscape, and the number of total bunches, fruits per bunch and bunches per palm tree were recorded. The populations of A. speciosa in the three landscapes exhibited an inverted J-shape plot, but pasture and shifting cultivation possessed a significantly higher number of individuals, seedlings and adults than the seasonal semideciduous forest, plus they possessed a greater seedling/adult ratio. Shifting cultivation was found to be favorable for fructification. The present study found that shifting cultivation and pastures are landscape practices that can contribute to the rapid expansion and establishment of A. speciosa, which can become a dominant species in the region of Araripe.

Carotenoid composition in oils obtained from palm fruits from the Brazilian Amazon

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Santos, M. F.G.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The oils obtained from native palm fruits are considered new sources of high added value phytochemicals, making it necessary to know the composition of the less studied species in order to evaluate their economic potential. The objective of this study is to identify and quantify the arotenoids in palm fruit oils from the Brazilian Amazon: bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba, buriti (Mauritia flexuosa, inajá (Maximiliana maripa, pupunha (Bactris gasipaes and tucumã (Astrocaryum vulgare, by means of liquid phase extraction and HPLC-UV-vis. analysis. The results showed an extremely variable carotenoid content, from 13 mg·kg−1 in bacaba oil to more than 1000 mg·kg−1 in the tucumã one. The oils obtained from buriti, pupunha and tucumã displayed high concentrations of ß-carotene, corresponding to fruits with the series ß, ß dominant metabolism. Upon analyzing the carotenoid profile in bacaba oil for the first time, an extraordinary dominance of the ß, ε pathway was observed, proving them to be oils with high lutein and α-carotene contents. Although the ß, ß pathway dominates in inajá oil, the exclusive and high lycopene content implies that LCY-E is barely active in these fruits, in contrast to what has been evidenced so far. It is therefore of the utmost importance to characterize these new potential sources of carotenoids.Los aceites obtenidos a partir de frutos de palmeras nativas son considerados nuevas fuentes de fitoquímicos con alto valor añadido siendo necesario conocer la composición de las especies menos exploradas para evaluar su potencial económico. El objetivo de este estudio es identificar y cuantificar los carotenoides en aceites defrutos de palmeras provenientes de la Amazonia Brasileña: bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba, uriti (Mauritia flexuosa, inajá (Maximiliana maripa, pupunha (Bactris gasipaes y tucumã (Astrocaryum vulgare, mediante extracción líquido:líquido y análisis por HPLC UV-vis. Los resultados mostraron un

Chemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and mineral extractability of Sudanese date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruits

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, Rania M A; Fageer, Aisha S M; Eltayeb, Mohamed M; Mohamed Ahmed, Isam A

2014-01-01

The aim of the present work was to investigate the chemical composition, mineral extractability, and antioxidant capacity of six date palm varieties grown in Sudan. The results showed that Sudanese date varieties contained significantly different (P varieties contained significantly varied (P varieties were as follows: ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was within the range of 2.82–27.5 mmol/100 g, chelation of Fe2+ ion ranged from 54.31% to 94.98%, and scavenging of H2O2 ranged from 38.48% to 49.13%. There were many correlations (positive, negative, and weak) between antioxidant and mineral extractability of Sudanese date fruits. PMID:25473506

Repetibilidade em características biométricas do fruto de macaúba Repeatability in biometric characteristics of macaw palm fruit

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Candida Elisa Manfio

2011-01-01

there are no reports of such studies. In this context it is important to determine the repeatability coefficient of the following biometric characteristics of fruits: fruit weight, fruit volume, equatorial diameter of the fruit, kernel weight, kernel volume, equatorial diameter of de kernel, and thickness of the endocarp, and the determination of the minimum number of ratings for an efficient selection process and evaluation of macaw palm subsamples. The study was conducted at the Department of Plant Science, Federal University of Viçosa, and 145 macaw palm subsamples were analyzed, from collections made in the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Maranhão and Pernambuco. There were significant differences for all traits analyzed, and there was agreement on the magnitude of repeatability coefficients of each feature obtained by different methods. However, the repeatability coefficients ranging between eight characteristics, from 0.68 to 0.99, and were observed for feature endocarp thickness and volume of kernel, respectively. The coefficient of determination obtained from 10 repetitions for the eight features and the four methods were superior to 95%. The evaluation of four fruits is sufficient to assess the traits of macaw palm subsamples with 90% accuracy.

Investigation of Requisites for the Optimal Mycelial Growth of the Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes), on Oil Palm Biomass in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sudheer, Surya; Ali, Asgar; Manickam, Sivakumar

2016-01-01

Rigorous research has been carried out regarding the cultivation of Ganoderma lucidum using different agricultural residues. Nevertheless, large-scale cultivation and the separation of active compounds of G. lucidum are still challenges for local farmers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of oil palm waste fibers such as empty fruit bunch fibers and mesocarp fibers as effective substrates for the growth of G. lucidum mycelia to study the possibility of solid-state cultivation and to determine the optimum conditions necessary for the growth of mycelia of this mushroom on these waste fibers. Various parameters such as temperature, pH, humidity, and carbon and nitrogen compositions required for the optimum growth of mycelia have been determined. Oil palm fibers are a vivid source of lignocellulose, and their availability in Malaysia is high compared to that of sawdust. G. lucidum is a wood-rotting fungi that can easily decay and utilize this lignocellulose biomass, a major agricultural waste in Malaysia.

Pollen viability and its effect on fruit set of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.

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ALFIN WIDIASTUTI

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The research was aimed at studying (1 the decline of pollen viability during storage, and (2 the effect of pollen amount on fruit set of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.. The experiment was conducted at PT. Dami Mas Sejahtera and PT. Sinar Mas Agro Resource and Technology (SMART Tbk, Riau from February to August 2004. The first experiment was investigated up to six months storage period in the refrigerator, whereas in the second experiment a randomized complete block design with two factors was used: length of storage, i.e. 0, 1 and 2 months and amount of pollen, i.e. 0.022, 0.044, 0.066, 0.088, and 0.11 g mixed with powder to 10g to pollinate an inflorescence. The result showed that the viability of pollen started to decline three months after storage from about 92% to 83%, and declined to about 75% after six months of storage. Result of the second experiment showed that storage of pollen up to two months did not affect percentage of normal fruit, although the percentage of parthenocarpic fruits was decreased. This could be due to the high viability of pollen as the viability was remained high (about 90% after being stored for two months in the refrigerator. Pollen with high viability could be used in a smaller amount to pollinate a female inflorescence without affecting fruit set of about 70-76%.SD037 had a higher reproductive success than SD038 and SD39.

Mold-Ripened Soft Cheeses Fortified with Date Palm Fruit Product as Functional Dairy Products.

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Al-Otaibi, Mutlag M; Haddadin, Jamal S; Haddadin, Malik S Y

2016-01-01

Date fruit based products are gaining popularity among the consumers in almost all date growing countries due to its added nutritional value. Therefore, novel products were developed by combining two types of foods i.e., soft ripened cheeses and date fruit syrups or date powder. This study is the first to report the surface mold-ripened cheese production with date syrup and date powder. Model cheeses were prepared from pasteurized milk inoculated with Streptococcus thermophilus, Penicillium camemberti and Geotrichum candidum. Date syrup-1, date syrup-2, date powder or the date mixture were added at the stage of curdling. Based on the kinetic growth of the microbial groups in all the treatments, there was no change in the growth of these in various date palm product. On the contrary It may be said that addition of the date fruit product supports their growth. After 35 days, the amounts of total poly phenols were 128.3 ± 1.01, 81.8 ± 1.11, 33.5 ± 2.19, 156.23 ± 1.27 mg GAE/100 g in the cheeses support with date syrup-1, date syrup-2, date powder or the date mixture, respectively. Antioxidant activity of date fruits ranged from 80.13 IC50 (date syrup-2) to 82.23 IC50 (date syrup-1). Based on the chemical characteristics and sensory analysis, the study results showed the potential for innovative application of date products for developing new functional dairy products as an ideal medium for the delivery of biological active compounds with beneficial health effects over.

[Content and bioavailability of carotenoids from peach palm fruit (Bactris gasipaes) as a source of vitamin A].

Science.gov (United States)

Blanco, A; Muñoz, L

1992-06-01

Four introductions of ripe peach palm fruit (Bactris gasipaes) were analyzed for ether extract, total carotenoids and their biological conversion into vitamin A. Also, edible portion in cooked fruit was estimated. Ether extract content in raw fruit ranged from 8.2 to 12.9% dry basis (DB), cooked between 5.7 to 12.4% DB and nutrient retention after cooking was 69 to 100%. Carotenoids content in raw and cooked pejibaye was similar, 4.8 to 29.6% DB and 4.8 to 29.9% DB, respectively, giving a nutrient retention after cooking greater than 85%. Average edible portion was 68 +/- 2%. The biological study showed significant differences (p 0.05). Carotenoids content was inversely related (r = -0.8, p < 0.02) with ether extract. Cooking had no significant effect in ether extract and carotenoids content, except in one introduction. Based in the results generated in the study and vitamin A Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) it was estimated that one, in three introductions and seven in the remaining one satisfies an adult RDA's.

Gasification of biochar from empty fruit bunch in a fluidized bed reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohd Salleh, M. A.; Hussein Kisiki, N.; Yusuf, H. M.; Ghani, W. A. K. [Department of Chemical and Enviromental Engineering University Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang (Malaysia)

2010-07-15

A biochar produced from empty fruit bunches (EFB) was gasified in a fluidized bed using air to determine gas yield, overall carbon conversion, gas quality, and composition as a function of temperature. The experiment was conducted in the temperature range of 500-850 {sup o}C. It was observed that biochar has the potential to replace coal as a gasification agent in power plants. Hydrogen gas from biochar was also optimized during the experiment. High temperatures favor H{sub 2} and CO formation. There was an increase of H{sub 2} over the temperature range from 500-850 {sup o}C from 5.53% to 27.97% (v/v), with a heating value of 30 kJ/g. The C conversion in the same temperature range increased from 76% to 84%. Therefore, there are great prospects for the use of biochar from EFB as an alternative fuel in power plants, as a renewable energy providing an alternative path to biofuels. Results from this work enable us to better understand syn gas production under high treatment temperatures. (authors)

The Nutrient Digestibility of Locally Sheep Fed with Amofer Palm Oil Byproduct-Based Complete Feed

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Hamdi Mayulu

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE Utilization of palm oil by-product such as palm fronds, leaves, empty fruit bunches (EFB, fiber fruit juice (FFJ, palm kernel cake (PKC, and palm oil sludge (POS as the source of energy and protein for ruminants, especially sheep is an efficient effort to make a new opportunities in term of economical and beneficial product that will reduce environmental pollution. The objectives of this research were to analyze the effect of palm oil’s byproduct-based complete feed on sheep’s nutrient digestibility. Sixteen male sheeps of nine month old with average body weight 14.69+0.82 kg were used. The complete feed was formulated by ammoniated-fermented technology from palm fronds and leaves, EFB and FFJ, also Centrosema sp., PKC, POS, ground corn, rice bran, cassava, molasses, urea, mineral mix and salt. The complete feed with different levels of crude protein (CP and TDN were used in this research which consisted of T1=10,63% CP; 63.46% TDN; T2=12.27% CP; 62.38% TDN; T3=13.70% CP; 64.11% TDN; and T4=15.90% CP; 61.28% TDN. The study used a completely randomized design (CRD which consisted of four treatments and four replications. Data was analyzed using ANOVA with significance level at 95% and followed by Duncan Multiple Range Test. The experimental results showed that the protein level affected the feed digestibility. The highest digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and crude protein were 65.79%, 70.30%, and 84.34% respectively, resulting in 14% protein level (T3 were significantly different with treatment at protein level 10% (T1, 12% (T2 and 16% (T4 at p <0.05. It can be concluded that by-product of palm oil plantation and mill had good nutritional value. Therefore, this feedstuff can be used to formulate complete feed for sheep and it successfully increased the nutrient digestibility /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso

The effect of irradiation on date palm pollen grains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ismail, M M; Alajaily, F R [The National Academy for Scientific Research Tripoli (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)

1995-10-01

The evaluation of male date palm is very important in date palm culture, it is very well known that the source of pollen has its influence on fruit set, physical and chemical characters of the fruits. Date pollen was collected from previously studied male date palm trees. The pollen was subjected to the following irradiation treatments: 0,5, 10, 20, 40, 80 krad. The irradiated pollen was treated with acetocarmine and its viability was studied under the light microscope. No differences were observed between the treated pollen and the control. The pollen was germinated on agar, sucrose and boric acid media in an incubator at 27 degree C for hours. Germination count under the light microscope indicated that there were no significant differences between 5, 10, 20 krad treatments and the control, but the high doses reduced the germination percentage. The irradiated pollen used to pollinate date palm trees and the effect of metaxynia was studied. 3 tabs.

American palms used for medicine, in the ethnobotanical and pharmacological publications

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Joanna Sosnowska

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The center of diversity of palms (Arecaceae in tropical America is found in the Amazon basin and along the Panamanian isthmus.The greatest palm species richness has been reported for the Iquitos and Chocó areas. Many species of palms are used mainly for construction and due to their edible fruits. In addition, there are 104 palm species that are used for medicinal purposes in many regions of the Americas. Cocos nuciferaand Oenocarpus batauaare the most commonly used species for medicinal purposes. The fruit is the most commonly used part of palms for medicinal purposes (57 species. The traditional and medicinal use of plants has deep roots in indigenous communities of Latin America. The significance of ethnomedicine for health care of local populations can not be ignored anymore because it plays a significant role in basic health care in developing countries. Interdisciplinary research in antropology, ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology helps gather information on ethnomedicine and design new drugs for modern medicine. American palms are sources of useful bioactive compounds against diabetes, prostate hyperplasia and leishmaniasis.

Oil palm and the emission of greenhouse gasses- from field measurements in Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Niharika; Bruun, Thilde Bech; Giller, Ken E.; Magid, Jakob; van de Ven, Gerrie; de Neergaard, Andreas

2017-04-01

Palm oil from the oil palm (Elaeis guianensis) has in recent years become the world's most important vegetable oil. The increasing demand for palm oil has led to expansion of oil palm plantations, which has caused environmental controversies associated with carbon losses and the use of large amounts of mineral fertilizers. Efforts to increase sustainability of oil palm cultivation, include recycling of oil-mill residues and pruning's, but with this comes increased potential for methane emission from the plantations. Until now no field-based data on greenhouse gas emissions from oil palm plantations have been reported. Here for the first time we present data from a long term (360 days) field trial in Bah Lias Research Station, North Sumatra, Indonesia on greenhouse gas emissions from an oil palm plantation with various treatments of recycled oil palm waste products, fertilizers and simulated rainfall. The first experiment was conducted over a full year (dry + wet season) with mineral fertilizer treatments including urea and ammonium sulphate, and organic fertilizer treatments constituting: empty fruit bunches (EFB), enriched mulch (EFB + palm oil mill effluent (POME) ) and pruned oil palm fronds (OPF). Treatment doses represent the current management in Indonesian plantations and the higher doses that are expected in the imminent future. For the organic treatments several methods of application (applied in inter-rows, piles, patches or bands) were evaluated. The second experiment investigated effects of soil water saturation on GHG emissions through adding 25 mm simulated rainfall per day for 21 days. Each palm tree received 1 kg of N fertilizer as urea or ammonium sulphate and enriched mulch. The gas fluxes in the fields was measured by a large static-chamber (1.8 m x 1.2 m) method and CH4 and N2O concentrations were determined using gas chromatographs. We found that emissions were significantly affected by the type and dose of mineral fertilizers. Application of

Indonesia palm oil production without deforestation and peat conversion by 2050.

Science.gov (United States)

Afriyanti, Dian; Kroeze, Carolien; Saad, Asmadi

2016-07-01

Palm oil is a promising source of cooking oil and biodiesel. The demand for palm oil has been increasing worldwide. However, concerns exist surrounding the environmental and socio-economic sustainability of palm oil production. Indonesia is a major palm oil producing country. We explored scenarios for palm oil production in Indonesia until 2050, focusing on Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua. Our scenarios describe possible trends in crude palm oil production in Indonesia, while considering the demand for cooking oil and biodiesel, the available land for plantations, production capacity (for crude palm oil and fresh fruit bunches) and environmentally restricting conditions. We first assessed past developments in palm oil production. Next, we analysed scenarios for the future. In the past 20years, 95% of the Indonesian oil palm production area was in Sumatra and Kalimantan and was increasingly cultivated in peatlands. Our scenarios for the future indicate that Indonesia can meet a considerable part of the global and Asian demand for palm oil, while avoiding further cultivation of peatlands and forest. By 2050, 264-447Mt crude palm oil may be needed for cooking oil and biodiesel worldwide. In Indonesia, the area that is potentially suitable for oil palm is 17 to 26Mha with a potential production rate of 27-38t fresh fruit bunches/ha, yielding 130-176Mt crude palm oil. Thus Indonesia can meet 39-60% of the international demand. In our scenarios this would be produced in Sumatra (21-26%), Kalimantan (12-16%), and Papua (2%). The potential areas include the current oil palm plantation in mineral lands, but exclude the current oil palm plantations in peatlands. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tocopherols, Tocomonoenols, and Tocotrienols in Oils of Costa Rican Palm Fruits: A Comparison between Six Varieties and Chemical versus Mechanical Extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Irías-Mata, Andrea; Stuetz, Wolfgang; Sus, Nadine; Hammann, Simon; Gralla, Katrin; Cordero-Solano, Aracelly; Vetter, Walter; Frank, Jan

2017-08-30

Palm oil is one of the richest sources of tocotrienols and may contain other non-tocopherol vitamin E congeners. The vitamin E profiles of fully ripened fruit mesocarp of three Elaeis guineensis, two Elaeis oleifera, and one hybrid O × G palm fruit genotypes from Costa Rica were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after mechanical extraction by a screw press and chemical extraction with hexane. γ-Tocotrienol, α-tocotrienol, and α-tocopherol were the most abundant tocochromanols, while other tocopherols (β-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and δ-tocopherol) and α-tocomonoenol were detected at minor concentrations. Significant differences in vitamin E profiles between genotypes were observed, and the variety E. oleifera Quepos (CB9204) had by far the highest content of total tocotrienols (890 μg/g of oil) and total vitamin E (892 μg/g of oil). Chemical extraction with hexane afforded up to 2.5-fold higher vitamin E yields than screw press extraction. α-Tocomonoenol co-eluted with γ-tocopherol in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography analyses and is a possible source of error in the quantification of γ-tocopherol in foods.

Non-tenera Contamination and the Economic Impact of SHELL Genetic Testing in the Malaysian Independent Oil Palm Industry

OpenAIRE

Ooi, Leslie C.-L.; Low, Eng-Ti L.; Abdullah, Meilina O.; Nookiah, Rajanaidu; Ting, Ngoot C.; Nagappan, Jayanthi; Manaf, Mohamad A. A.; Chan, Kuang-Lim; Halim, Mohd A.; Azizi, Norazah; Omar, Wahid; Murad, Abdul J.; Lakey, Nathan; Ordway, Jared M.; Favello, Anthony

2016-01-01

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is the most productive oil bearing crop worldwide. It has three fruit forms, namely dura (thick-shelled), pisifera (shell-less) and tenera (thin-shelled), which are controlled by the SHELL gene. The fruit forms exhibit monogenic co-dominant inheritance, where tenera is a hybrid obtained by crossing maternal dura and paternal pisifera palms. Commercial palm oil production is based on planting thin-shelled tenera palms, which typically yield 30% more oil than dura p...

Development of pretreatment of empty fruit bunches for enhanced ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

GREGORY

2011-12-16

Dec 16, 2011 ... world has a high economic potential for the production of bio-ethanol. ... palm processing industries (Chew and Bhatia, 2008). Some .... The process parameters for the enzymatic saccharification of EFB ... The loss in.

Influence of fuel moisture content and reactor temperature on the calorific value of syngas resulted from gasification of oil palm fronds.

Science.gov (United States)

Atnaw, Samson Mekbib; Sulaiman, Shaharin Anwar; Yusup, Suzana

2014-01-01

Biomass wastes produced from oil palm mills and plantations include empty fruit bunches (EFBs), shells, fibers, trunks, and oil palm fronds (OPF). EFBs and shells are partially utilized as boiler fuel while the rest of the biomass materials like OPF have not been utilized for energy generation. No previous study has been reported on gasification of oil palm fronds (OPF) biomass for the production of fuel gas. In this paper, the effect of moisture content of fuel and reactor temperature on downdraft gasification of OPF was experimentally investigated using a lab scale gasifier of capacity 50 kW. In addition, results obtained from equilibrium model of gasification that was developed for facilitating the prediction of syngas composition are compared with experimental data. Comparison of simulation results for predicting calorific value of syngas with the experimental results showed a satisfactory agreement with a mean error of 0.1 MJ/Nm³. For a biomass moisture content of 29%, the resulting calorific value for the syngas was found to be only 2.63 MJ/Nm³, as compared to nearly double (4.95 MJ/Nm³) for biomass moisture content of 22%. A calorific value as high as 5.57 MJ/Nm³ was recorded for higher oxidation zone temperature values.

Non-tenera Contamination and the Economic Impact of SHELL Genetic Testing in the Malaysian Independent Oil Palm Industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ooi, Leslie C-L; Low, Eng-Ti L; Abdullah, Meilina O; Nookiah, Rajanaidu; Ting, Ngoot C; Nagappan, Jayanthi; Manaf, Mohamad A A; Chan, Kuang-Lim; Halim, Mohd A; Azizi, Norazah; Omar, Wahid; Murad, Abdul J; Lakey, Nathan; Ordway, Jared M; Favello, Anthony; Budiman, Muhammad A; Van Brunt, Andrew; Beil, Melissa; Leininger, Michael T; Jiang, Nan; Smith, Steven W; Brown, Clyde R; Kuek, Alex C S; Bahrain, Shabani; Hoynes-O'Connor, Allison; Nguyen, Amelia Y; Chaudhari, Hemangi G; Shah, Shivam A; Choo, Yuen-May; Sambanthamurthi, Ravigadevi; Singh, Rajinder

2016-01-01

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is the most productive oil bearing crop worldwide. It has three fruit forms, namely dura (thick-shelled), pisifera (shell-less) and tenera (thin-shelled), which are controlled by the SHELL gene. The fruit forms exhibit monogenic co-dominant inheritance, where tenera is a hybrid obtained by crossing maternal dura and paternal pisifera palms. Commercial palm oil production is based on planting thin-shelled tenera palms, which typically yield 30% more oil than dura palms, while pisifera palms are female-sterile and have little to no palm oil yield. It is clear that tenera hybrids produce more oil than either parent due to single gene heterosis. The unintentional planting of dura or pisifera palms reduces overall yield and impacts land utilization that would otherwise be devoted to more productive tenera palms. Here, we identify three additional novel mutant alleles of the SHELL gene, which encode a type II MADS-box transcription factor, and determine oil yield via control of shell fruit form phenotype in a manner similar to two previously identified mutant SHELL alleles. Assays encompassing all five mutations account for all dura and pisifera palms analyzed. By assaying for these variants in 10,224 mature palms or seedlings, we report the first large scale accurate genotype-based determination of the fruit forms in independent oil palm planting sites and in the nurseries that supply them throughout Malaysia. The measured non-tenera contamination rate (10.9% overall on a weighted average basis) underscores the importance of SHELL genetic testing of seedlings prior to planting in production fields. By eliminating non-tenera contamination, comprehensive SHELL genetic testing can improve sustainability by increasing yield on existing planted lands. In addition, economic modeling demonstrates that SHELL gene testing will confer substantial annual economic gains to the oil palm industry, to Malaysian gross national income and to Malaysian

Phenology, biometric parameters and productivity of fruits of the palm Butia capitata (Mart. Beccari in the Brazilian cerrado in the north of the state of Minas Gerais

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Priscila Albertasse Dutra da Silva

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The fruits of the palm Butia capitata are harvested from wild populations. A lack of knowledge of their ecology has hindered the establishment of sustainable management practices. We investigated fruit biometric parameters, yield and phenology in two populations of B. capitata in the cerrado (savanna in the north of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, at two study sites: in the communities of Mirabela (Fazenda Baixa site, studied from December 2006 through December 2007 and Campos (studied throughout 2007. Overall, adult palms produced an annual average of 7.6 leaves. At the Fazenda Baixa site, the mean annual number of infructescences was 4.9, compared with only 1.6 at the Campos site, and the annual yield was 197-373 and 145-468 fruits per tree (in 2006 and 2007, respectively, compared with 67-247 at the Campos site. Reproductive events were seasonal and influenced by rainfall distribution. Typically, inflorescences and immature infructescences appeared in the dry season, mature infructescences appearing in the rainy season. Inflorescence production and fruit biometric parameters differed between the two populations. Fruit yield correlated with height and leaf biomass. We found that B. capitata fruits, which are highly perishable, should be harvested when nearly-ripe and remain attached to the infructescence during transport. Our findings have important implications for the development of strategies for sustainable management and in situ conservation of populations of this species.

Natural (13) C distribution in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) and consequences for allocation pattern.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamade, Emmanuelle; Tcherkez, Guillaume; Darlan, Nuzul Hijri; Rodrigues, Rosario Lobato; Fresneau, Chantal; Mauve, Caroline; Lamothe-Sibold, Marlène; Sketriené, Diana; Ghashghaie, Jaleh

2016-01-01

Oil palm has now become one of the most important crops, palm oil representing nearly 25% of global plant oil consumption. Many studies have thus addressed oil palm ecophysiology and photosynthesis-based models of carbon allocation have been used. However, there is a lack of experimental data on carbon fixation and redistribution within palm trees, and important C-sinks have not been fully characterized yet. Here, we carried out extensive measurement of natural (13) C-abundance (δ(13) C) in oil palm tissues, including fruits at different maturation stages. We find a (13) C-enrichment in heterotrophic organs compared to mature leaves, with roots being the most (13) C-enriched. The δ(13) C in fruits decreased during maturation, reflecting the accumulation in (13) C-depleted lipids. We further used observed δ(13) C values to compute plausible carbon fluxes using a steady-state model of (13) C-distribution including metabolic isotope effects ((12) v/(13) v). The results suggest that fruits represent a major respiratory loss (≈39% of total tree respiration) and that sink organs such as fruits are fed by sucrose from leaves. That is, glucose appears to be a quantitatively important compound in palm tissues, but computations indicate that it is involved in dynamic starch metabolism rather that C-exchange between organs. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Palm oil fresh fruit bunch ripeness grading identification using color ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This research investigates the ripeness grading identification of the palm oil FFB using color features that are color histogram, color moment and color correlogram. Palm is harvested during the optimum stage of its ripeness since it improves the FFB oil quality and quantity. Harvesting wrong bunches decreases the oil ...

Evaluation of Cold Tolerant High Yielding Oil Palm Germplasm in Guangdong Province of South China, a Northern Tropical Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xianhai, Z.; Denglang, P.; Zhao, L.; Junming, C.; Weifu, L.

2016-01-01

An evaluation of the vegetative growth, yield components and cold resistance traits from 38 pre-selected individual oil palm plants grown in six regions (populations) at the latitude (LAT) range between 20 degree N and 23 degree N in Guangdong Province, China was carried out during the period from April 2010 to April 2015. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in traits between the individual palms or the populations [except sex-ratio of female inflorescence and fruit bunch to female inflorescence, male inflorescence and fruit bunch (%) (SR)]. Phenotypic correlation analysis showed that bunch number (NB) was positively correlated with fresh fruit bunch (FFB), but not significantly with average bunch weight (ABW). For the individual palms, it was found that the higher the LAT the lower the frond production (FP) and LT 50 and the higher fruit compaction rate (FCR), and the higher the LT 50 the lower the ABW. For the populations, the higher the LAT the higher the ABW and the lower the abortion ratio of female inflorescence to female inflorescence and fruit bunch (%) (RAFM). Path coefficient analysis further revealed that for the individual palms ABW was the major determinant in both FFB and NB, and mainly determined by normal fruit higher per bunch (kg) (ANFW) and percent of ANFW to ABW (%) (F/B). For the populations, the major determining factors were ratio of aborted fruit bunch to fruit bunch (%) (ABR) for FFB and NB, and inflorescence (male, female, bisexual and non-anthesis) and fruit bunch numbers per year (No.) NIB and LT 50 for ABW. MM5 palm and Huazhou population were selected based on the major determining factors as high-yielding cold tolerant palm and population, respectively, which was consistent with the results of analysis of variance. (author)

Effects of drying temperature on viability of macaw palm ( Acrocomia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In response to a growing interest in improving seedling production of oilseed species (like macaw palm), a fruit drying protocol for facilitating seed extraction was proposed. This enabled the production of macaw palm seedlings, but the temperature most suitable for seed extraction without losing its physiological quality is ...

Influence of Fuel Moisture Content and Reactor Temperature on the Calorific Value of Syngas Resulted from Gasification of Oil Palm Fronds

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Samson Mekbib Atnaw

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Biomass wastes produced from oil palm mills and plantations include empty fruit bunches (EFBs, shells, fibers, trunks, and oil palm fronds (OPF. EFBs and shells are partially utilized as boiler fuel while the rest of the biomass materials like OPF have not been utilized for energy generation. No previous study has been reported on gasification of oil palm fronds (OPF biomass for the production of fuel gas. In this paper, the effect of moisture content of fuel and reactor temperature on downdraft gasification of OPF was experimentally investigated using a lab scale gasifier of capacity 50 kW. In addition, results obtained from equilibrium model of gasification that was developed for facilitating the prediction of syngas composition are compared with experimental data. Comparison of simulation results for predicting calorific value of syngas with the experimental results showed a satisfactory agreement with a mean error of 0.1 MJ/Nm3. For a biomass moisture content of 29%, the resulting calorific value for the syngas was found to be only 2.63 MJ/Nm3, as compared to nearly double (4.95 MJ/Nm3 for biomass moisture content of 22%. A calorific value as high as 5.57 MJ/Nm3 was recorded for higher oxidation zone temperature values.

Influence of Fuel Moisture Content and Reactor Temperature on the Calorific Value of Syngas Resulted from Gasification of Oil Palm Fronds

Science.gov (United States)

Atnaw, Samson Mekbib; Sulaiman, Shaharin Anwar; Yusup, Suzana

2014-01-01

Biomass wastes produced from oil palm mills and plantations include empty fruit bunches (EFBs), shells, fibers, trunks, and oil palm fronds (OPF). EFBs and shells are partially utilized as boiler fuel while the rest of the biomass materials like OPF have not been utilized for energy generation. No previous study has been reported on gasification of oil palm fronds (OPF) biomass for the production of fuel gas. In this paper, the effect of moisture content of fuel and reactor temperature on downdraft gasification of OPF was experimentally investigated using a lab scale gasifier of capacity 50 kW. In addition, results obtained from equilibrium model of gasification that was developed for facilitating the prediction of syngas composition are compared with experimental data. Comparison of simulation results for predicting calorific value of syngas with the experimental results showed a satisfactory agreement with a mean error of 0.1 MJ/Nm3. For a biomass moisture content of 29%, the resulting calorific value for the syngas was found to be only 2.63 MJ/Nm3, as compared to nearly double (4.95 MJ/Nm3) for biomass moisture content of 22%. A calorific value as high as 5.57 MJ/Nm3 was recorded for higher oxidation zone temperature values. PMID:24578617

Systematic approach for synthesis of palm oil-based biorefinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NG, Rex T. L.; NG, Denny K. S.; LAM, Hon Loong [Dept. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Centre of Excellence for Green Technologies, Univ. of Nottingham, Selangor, (Malaysia); TAY, Douglas H. S.; LIM, Joseph H. E. [2GGS Eco Solutions Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2012-11-01

Various types of palm oil biomasses are generated from palm oil mill when crude palm oil (CPO) is produced from fresh fruit bunch (FFB). In the current practice, palm oil biomasses are used as the main source of energy input in the palm oil mill to produce steam and electricity. Moreover, those biomasses are regarded as by-products and can be reclaimed easily. Therefore, there is a continuous increasing interest concerning biomasses generated from the palm oil mill as a source of renewable energy. Although various technologies have been exploited to produce bio-fuel (i.e., briquette, pellet, etc.) as well as heat and power generation, however, no systematic approach which can analyse and optimise the synthesise biorefinery is presented. In this work, a systematic approach for synthesis and optimisation of palm oil-based biorefinery which including palm oil mill and refinery with maximum economic performance is developed. The optimised network configuration with achieves the maximum economic performance can also be determined. To illustrate the proposed approach, a case study is solved in this work.

Carcass characteristics and meat quality of lambs that are fed diets with palm kernel cake.

Science.gov (United States)

da Conceição Dos Santos, Rozilda; Gomes, Daiany Iris; Alves, Kaliandra Souza; Mezzomo, Rafael; Oliveira, Luis Rennan Sampaio; Cutrim, Darley Oliveira; Sacramento, Samara Bianca Moraes; de Moura Lima, Elizanne; de Carvalho, Francisco Fernando Ramos

2017-06-01

The aim was to evaluate carcass characteristics, cut yield, and meat quality in lambs that were fed different inclusion levels of palm kernel cake. Forty-five woolless castrated male Santa Inês crossbred sheep with an initial average body weight of 23.16±0.35 kg were used. The experimental design was a completely randomized design with five treatments, with palm kernel cake in the proportions of 0.0%, 7.5%, 15.0%, 22.5%, and 30.0% with nine replications per treatment. After slaughter, the gastrointestinal tract was weighed when it was full, after which it was then emptied. The heart, liver, kidney, pancreas perirenal fat were also collected and weighed. The carcass was split into two identical longitudinal halves and weighed to determine the quantitative and qualitative characteristics. The empty body weight, carcass weight and yield, and fat thickness decreased linearly (pkernel inclusion in the diet. There was no difference (p>0.05) for the rib eye area of animals that were fed palm kernel cake. There was a reduction in the commercial cut weight (p0.05). The sarcomere length decreased linearly (pkernel cake was not observed in other meat quality variables. It is worth noting that the red staining intensity, indicated as A, had a tendency to decrease (p = 0.050). The inclusion of palm kernel cake up to 30% in the diet does not lead to changes in meat quality characteristics, except for sarcomere length. Nevertheless, carcass quantitative characteristics decrease with the use of palm kernel cake.

Investigation of the ripeness of oil palm fresh fruit bunches using bio-speckle imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Salambue, R.; Adnan, A.; Shiddiq, M.

2018-03-01

The ripeness of the oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) determines the yield of the oil produced. Traditionally there are two ways to determine FFB ripeness which are the number of loose fruits and the color changes. Nevertheless, one drawback of visual determination is subjective and qualitative judgment. In this study, the FFB ripeness was investigated using laser based image processing technique. The advantages of using this technique are non-destructive, simple and quantitative. The working principle of the investigation is that a FFB is inserted into a light tight box which contains a laser diode and a CMOS camera, the FFB is illuminated, and then an image is recorded. The FFB image recorder was performed on four FFB fractions i.e. F0, F3, F4 and F5 on the front and rear surfaces at three sections. The recorded images are speckled granules that have light intensity variation (bio-speckle imaging). The feature extracted from the specked image is the contrast value obtained from the average gray value intensity and the standard deviation. Based on the contrast values, the four fractions of FFB can be grouped into three levels of ripeness of unripe (F0), ripe (F3) and overripe (F4 and F5) on the front surface of base section of FFB by 75%.

Comparison of humic acids production by Trichoderma viride and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

FEA

2014-02-24

Feb 24, 2014 ... fermentation of oil palm empty fruit bunch. Fernanda Lopes Motta* and ... Trichoderma is a genus of asexually reproducing fungi with a high level of ... the most active fractions of organic matter and affect a variety of chemical ...

Fruit and seed characteristics of diploid seedless watermelon (citrullus lanatas) cultivars produced by soft-X-irradiated pollen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sugiyama, Keita; Morishita, Masami [National Research Insti. of Vegetables, Ornamental Plants and Tea, Fukuoka (Japan). Kurume Branch

2000-11-01

We compared the differences in number of seeds, size of normal and empty seeds, and fruit quality of seedless fruit induced by soft- X- irradiated pollen to determine which cultivars are best suited for breeding and producing high quality seedless watermelon. Two wild types, eleven Japanese, one Chinese, and three American watermelon cultivars were studied. We also observed the effect of soft- X- rays on pollen germination and elongation of the pollen tube. The germination rates of pollen treated with 1000 to 2000 Gy of soft-X-ray were almost the same as those of the control, whereas the rate was significantly reduced at 3000 Gy. Soft-X- irradiated pollen germinated on a stigma, and the pollen tube elongated in the embryo sac. Watermelon fruit pollinated with pollen irradiated with 800 Gy of soft-X-ray had no normal seeds but only empty ones. To delineate the varietal differences by the number of empty seeds and seed size in seedless fruit, wild types, Japanese, Chinese, and American watermelon cultivars were investigated. The number and size of empty seeds varied among cultivars. A low correlation (r=0.272) existed between the total number of seeds in the control fruit and the number of empty seeds in the seedless fruit. Whereas, a high correlation (seed length: r=0.943, P<0.001, seed width: r=0.883, P < 0.001) was found between the size of normal seeds in control fruit and empty seeds in seedless fruit. Diploid seedless fruit was similar to control fruit in size, shape, color, rind thickness, sugar content, and days from pollination to maturity. (author)

Fruit and seed characteristics of diploid seedless watermelon (citrullus lanatas) cultivars produced by soft-X-irradiated pollen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiyama, Keita; Morishita, Masami

2000-01-01

We compared the differences in number of seeds, size of normal and empty seeds, and fruit quality of seedless fruit induced by soft- X- irradiated pollen to determine which cultivars are best suited for breeding and producing high quality seedless watermelon. Two wild types, eleven Japanese, one Chinese, and three American watermelon cultivars were studied. We also observed the effect of soft- X- rays on pollen germination and elongation of the pollen tube. The germination rates of pollen treated with 1000 to 2000 Gy of soft-X-ray were almost the same as those of the control, whereas the rate was significantly reduced at 3000 Gy. Soft-X- irradiated pollen germinated on a stigma, and the pollen tube elongated in the embryo sac. Watermelon fruit pollinated with pollen irradiated with 800 Gy of soft-X-ray had no normal seeds but only empty ones. To delineate the varietal differences by the number of empty seeds and seed size in seedless fruit, wild types, Japanese, Chinese, and American watermelon cultivars were investigated. The number and size of empty seeds varied among cultivars. A low correlation (r=0.272) existed between the total number of seeds in the control fruit and the number of empty seeds in the seedless fruit. Whereas, a high correlation (seed length: r=0.943, P<0.001, seed width: r=0.883, P < 0.001) was found between the size of normal seeds in control fruit and empty seeds in seedless fruit. Diploid seedless fruit was similar to control fruit in size, shape, color, rind thickness, sugar content, and days from pollination to maturity. (author)

Effect of cow manure and empty fruit bunches application treated with different fertilizers on growth and yield of chili (Capsicum annum)

Science.gov (United States)

Ghazali, Mohd Rashdan; Mutalib, Sahilah Abd.; Abdullah, Aminah

2016-11-01

Study on the comparison of cow manure (CM) and empty fruit bunches (EFB) compost application as planting medium was conducted using four different treatments of fertilizer (without fertilizer, chemical fertilizer, organic fertilizer, and both fertilizer) on growth and yield of chili (Capsicum annum). The experiment started on August until December 2014 which consisted of eight treatments and were laid in a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replications. Variety chili that was used was Cilibangi 3. The seed was planted inside the tray for one week and transferred into the polybag containing growth media consisted of soil, compost (CM or EFB compost) and sand with ratio 3:2:1. Treatments without fertilizer were acted as a control. Throughout the study, plant growth performance and yield were recorded. The highest height of the plants for CM compost was 100.8 cm using chemical fertilizer and have significant different between the groups. For EFB compost was 92.7 cm using also chemical fertilizer but no significant different between the groups. The highest fruits weight per plant for CM compost was 485.67 g treated with both fertilizers and for EFB compost was 420.17 g treated with chemical fertilizer. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) table stated that fruits weight per plant has significant different for both planting medium with the fertilizer treatment. For the highest total fruits per plant, CM compost recorded about average 55 fruits per plant using both fertilizers and EFB compost recorded around 45 fruit per plant using chemical fertilizer. There was significantly different for total fruits per plant for both planting medium with the fertilizer treatment according to the ANOVA table. For CM, the ripening time was around 102-112 days and for EFB compost was around 96-110 days. Thus, application of CM compost treated with both chemical and organic fertilizers demonstrated better growth and fruit yield. While EFB compost was better growth and fruit

Plant-water relations and productivity of date palm (Phoenix dactyliferaL.) Cultivars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Khalifah, N.S.; Khan, P.R.

2006-01-01

The present investigation deals with the plant-water relation and itseffect on chlorophyll content and productivity in six date palm cultivars.Growth and yield of date palm cultivars differed at the expense of same levelof relative water content. Maktoomi showed a significantly higher leafletarea coupled with a higher amount of chlorophyll pigments that led to higheryield per tree. Koweriah recorded a poor yield by having significantly lowerchlorophyll content and leaflet area. Relative Water Content (RWC) had noeffect on the fruit quality. Correlation among the relative water content,chlorophyll content, leaf specific mass and yield was also analyzed. Most ofthe pairs of parameters exhibited a highly significant correlation for thesix cultivars. Apart from physiological parameters, the effect of malepollinator with suitable combination of female variety had a great effect onthe fruit set and yield of date palm. (author)

Life Cycle Assessment for the Production of Oil Palm Seeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhamad, Halimah; Ai, Tan Yew; Khairuddin, Nik Sasha Khatrina; Amiruddin, Mohd Din; May, Choo Yuen

2014-12-01

The oil palm seed production unit that generates germinated oil palm seeds is the first link in the palm oil supply chain, followed by the nursery to produce seedling, the plantation to produce fresh fruit bunches (FFB), the mill to produce crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel, the kernel crushers to produce crude palm kernel oil (CPKO), the refinery to produce refined palm oil (RPO) and finally the palm biodiesel plant to produce palm biodiesel. This assessment aims to investigate the life cycle assessment (LCA) of germinated oil palm seeds and the use of LCA to identify the stage/s in the production of germinated oil palm seeds that could contribute to the environmental load. The method for the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) is modelled using SimaPro version 7, (System for Integrated environMental Assessment of PROducts), an internationally established tool used by LCA practitioners. This software contains European and US databases on a number of materials in addition to a variety of European- and US-developed impact assessment methodologies. LCA was successfully conducted for five seed production units and it was found that the environmental impact for the production of germinated oil palm was not significant. The characterised results of the LCIA for the production of 1000 germinated oil palm seeds showed that fossil fuel was the major impact category followed by respiratory inorganics and climate change.

Indigenous fungal entomopathogens associated with the oil palm ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SARAH

2014-11-30

Nov 30, 2014 ... is the most devastating insect pest of the African oil palm Elaeis guineensis Jacquin. Like most insect ... (Carrere, 2006). Malaysia and Indonesia, the world's ... environment, and residues in the fruits produced, it has become ...

Estimation of carbon allocation of Macauba palm (Acrocomia aculeata) - A new Brazilian biofuel alternative

Science.gov (United States)

Imbuzeiro, H. A.; Moreira, S. L. S.; Motoike, S. Y.; Fernandes, R. B. A.

2017-12-01

The Macauba palm (Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lood. ex Mart) is a native oil palm of the tropical America growing in anthropic areas, especially in grazing lands of Brazilian Cerrado. Macauba palm displays intense fruiting which results in high fruit and oil yield (3.0 - 6.0 ton/ha/year). The main Macauba palm differentials are: it is adapted to the environment with marked water restriction (1000 mm annual precipitation) which makes it resistant to drought and it does not compete with areas of rainforest; the oil is similar in composition to the African palm oil (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) and can be used in several industrial applications such as biofuels, food, cosmetics, pharmaceutics and oil chemistry. Additionally, Macauba fruit processing generates several by-products like edible pulp bran, high-protein edible kernel bran, dense endocarp biomass, and husk biomass, all valuable products. Today, 172 million hectares of Brazilian land are used for grazing, of which 30 million hectares of these lands are degraded due to poor land use, 6 million in the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. Macauba could be cultivated in these degraded lands and is a candidate to become the main raw material for production of biokerosene. A new productive chain is forming in Brazil, the first commercial plantation of Macauba was implemented last year in Minas Gerais state and it is important to estimate the environmental impacts of this plantation, in terms of carbon (C) allocation. There is a lack of experimental data on Macauba carbon allocation and this study aimed to estimate the carbon allocation (leaves, stems and roots) of Macauba palm. The results suggest that Macauba palm is important in contributing to the carbon allocation.

Responses of tropical fruit bats to monoculture and polyculture farming in oil palm smallholdings

Science.gov (United States)

Syafiq, Muhamad; Nur Atiqah, Abd Rahman; Ghazali, Amal; Asmah, Siti; Yahya, Muhammad S.; Aziz, Najjib; Puan, Chong Leong; Azhar, Badrul

2016-07-01

The oil palm industry is one of the main economic drivers in Southeast Asia. The industry has caused tropical deforestation on a massive scale in producing countries, and this forest conversion to oil palm agriculture has decimated the habitat of numerous native species. Monoculture and polyculture practices are two distinctive oil palm production systems. We hypothesize that polyculture farming hosts a greater diversity of species than monoculture farming. Habitat complexity in smallholdings is influenced by multiple farming practices (i.e. polyculture and monoculture). However, little is known about the effects of such farming practices in smallholdings on mammalian biodiversity, and particularly frugivorous bats. Our study aimed to find the best farming practice to reconcile oil palm production with biodiversity conservation. Mist-nets were used to trap frugivorous bats at 120 smallholdings in Peninsular Malaysia. We compared species richness and the abundance of frugivorous bats between monoculture and polyculture smallholdings. We investigated their relationships with vegetation structure characteristics. Our results revealed that species richness and abundance of frugivorous bats were significantly greater in polyculture smallholdings than monoculture smallholdings. We also found that 28.21% of the variation in species richness was explained by in situ habitat characteristics, including the number of dead standing oil palms and immature oil palms, non-grass cover, height of non-grass cover, and farming practices. The in situ habitat quality was closely associated with oil palm farming management. Commercial growers should implement polyculture rather than monoculture farming because polyculture farming has positive effects on the abundance and species richness of bats in oil palm production landscapes.

Modelling microwave heating of discrete samples of oil palm kernels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Law, M.C.; Liew, E.L.; Chang, S.L.; Chan, Y.S.; Leo, C.P.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Microwave (MW) drying of oil palm kernels is experimentally determined and modelled. • MW heating of discrete samples of oil palm kernels (OPKs) is simulated. • OPK heating is due to contact effect, MW interference and heat transfer mechanisms. • Electric field vectors circulate within OPKs sample. • Loosely-packed arrangement improves temperature uniformity of OPKs. - Abstract: Recently, microwave (MW) pre-treatment of fresh palm fruits has showed to be environmentally friendly compared to the existing oil palm milling process as it eliminates the condensate production of palm oil mill effluent (POME) in the sterilization process. Moreover, MW-treated oil palm fruits (OPF) also possess better oil quality. In this work, the MW drying kinetic of the oil palm kernels (OPK) was determined experimentally. Microwave heating/drying of oil palm kernels was modelled and validated. The simulation results show that temperature of an OPK is not the same over the entire surface due to constructive and destructive interferences of MW irradiance. The volume-averaged temperature of an OPK is higher than its surface temperature by 3–7 °C, depending on the MW input power. This implies that point measurement of temperature reading is inadequate to determine the temperature history of the OPK during the microwave heating process. The simulation results also show that arrangement of OPKs in a MW cavity affects the kernel temperature profile. The heating of OPKs were identified to be affected by factors such as local electric field intensity due to MW absorption, refraction, interference, the contact effect between kernels and also heat transfer mechanisms. The thermal gradient patterns of OPKs change as the heating continues. The cracking of OPKs is expected to occur first in the core of the kernel and then it propagates to the kernel surface. The model indicates that drying of OPKs is a much slower process compared to its MW heating. The model is useful

Gender Role in Sustainable Palm Oil Production in Imo State ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

E M IGBOKWE

Abstracted by: EBSCOhost, Electronic Journals Service (EJS),. Vol. .... food processing and pharmaceutical industries, production of toiletries, paints, etc.) .... strides witnessed in Malaysia who collected palm fruits from Nigeria can be traced to.

Controlling of green nanocellulose fiber properties produced by ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nanocellulose fibers were extracted from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) fibers by a chemo-mechanical treatment process. The aim of this study is to observe and investigate the morphological structure and fiber dimension characteristic of each stage in the nanocellulose production. The fiber structure characterization ...

Mixed Integer Linear Programming model for Crude Palm Oil Supply Chain Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Sembiring, Pasukat; Mawengkang, Herman; Sadyadharma, Hendaru; Bu'ulolo, F.; Fajriana

2018-01-01

The production process of crude palm oil (CPO) can be defined as the milling process of raw materials, called fresh fruit bunch (FFB) into end products palm oil. The process usually through a series of steps producing and consuming intermediate products. The CPO milling industry considered in this paper does not have oil palm plantation, therefore the FFB are supplied by several public oil palm plantations. Due to the limited availability of FFB, then it is necessary to choose from which plantations would be appropriate. This paper proposes a mixed integer linear programming model the supply chain integrated problem, which include waste processing. The mathematical programming model is solved using neighborhood search approach.

CRISPR/Cas9: A Practical Approach in Date Palm Genome Editing

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Muhammad N. Sattar

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The genetic modifications through breeding of crop plants have long been used to improve the yield and quality. However, precise genome editing (GE could be a very useful supplementary tool for improvement of crop plants by targeted genome modifications. Various GE techniques including ZFNs (zinc finger nucleases, TALENs (transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and most recently clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9-based approaches have been successfully employed for various crop plants including fruit trees. CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches hold great potential in GE due to their simplicity, competency, and versatility over other GE techniques. However, to the best of our knowledge no such genetic improvement has ever been developed in date palm—an important fruit crop in Oasis agriculture. The applications of CRISPR/Cas9 can be a challenging task in date palm GE due to its large and complex genome, high rate of heterozygosity and outcrossing, in vitro regeneration and screening of mutants, high frequency of single-nucleotide polymorphism in the genome and ultimately genetic instability. In this review, we addressed the potential application of CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches in date palm GE to improve the sustainable date palm production. The availability of the date palm whole genome sequence has made it feasible to use CRISPR/Cas9 GE approach for genetic improvement in this species. Moreover, the future prospects of GE application in date palm are also addressed in this review.

Occurrence of Ochratoxins, Fumonisin B2 , Aflatoxins (B1 and B2 ), and Other Secondary Fungal Metabolites in Dried Date Palm Fruits from Egypt: A Mini-Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdallah, Mohamed F; Krska, Rudolf; Sulyok, Michael

2018-02-01

This study was conducted to investigate the natural co-occurrence of 295 fungal and bacterial metabolites in 28 samples of dried date palm fruits collected from different shops distributed in Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt in 2016. Extraction and quantification of the target analytes were done using the "dilute and shoot" approach followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. In total, 30 toxic fungal metabolites were detected. Among these metabolites, 4 types of ochratoxins including ochratoxin type A and B were quantified in 3 samples (11%) with a contamination range from 1.48 to 6070 μg/kg for ochratoxin A and from 0.28 to 692 μg/kg for ochratoxin B. In addition, fumonisin B 2 was observed in 2 (7%) samples with contamination levels ranging from 4.99 to 16.2 μg/kg. The simultaneous detection of fumonisin B 2 in the same contaminated samples with ochratoxins indicates the fungal attack by Aspergillus niger species during storage. Only 1 sample was contaminated with aflatoxin B 1 (14.4 μg/kg) and B 2 (2.44 μg/kg). The highest maximum concentration (90400 μg/kg) was for kojic acid that contaminated 43% of the samples. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the natural co-occurrence of fumonisin B 2 and ochratoxin A and B in addition to a wide range of other fungal metabolites in date palm fruits. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by different fungi. These metabolites pose a potential risk on human health since they contaminate many food commodities. Among these, date palm fruits which are an integral part of diet in several countries. Therefore, detection of mycotoxins is a prerequisite to insure the safety of food. Here, different types of mycotoxins have been detected in levels that may have health hazard. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Post-partum reproductive activity and estrus synchronization responsiveness in anglonubian x sprd fed with dried carnauba wax palm fruit (Copernicia prunifera long term

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Maia Silva

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The present study evaluates the use of dried carnauba wax palm fruit in 28 postpartum goats fed diets containing Bermudagrass hay and either corn (WCWP or carnauba-based (CWP concentrated feed. Estrus synchronization was performed 90 days postpartum, and the goats were mated. In the CWP group, compared to the WCWP group, the daily dry matter intake was significantly reduced (646.48 ± 11.03 g vs. 739.29 ± 3.24 g, respectively; P < 0.01. The time to the first functional corpus luteum was similar between the groups, occurring a mean 66 days postpartum. During estrus synchronization, the CWP group had a decreased sternal subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness when compared to the WCWP group (11.93 ± 0.45 mm vs. 13.69 ± 0.57 mm, respectively; P < 0.05 and a lower pregnancy rate (86.67% vs. 46.15%, respectively; P < 0.02. The embryonic vesicle and crown-rump length growth rates, and the biparietal, thoracic, and abdominal diameters at 45 days of pregnancy were within normal range for goats in both groups. Litter size at birth was similar between the groups at a mean 1.39 ± 0.11. In conclusion, the substitution of corn with dehydrated carnauba wax palm fruit in concentrated feed for postpartum goats showed no positive effects. Reduced feed intake in the does consuming the carnauba diet caused decreased body reserves, which probably resulted in a decreased pregnancy rate in the affected does.

Water footprints of products of oil palm plantations and palm oil mills in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Suttayakul, Phetrada; H-Kittikun, Aran; Suksaroj, Chaisri; Mungkalasiri, Jitti; Wisansuwannakorn, Ruthairat; Musikavong, Charongpun

2016-01-15

The water footprint (WF) of fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) from oil palm plantations and crude palm oil (CPO) from palm oil mills in southern and eastern Thailand were determined over 25 years. Climatic conditions, soil characteristics, and the characteristics of oil palm growth were considered. The WF of FFBs was 1063 m(3)/ton (t) on average. Green, blue, and grey waters comprised of 68, 18, and 14% of total WF, respectively. The oil palm plantations in Thailand required smaller amounts of indirect blue water. The average WF for producing a ton of CPO of seven mills was 5083 m(3). Most of the waters used in the mills originated from indirect green, blue and grey waters from the plantations. The direct blue water used in the mills had less impact on the total WF, lower than 1% of the total WF. Average percentages of green, blue, and grey waters of 69, 16, and 15% of total WF were determined for the mills, respectively. The water deprivation of the FFBs and CPO ranged from 0.73-12.9 and 3.44-58.3 m(3)H2Oeq/t, respectively. In 2013, the CPO production in Thailand including green, blue, and grey waters from plantation and blue water from mills required 11,343 million m(3) water. If the oil palm variety Suratthani 7 is used in the plantation, it would increase the yield from 15.2 to 22.8 t FFBs/ha-year and decrease the WF to 888 m(3)/t FFBs. The average value of the oil extraction rate (OER) of mills was 18.1%. With an increase in the OER of 1%, a reduction of the WF of 250 m(3)/t CPO or 5.1% of total WF could be obtained. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phylogenetic relationships of the cultivated neotropical palm Bactris gasipaes (arecaceae) with its wild relatives inferred from chloroplast and nuclear DNA polymorphisms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Couvreur, T.L.P.; Hahn, K.; Granville, de J.J.; Pham, J.L.; Ludena, B.; Pintaud, J.C.

2007-01-01

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth.) is the only Neotropical palm domesticated since pre-Columbian times. It plays an important role not only at the local level due to its very nutritious fruits, but also in the international market for its gourmet palm heart. Phylogenetic relationships of the peach

The Susceptibility of Some Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis Jacq Progenies to Coelaenomenodera lameensis Berti and Mariau, (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

OpenAIRE

S.O.N. Dimkpa

2010-01-01

Damage by the oil palm leaf miner C. lam eensis has been observed in all oil palm growing countriesin Africa causing wide spread defoliation and result to considerable reduction in the yield of fresh fruit bunches(ffb). The understanding of the susceptibility levels of different oil palm progenies to the oil palm leaf minerC. lameensis become highly imperative in the development and incorporation of host plant resistance in theintegrated pest management strategy for the management of the oil ...

The oil palm Shell gene controls oil yield and encodes a homologue of SEEDSTICK

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Rajinder; Leslie Low, Eng-Ti; Ooi, Leslie Cheng-Li; Ong-Abdullah, Meilina; Chin, Ting Ngoot; Nagappan, Jayanthi; Nookiah, Rajanaidu; Amiruddin, Mohd Din; Rosli, Rozana; Abdul Manaf, Mohamad Arif; Chan, Kuang-Lim; Halim, Mohd Amin; Azizi, Norazah; Lakey, Nathan; Smith, Steven W; Budiman, Muhammad A; Hogan, Michael; Bacher, Blaire; Van Brunt, Andrew; Wang, Chunyan; Ordway, Jared M; Sambanthamurthi, Ravigadevi; Martienssen, Robert A

2014-01-01

A key event in the domestication and breeding of the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis, was loss of the thick coconut-like shell surrounding the kernel. Modern E. guineensis has three fruit forms, dura (thick-shelled), pisifera (shell-less) and tenera (thin-shelled), a hybrid between dura and pisifera1–4. The pisifera palm is usually female-sterile but the tenera yields far more oil than dura, and is the basis for commercial palm oil production in all of Southeast Asia5. Here, we describe the mapping and identification of the Shell gene responsible for the different fruit forms. Using homozygosity mapping by sequencing we found two independent mutations in the DNA binding domain of a homologue of the MADS-box gene SEEDSTICK (STK) which controls ovule identity and seed development in Arabidopsis. The Shell gene is responsible for the tenera phenotype in both cultivated and wild palms from sub-Saharan Africa, and our findings provide a genetic explanation for the single gene heterosis attributed to Shell, via heterodimerization. This gene mutation explains the single most important economic trait in oil palm, and has implications for the competing interests of global edible oil production, biofuels and rainforest conservation6. PMID:23883930

Improved Method for the Qualitative Analyses of Palm Oil Carotenes Using UPLC.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Mei Han; Choo, Yuen May

2016-04-01

Palm oil is the richest source of natural carotenes, comprising 500-700 ppm in crude palm oil (CPO). Its concentration is found to be much higher in oil extracted from palm-pressed fiber, a by-product from the milling of oil palm fruits. There are 11 types of carotenes in palm oil, excluding the cis/trans isomers of some of the carotenes. Qualitative separation of these individual carotenes is particularly useful for the identification and confirmation of different types of oil as the carotenes profile is unique to each type of vegetable oil. Previous studies on HPLC separation of the individual palm carotenes reported a total analyses time of up to 100 min using C30 stationary phase. In this study, the separation was completed in <5 min. The qualitative separation was successfully carried out using a commonly used stationary phase, C18. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Variety of fruit and vegetables is related to preschoolers' overall diet quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramsay, Samantha A; Shriver, Lenka H; Taylor, Christopher A

2017-03-01

Children are encouraged to eat a specific amount of fruits and vegetables to optimize health. The purpose of this study was to assess whether consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables, respectively, was associated with a greater diet quality among preschool-aged children. Analyses were performed using a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of US children. Dietary intakes from 24-h dietary recalls of two-five year old children ( n  = 2595) in 2005-2010 NHANES were examined. Diet quality was evaluated using MyPlate equivalents and the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010). Variety categories were determined based on children's fruit, fruit juice, and vegetable consumption on the recalled day. Differences in diet quality were examined using t -tests. Variety of fruits and vegetables was linked to higher overall diet quality. Children who consumed whole fruit had better diet quality scores for total fruit, whole fruit, whole grains, dairy, seafood, refined grains, sodium, and empty calories ( P  ≤ 0.018). Significantly higher HEI-2010 scores for total fruit, whole fruit, fatty acids, sodium, and empty calories, but a lower dairy HEI-2010 score, were identified in children who drank fruit juice ( P  ≤ 0.038). Vegetable consumption was significantly associated with higher total vegetables, greens/beans, and empty calories, but a lower sodium score ( P  ≤ 0.027). Children who consumed whole fruit, fruit juice and non-starchy vegetables ( P  ≤ 0.017), but not white potatoes, had significantly higher total HEI-2010 scores. Reinforcing fruit and 100% fruit juice consumption may indirectly support healthier diets among children. However, underlying associations between fruit and vegetable intakes and overall diet quality should be examined further.

Variety of fruit and vegetables is related to preschoolers' overall diet quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha A. Ramsay

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Children are encouraged to eat a specific amount of fruits and vegetables to optimize health. The purpose of this study was to assess whether consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables, respectively, was associated with a greater diet quality among preschool-aged children. Analyses were performed using a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of US children. Dietary intakes from 24-h dietary recalls of two-five year old children (n = 2595 in 2005–2010 NHANES were examined. Diet quality was evaluated using MyPlate equivalents and the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010. Variety categories were determined based on children's fruit, fruit juice, and vegetable consumption on the recalled day. Differences in diet quality were examined using t-tests. Variety of fruits and vegetables was linked to higher overall diet quality. Children who consumed whole fruit had better diet quality scores for total fruit, whole fruit, whole grains, dairy, seafood, refined grains, sodium, and empty calories (P ≤ 0.018. Significantly higher HEI-2010 scores for total fruit, whole fruit, fatty acids, sodium, and empty calories, but a lower dairy HEI-2010 score, were identified in children who drank fruit juice (P ≤ 0.038. Vegetable consumption was significantly associated with higher total vegetables, greens/beans, and empty calories, but a lower sodium score (P ≤ 0.027. Children who consumed whole fruit, fruit juice and non-starchy vegetables (P ≤ 0.017, but not white potatoes, had significantly higher total HEI-2010 scores. Reinforcing fruit and 100% fruit juice consumption may indirectly support healthier diets among children. However, underlying associations between fruit and vegetable intakes and overall diet quality should be examined further.

Dry Separation of Palm Kernel and Palm Shell Using a Novel Five-Stage Winnowing Column System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rohaya Mohamed Halim

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The conventional separation system for the recovery of palm kernel from its palm shell–kernel mixture using water as process media generates a considerable amount of waste effluent that harms the environment. The aim of this study is to develop a dry separation process for the recovery of palm kernel by using winnowing columns. A commercial system consisting of a series of five winnowing columns was developed and installed at a local palm oil mill. The system parameters, including column height, blower capacity, airflow rate and mesh screen size for shell removal, were studied and optimized to ensure good separation of kernel and shell in the column to enable collection of different sizes of kernel and shell at each column outlet. The performance of the separation process was evaluated in terms of its kernel losses, dirt content and kernel recovery rate. The average kernel losses based on oil palm fresh fruit bunches processed were found to vary from 0.11 to 0.30 wt %, with most of the values obtained being below the targeted limit of 0.30 wt %. The dirt content was in the range 4.56–6.03 wt %, which was mostly below the targeted limit of 5.5 wt %. The kernel recovery rate was in the range 5.69–6.89 wt %, with most of the values achieving the minimum targeted limit of 6.00 wt %. The system operates under completely dry conditions and, therefore, produces zero waste effluent.

Novel multifunctional plant growth-promoting bacteria in co-compost of palm oil industry waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, Clament Fui Seung; Furuya, Yoshihide; Zainudin, Mohd Huzairi Mohd; Ramli, Norhayati; Hassan, Mohd Ali; Tashiro, Yukihiro; Sakai, Kenji

2017-11-01

Previously, a unique co-compost produced by composting empty fruit bunch with anaerobic sludge from palm oil mill effluent, which contributed to establishing a zero-emission industry in Malaysia. Little was known about the bacterial functions during the composting process and fertilization capacity of this co-compost. We isolated 100 strains from the co-compost on 7 types of enumeration media and screened 25 strains using in vitro tests for 12 traits, grouping them according to three functions: plant growth promoting (fixation of nitrogen; solubilization of phosphorus, potassium, and silicate; production of 3-indoleacetic acid, ammonia, and siderophore), biocontrolling (production of chitinase and anti-Ganoderma activity), and composting (degradation of lignin, xylan, and cellulose). Using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, 25 strains with strong or multi-functional traits were found belong to the genera Bacillus, Paenibacillus, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, and Kosakonia. Furthermore, several strains of Citrobacter sedlakii exhibited a plant growth-stimulation in vivo komatsuna plant cultivation test. In addition, we isolated several multifunctional strains; Bacillus tequilensis CE4 (biocontrolling and composting), Enterobacter cloacae subsp. dissolvens B3 (plant growth promoting and biocontrolling), and C. sedlakii CESi7 (plant growth promoting and composting). Some bacteria in the co-compost play significant roles during the composting process and plant cultivation after fertilization, and some multifunctional strains have potential for use in accelerating the biodegradation of lignocellulosic biomass, protecting against Ganoderma boninense infection, and increasing the yield of palm oil. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Research Article Special Issue

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2017-09-10

Sep 10, 2017 ... ml/min continous flow of nitrogen gas into the torrefaction system rameters from temperature ... Keywords: microwave reactor; oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB); torrefied samples. 1. INTRODUCTION. Currently, fossil .... up to 900°C for 7 min in closed crucible to prevent oxidation. The weight loss is calculated.

Statistical optimization of process parameters for the production of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this study, optimization of process parameters such as moisture content, incubation temperature and initial pH (fixed) for the improvement of citric acid production from oil palm empty fruit bunches through solid state bioconversion was carried out using traditional one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) method and response surface ...

Browse Title Index

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 1 - 49 of 49 ... ... and Black Pepper Extracts on Organisms associated with Fish Spoilage, Abstract ... Vol 2, No 1 (2009), Biotechnology in Organic Agriculture in Africa: Myth ... Empty Fruit Bunch and Cow Dung as Fertilizer in Oil Palm Nurseries, Abstract ... Nutrition Promotion Approaches in Karusi and Kirundo Provinces, ...

Treatment and Valorization of Palm Oil Mill Effluent through Production of Food Grade Yeast Biomass

OpenAIRE

Joy O. Iwuagwu; J. Obeta Ugwuanyi

2014-01-01

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is high strength wastewater derived from processing of palm fruit. It is generated in large quantities in all oil palm producing nations where it is a strong pollutant amenable to microbial degradation being rich in organic carbon, nitrogen, and minerals. Valorization and treatment of POME with seven yeast isolates was studied under scalable conditions by using POME to produce value-added yeast biomass. POME was used as sole source of carbon and nitrogen and the ...

Ergonomics observation: Harvesting tasks at oil palm plantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Yee Guan; Shamsul Bahri, Mohd Tamrin; Irwan Syah, Md Yusoff; Mori, Ippei; Hashim, Zailina

2014-01-01

Production agriculture is commonly associated with high prevalence of ergonomic injuries, particularly during intensive manual labor and during harvesting. This paper intends to briefly describe an overview of oil palm plantation management highlighting the ergonomics problem each of the breakdown task analysis. Although cross-sectional field visits were conducted in the current study, insight into past and present occupational safety and health concerns particularly regarding the ergonomics of oil palm plantations was further exploited. Besides discussion, video recordings were extensively used for ergonomics analysis. The unique commodity of oil palm plantations presents significantly different ergonomics risk factors for fresh fruit bunch (FFB) cutters during different stages of harvesting. Although the ergonomics risk factors remain the same for FFB collectors, the intensity of manual lifting increases significantly with the age of the oil palm trees-weight of FFB. There is urgent need to establish surveillance in order to determine the current prevalence of ergonomic injuries. Thereafter, ergonomics interventions that are holistic and comprehensive should be conducted and evaluated for their efficacy using approaches that are integrated, participatory and cost-effective.

Harvestable energy from the coconut palm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Banzon, J A

1984-01-01

The harvestable energy from the coconut palm is in the form of husks, shells and oil from the nuts and the leaf petioles with a regular monthly production of a bunch of nuts and one leaf. From the known energy content of the husks, nut shells and petioles, the number of palm trees required to provide the total energy for domestic cooking at wood equivalent to 1-3 kg firewood per day ranges from 5-14 for husks, shells and petioles, or 15-47 if the material is first converted to charcoal. In order to provide diesel fuel containing 10% coconut oil and cope with the annual increase in such a demand, the coconut crop would have to increase at the rate of 1 nut per bunch per month from 3-11 nuts to 12 nuts over the next 8 years. Highest coconut sap yield in ethanol terms, amounts to 109 MJ/month per palm which equals the oil in a 20-nut fruit bunch, thus indicating possible greater energy harvest from coconut sap than from coconut oil.

Pollutant in palm oil production process.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseini, Seyed Ehsan; Abdul Wahid, Mazlan

2015-07-01

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a by-product of the palm industry and it releases large amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Water systems are also contaminated by POME if it is released into nonstandard ponds or rivers where it endangers the lives of fish and water fowl. In this paper, the environmental bottlenecks faced by palm oil production were investigated by analyzing the data collected from wet extraction palm oil mills (POMs) located in Malaysia. Strategies for reducing pollution and technologies for GHG reduction from the wet extraction POMs were also proposed. Average GHG emissions produced from processing 1 ton of crude palm oil (CPO) was 1100 kg CO2eq. This amount can be reduced to 200 kg CO2eq by capturing biogases. The amount of GHG emissions from open ponds could be decreased from 225 to 25 kg CO2eq/MT CPO by covering the ponds. Installation of biogas capturing system can decrease the average of chemical oxygen demand (COD) to about 17,100 mg/L and stabilizing ponds in the final step could decrease COD to 5220 mg/L. Using a biogas capturing system allows for the reduction of COD by 80% and simultaneously using a biogas capturing system and by stabilizing ponds can mitigate COD by 96%. Other ways to reduce the pollution caused by POME, including the installation of wet scrubber vessels and increasing the performance of biogas recovery and biogas upgrading systems, are studied in this paper. Around 0.87 m3 POME is produced per 1 ton palm fruit milled. POME consists of around 2% oil, 2-4% suspended solid, 94-96% water. In palm oil mills, more than 90% of GHGs were emitted from POME. From 1 ton crude palm oil, 1100 kg CO2eq GHGs are generated, which can be reduced to 200 kg CO2eq by installation of biogas capturing equipment.

Chemical composition of the fruit mesocarp of three peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) populations grown in central Amazonia, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuyama, Lúcia K O; Aguiar, Jaime P L; Yuyama, Kaoru; Clement, Charles R; Macedo, Sonja H M; Fávaro, Deborah I T; Afonso, Claudia; Vasconcellos, Marina B A; Pimentel, Sabria A; Badolato, Elsa S G; Vannucchi, Helio

2003-01-01

The percent composition, soluble and insoluble food fibers, oil fatty acids and minerals were determined in the mesocarp of fruits of three peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) populations grown in Central Amazonia, Brazil. Amino acids were also determined in one of the populations. The mean protein levels ranged from 1.8 to 2.7%, lipid levels ranged from 3.5 to 11.1%, the nitrogen free fraction ranged from 24.3 to 35%, food fiber ranged from 5.2% to 8.7%, and energy ranged from 179.1 to 207.4 kcal%. All essential, as well as non-essential, amino acids were present, with tryptophan and methionine presenting the lowest mean concentrations. The mono-unsaturated oleic acid predominated in the oil, ranging from 42.8 to 60.8%, and palmitic acid was the most abundant saturated fatty acid, ranging from 24.1 to 42.3%. Among the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid was the most abundant, with a maximum of 5.4% in Pampa-8. The most important mineral elements were potassium, selenium and chromium, respectively corresponding to 12%, 9% and 9% of daily recommended allowances. Considering the nutritional potential of the fruit, we suggest its more frequent incorporation into the diet of the Amazonian population.

Kinetic of biogas production from oil palm empty fruit bunches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danay Carillo-Nieves

2014-01-01

Full Text Available La producción de aceite de la palma Elaeis guineensis aporta residuales orgánicos como los racimos sin frutos (RSF que representan un 7%. Actualmente los RSF no se aprovechan en su totalidad consti tuyendo un problema medioambiental. Se estudia el empleo de RSF pretratados con NaOH para la producción de biogás. El tiempo de pretratamiento (TP de los RSF influye directamente sobre la c antidad de biogás producida logrando conversiones de sólidos volátiles a biogás de 96%, para TP = 60 min y 29 días de reacción. La pro ducción de biogás se ajusta a una ley cinética de orden 1 obteniéndose las constantes cinéticas de la generación de CH 4 (0,108 d -1 y CO 2 (0,107 d - 1 a la temperatura de operación del reactor (55°C. Se presenta un modelo generalizador que permite estimar la conversión de s ólidos volátiles a biogás en función del tiempo de pretratamiento y de l tiempo de permanencia en el reactor.

Origin and Dispersal of Domesticated Peach Palm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles R. Clement

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth is a Neotropical palm domesticated by Native Americans. Its domestication resulted in a set of landraces (var. gasipaes, some with very starchy fruit used for fermentation, others with an equilibrium of starch and oil used as snacks. Which of the three wild types (var. chichagui was involved and where the domestication process began are unclear, with three hypotheses under discussion: an origin in southwestern Amazonia; or in northwestern South America; or multiple origins. We reevaluate one of the wild types, defining it as the incipient domesticate, and then evaluate these hypotheses using the Brazilian peach palm Core Collection and selected herbaria samples to: (1 model the potential distributions of wild and domesticated populations; (2 identify the probable origin of domestication with a phylogeographic analysis of chloroplast DNA sequences; and (3 determine the dispersal routes after domestication using spatial analysis of genetic diversity based on 17 nuclear microsatellite loci. The two very small-fruited wild types have distinct distributions in the northern Andes region and across southern Amazonia, both under moderately humid climates, while the incipient domesticate, partly sympatric with the southern wild type, is also found along the Equatorial Andes, in a more humid climatic envelope, more similar to that of the domesticated landraces. Two distribution models for Last Glacial Maximum conditions (CCSM4, MIROC also suggest distinct distributions for the two wild populations. The chloroplast DNA phylogeographic network confirms the area of sympatry of the incipient domesticate and the southern wild type in southwestern Amazonia as the origin of domestication. The spatial patterns of genetic diversity confirm the proposal of two dispersals, one along the Ucayali River, into western Amazonia, northwestern South America and finally Central America; the other along the Madeira River into central and

DNA fingerprinting of some pakistani date palm (phoenix dactylifera L.) cultive ARS using issr markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirbahar, A.; Khan, S.; Markhand, G.S.

2016-01-01

Date palm is one of the oldest cultivated and economically important fruit trees. First time Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) markers were used with twenty five economically important date palm cultivars of Pakistan for DNA fingerprinting analysis. Samples were collected from four provinces of Pakistan i.e., Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and Balochistan. The study was carried out using seven ISSR markers. The twenty five date palm cultivars showed variation at the DNA level. The ISSR primers showed high polymorphism (84%) in the studied date palm cultivars. Dice similarity index was in range from 0.608 to 0.980 and Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) divided twenty five date palm cultivars into two main clusters and sub-clusters. However ISSR markers efficiently discriminated for assessing genetic diversity among commercial Pakistani date palm cultivars. (author)

Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Lactic Acid from Empty Fruit Bunch at High Solids Loading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nursia Hassan

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The production of value-added chemicals from the bioconversion of lignocellulose biomass has been considered a promising venture. In this study, microwave, alkali-pretreated empty fruit bunch (EFB was used as the substrate, utilizing pelletized filamentous Rhizopus oryzae NRRL 395 and cellulolytic enzymes for lactic acid production in a fed-batch simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF process. Insoluble solids generally do not affect the SSF process until a certain concentration is exceeded. To achieve a high lactic acid concentration in the broth, a high solids loading was required to allow a higher rate of glucose conversion. However, the results revealed a decrease in the final lactic acid yield when running SSF at a massive insoluble solids level. High osmotic pressure in the medium led to poor cellular performance and caused the Rhizopus oryzae pellets to break down, affecting the lactic acid production. To improve the process performance, a fed-batch operation mode was used. The fed-batch operation was shown to facilitate higher lactic acid yield, compared with the SSF batch mode. Enzyme feeding, as well as substrate feeding, was also investigated as a means of enabling a higher dry matter content, with a high glucose conversion in SSF of cellulose-rich EFB.

Characterization of lignocellulosic biomass thermal degradation and physiochemical structure: Effects of demineralization by diverse acid solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asadieraghi, Masoud; Wan Daud, Wan Mohd Ashri

2014-01-01

Highlights: • HF showed interesting results on EFB (empty fruit bunches) and PMF (palm mesocarp fibre) deashing. • HCl indicated maximum ash removal from PKS (palm kernel shell). • Significant pyrolysis reactions took place at ∼250 °C to ∼400 °C. • Inorganics played a considerable catalytic role during the biomasses pyrolysis. • Acid pretreatment introduced some impacts on the biomasses structure. - Abstract: To eliminate the negative impacts of inorganic constituents during biomass thermochemical processes, leaching method by different diluted acid solutions was chosen. The different palm oil biomass samples (palm kernel shell (PKS), empty fruit bunches (EFB) and palm mesocarp fiber (PMF)) were pretreated by various diluted acid solutions (H 2 SO 4 , HClO 4 , HF, HNO 3 , HCl). Acids with the highest degrees of demineralization were selected to investigate the dematerialization impacts on the biomass thermal characteristics and physiochemical structure. Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectroscopy (TGA-MS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA-FTIR) were employed to examine the biomass thermal degradation. TGA and DTG (Derivative thermogravimetry) indicated that the maximum degradation temperatures increased after acid pretreatment due to the minerals catalytic effects. The main permanent evolved gases comprising H 2 , CO 2 , CO were detected online during analysis. The major permanent gases produced at the temperature range of 250–750 °C were attributed to the condensable vapors cracking and probably some secondary reactions. The physiochemical structure change of the acid-treated biomass samples was examined by using Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) method, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and FTIR. The pyrolysis kinetics of the different palm oil biomasses were investigated using first order reaction model

PENGARUH SUHU DAN KONSENTRASI PEREKAT TERHADAP KARAKTERISTIK BRIKET BIOARANG BERBAHAN BAKU TANDAN KOSONG KELAPA SAWIT DENGAN PROSES PIROLISIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuli Ristianingsih

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Palm Oil Empty Fruit Bunches are solid waste from Crude Palm Oil (CPO industry. For 1 ton of fresh fruit bunches produced 23% of solid waste. This solid waste can be converted into alternative energy that called briquettes. Briquettes are solid fuel that can be used as an alternative fuel replacement for fossil fuels such as oil and gas. This study aims to determine the effect of temperature on the yield generated briquettes and the effect of stach adhesive concentration (5, 10 and 15% wt to briquettes characteristics (moisture content, volatile matter, ash content, fixed carbon, calorific value and the rate of combustion. In this reseacrh, two kilograms of palm oil empty fruit bunches was burned using pyrolisis reactor at different temperatur (350, 400, 450 and 5000C for 2.5 hour. Charcoal produced was mixed with an adhesive in accordance variations and molded into briquettes. Briquettes then analyzed the water content, ash content, carbon content, volatile matter content, heating value and rate of combustion. The maximum yield of briquettes which was obtained in this research is 51.53% at temperature 3500C and the lowest yield at temperature of 500 ° C by 26.03%. Briquettes results of this study have met the quality standards of fuel briquettes as seen from the heating value. Optimal adhesive composition between starch and charcoal TKKS is 5%: 95% that generates highest calorific value about 6748.15kal/ g.

Screening of agricultural wastes as a medium production of catalase for enzymatic fuel cell by Neurospora crassa InaCC F226

Science.gov (United States)

Santoso, Pugoh; Yopi

2017-12-01

Explorations of local microorganisms from Indonesia that can produce of catalase are still limited. Neurospora crassa is a fungus which resulting of two kinds of catalase, namely catalase-1 and catalase-3. We studied the production of catalase by Neurospora crassa (no. F226) from Indonesia Culture Collection (InaCC) in Solid State Fermentation (SSF). Among four screened agro wastes (corn cob, rice straw, oil palm empty fruit bunches, and bagasse), rice straw and oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) were remarked as the most promising substrate suited for the excellent growth and adequate production of catalase. Based on the result, the method of solid state fermentation was suitable to production of catalase. It is caused that the medium served to maintain microbial growth and metabolism. The filamentous filament is more suitable for living on solid media because it has a high tolerance to low water activity, and it has a high potential to excrete hydrolytic enzymes that caused of its morphology. The filamentous filament morphology allows the fungus to form colonies and penetrate the solid substrates in order to obtain nutrients. The results showed that the highest catalase activity was obtained on rice straw and oil palm empty fruit bunches medium with catalase activity of 39.1 U/mL and 37,7 U/mL in 50% moisture content medium, respectively. Optimization of humidity and pH medium in the rice straw were investigated which is the highest activity obtained in 30% moisture content and pH medium of 6. The catalase activity was reached in the value of 53.761 U/mL and 56.903 U/mL by incubated 48 hours and 96 hours, respectively.

Pre-harvest fruit drop, bunch weight and fruit quality of 'Rothana' and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ajl2

2012-10-09

Oct 9, 2012 ... Pre-harvest fruit drop is a serious problem of some date palm cultivars. During 2010 ... important subsistence crop in most of the hot arid regions. (Botes and .... diluted 10-fold with distilled water) and allowed to stand for 5 min before the ... made by F-test and the least significant differences (LSD) at P = 5%.

Cultivation and fruit body production of Lentinus squarrosulus Mont ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The mycelia growth of Lentinus squarrosulus culture on the leaves and bark of common fruit trees were investigated. The effect of supplementing these fruit trees with 25% each of rice bran, horse dung, poultry droppings, cow dung, fresh cassava flour and oil palm waste fiber on the mycelia growth of this fungus was also ...

Management of asaí (Euterpe precatoria Mart. for fruit production in southern Colombian Amazonia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Isaza Aranguren

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The fruits of asaí (Euterpe precatoria Mart. are a traditional food for Amazonian inhabitants who harvest it from wild populations, employing management practices that affect palm populations and productivity. Here we present management data on fruit harvesting in a Tikuna community in the Colombian Amazon. We identified the market structure in Leticia and evaluated the population structure and fruit productivity in a scarcely harvested forest and a heavily harvested one. We performed interviews to determine management and market practices and we established plots to identify population structure and productivity. Harvesting is mostly for self-supply and palm felling is the main method. The fruits are mostly consumed and marketed as juice. The asaí market is small and seasonal but it represents an important source of income for many, mainly indigenous, families. The population density was 1 680 individuals and 248 adults/ha in San Martín de Amacayacu, where harvesting was from 2 % of all adult palms, and 916 individuals and 30 adults/ha in Leticia, where harvesting was from 23 % of all adult palms. The population structure in both sites followed an in-verted J-curve in which the majority of the individuals were seedlings. Productivity was 2.2 ton/ha/ year in San Martín de Amacayacu and 0.33 ton/ha/ year in Leticia. The population in Leticia is heavily harvested to supply the local market and the consequences of this use are a reduction in population density and fruit productivity and a low abundance of individuals in all size classes.

Performance of three saudi arabian date palm varieties under the agro-climatic conditions of khairpur

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soad, A.A.A.

2013-01-01

Date palms of 10 year old Ajwa, Safawi and Ruthana varieties from Al-Madina, Saudi Arabia were evaluated under the agro-climatic conditions of Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan throughout the growing seasons from 2009 to 2011. The results obtained indicated better fruit quality similar to those fruits obtained from the original place of origin. The palms of the three varieties were thriving successfully. The edible stage of vars. Ajwa and Safawi is tamer and rutab for var. Ruthana. The fruit was harvested early from 13 to 20th of July before the onset of monsoons. The fruit size of vars. Ajwa, Safawi and Ruthana at their edible stages were 3.16, 4.25 and 3.52 cm long, and 2.31, 2.05 and 2.38 cm in diameter, respectively. The average fruit and seed weight of vars. Ajwa, Safawi and Ruthana were 11.42, 10.49 and 12.42 g, and 1.23, 0.88 and 1.1 g, respectively. The fruit flesh percentage in vars. Ajwa, Safawi and Ruthana reached 89.14%, 90.84% and 90.92%, respectively. It was found that the climatic conditions of Khairpur are suitable for the cultivation of these three exotic varieties. The vegetative, flowering and fruit characteristics of the three varieties were described, and the impact of climatic conditions on fruit quality was discussed in this study. (author)

Low-cost RFID-based palm oil monitoring system (PMS): First prototype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiama, J W; Patrick, T H H; Raman, V

2014-01-01

Under collaboration with our local oil palm plantation enterprise, our research focuses on producing proof-of-concept by using RFID technology to monitor palm oil productivity. Passive RFID tags are used in the plantation field to uniquely identify each palm oil tree and their Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) production is collected and monitored by scanning the passive RFID tags using high frequency RFID scanners. This technology aims to convert the harvest data into digital information which can be processed and analyzed by PMS system and presented as informative outputs such as dynamic charts. This analyzed information is further used as input to a proprietary GIS system where it is mapped as color-coded spatial data which enables an accurate evaluation and monitoring of the overall plantation productivity

Thermal properties of oil palm nano filler/kenaf reinforced epoxy hybrid nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Saba, N.; Paridah, M. T.; Abdan, K.; Ibrahim, N. A.

2016-11-01

The aim of this research study was to fabricate nano oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB)/kenaf/epoxy hybrid nanocomposites and to make comparative study on the thermal properties of nano OPEFB/kenaf/epoxy hybrid nanocomposites with the montmorillonite (MMT)/kenaf/epoxy hybrid nanocomposites and organically modified MMT (OMMT)/kenaf/epoxy hybrid nanocomposites. Epoxy based kenaf hybrid nanocomposites was prepared by dispersing the nano filler (nano OPEFB filler, MMT, OMMT) at 3% loading through high speed mechanical stirrer followed by hand lay-up technique. Thermal properties of hybrid nanocomposites were analyzed through thermogravimetry analyzer (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Obtained results specified that addition of nano OPEFB filler improves the thermal stability and char yield of kenaf/epoxy composites. Furthermore, the increase in decomposition temperature by the nano OPEFB filler was quite comparable to the MMT/kenaf/epoxy but relatively less than OMMT/kenaf/epoxy hybrid nanocomposites. We concluded from overall consequences that the nano OPEFB filler can be used as the promising and innovative alternative of existing expensive nano filler, with relatively lesser impact on the environment having marked pronounced impact on the construction, automotive, aerospace, electronics and semiconducting sectors as future industries based on bio-wastes with satisfactory light weight and thermal stability on other side.

Integrated Assessment of Palm Oil Mill Residues to Sustainable Electricity System (POMR-SES): A Case Study from Peninsular Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Jaye, I. F. Md; Sadhukhan, J.; Murphy, R. J.

2018-05-01

Generating electricity from biomass are undeniably gives huge advantages to the energy security, environmental protection and the social development. Nevertheless, it always been negatively claimed as not economically competitive as compared to the conventional electricity generation system using fossil fuel. Due to the unfair subsidies given to renewable energy based fuel and the maturity of conventional electricity generation system, the commercialization of this system is rather discouraging. The uniqueness of the chemical and physical properties of the biomass and the functionality of the system are fully depending on the availability of the biomass resources, the capital expenditure of the system is relatively expensive. To remain competitive, biomass based system must be developed in their most economical form. Therefore the justification of the economies of scale of such system is become essential. This study will provide a comprehensive review of process to select an appropriate size for electricity generation plant from palm oil mill (POM) residues through the combustion of an empty fruit bunch (EFB) and biogas from the anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent (POME) in Peninsular Malaysia using a mathematical model and simulation using ASPEN Plus software package. The system operated at 4 MW capacity is expected to provide a return on investment (ROI) of 20% with a payback period of 6.5 years. It is notably agreed that the correct selection of generation plant size will have a significant impact on overall economic and environmental feasibility of the system.

Identification and characterization of gene-based SSR markers in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.

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Zhao Yongli

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L. is an important tree in the Middle East and North Africa due to the nutritional value of its fruit. Molecular Breeding would accelerate genetic improvement of fruit tree through marker assisted selection. However, the lack of molecular markers in date palm restricts the application of molecular breeding. Results In this study, we analyzed 28,889 EST sequences from the date palm genome database to identify simple-sequence repeats (SSRs and to develop gene-based markers, i.e. expressed sequence tag-SSRs (EST-SSRs. We identified 4,609 ESTs as containing SSRs, among which, trinucleotide motifs (69.7% were the most common, followed by tetranucleotide (10.4% and dinucleotide motifs (9.6%. The motif AG (85.7% was most abundant in dinucleotides, while motifs AGG (26.8%, AAG (19.3%, and AGC (16.1% were most common among trinucleotides. A total of 4,967 primer pairs were designed for EST-SSR markers from the computational data. In a follow up laboratory study, we tested a sample of 20 random selected primer pairs for amplification and polymorphism detection using genomic DNA from date palm cultivars. Nearly one-third of these primer pairs detected DNA polymorphism to differentiate the twelve date palm cultivars used. Functional categorization of EST sequences containing SSRs revealed that 3,108 (67.4% of such ESTs had homology with known proteins. Conclusion Date palm EST sequences exhibits a good resource for developing gene-based markers. These genic markers identified in our study may provide a valuable genetic and genomic tool for further genetic research and varietal development in date palm, such as diversity study, QTL mapping, and molecular breeding.

Analytical Approaches of Determining Monosaccharides from Alkaline-Treated Palm Fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khairiah Badri; Juan, C.A.; Osman Hassan; Wan Aida Wan Mustapha

2015-01-01

Monosaccharides in oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFB) were determined by methanolysis and acetylation. Three types of EFB samples, namely untreated EFB, EFB pretreated with hot water and EFB pretreated with hot water followed by 10 % (w/ w) sodium hydroxide (NaOH) aqueous solution were used. The FTIR spectrum indicated the disappearance and shifting of aromatic and carbonyl functional groups, syringyl propane unit, guaisacyl propane unit and C-H lignin. The filter cake undergone methanolysis and alditol acetate treatments to detect the composition of reducing sugars. Gas chromatography flame ionization detector (GC-FID) analysis was conducted to determine the type and quantity of reducing sugars produced. Acetylation produced two types of monosaccharides namely glucose and galactose whereas methanolysis detected only one type of monosaccharide, which was xylose. The extracted monosaccharides obtained from hot water pretreatment followed by 10 % (w/ w) NaOH aqueous solution treatment analysed by methanolysis and acetylation were 178.4 mg/ g xylose and 29.9 mg/ g glucose respectively. About 0.76 mg/ g xylose was extracted from hot water pretreated EFB fiber by methanolysis. Acetylation detected monosaccharides in untreated EFB and identified as glucose with the amount of 19.15 mg/ g, whereas monosaccharides from hot water pretreated EFB fiber were identified as glucose and galactose at 6.32 mg/ g and 2.83 mg/ g respectively. (author)

Gastric emptying, glucose metabolism and gut hormones: Evaluation of a common preoperative carbohydrate beverage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vermeulen, M.A.R.; Richir, M.C.; Garretsen, M.K.; van Schie, A.; Ghatei, M.A.; Holst, J.J.; Heijboer, A.C.; Uitdehaag, B.M.J.; Diamant, M.; Eekhoff, E.M.W.; van Leeuwen, P.A.M.; Ligthart-Melis, G.C.

2011-01-01

Objective: To study the gastric-emptying rate and gut hormonal response of two carbohydrate-rich beverages. A specifically designed carbohydrate-rich beverage is currently used to support the surgical patient metabolically. Fruit-based beverages may also promote recovery, due to natural antioxidant

Gastric emptying, glucose metabolism and gut hormones: evaluation of a common preoperative carbohydrate beverage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vermeulen, Mechteld A. R.; Richir, Milan C.; Garretsen, Martijn K.; van Schie, Annelies; Ghatei, Mohammed A.; Holst, Jens J.; Heijboer, Annemieke C.; Uitdehaag, Bernard M. J.; Diamant, Michaela; Eekhoff, E. Marelise W.; van Leeuwen, Paul A. M.; Ligthart-Melis, Gerdien C.

2011-01-01

To study the gastric-emptying rate and gut hormonal response of two carbohydrate-rich beverages. A specifically designed carbohydrate-rich beverage is currently used to support the surgical patient metabolically. Fruit-based beverages may also promote recovery, due to natural antioxidant and

Author Details

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Author Details. Journal Home > Advanced Search > Author Details. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Ismail, A. Vol 9, No 3S (2017): Special Issue - Articles Investigate of wave absorption performance for oil palm frond and empty fruit bunch at 5.8 GHz. Abstract PDF · Vol 9, No 3S (2017): Special Issue ...

Isolation and identification of fungal species from dried date palm ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A total of 360 dried date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruits were collected from hawkers, shops and market places within Maiduguri metropolis for the detection of the presence of fungal species. Investigation was based on cultural, microscopically and biochemical tests. Of the 327 (90.83%) fungal isolates recovered on ...

An investigation of age and yield of fresh fruit bunches of oil palm based on ALOS PALSAR 2

Science.gov (United States)

Darmawan, S.; Takeuchi, W.; Haryati, A.; M, R. Najib A.; Na'aim, M.

2016-06-01

The objective on this study is to investigate age and yield of FFB of oil palms based on ALOS PALSAR 2. Study areas in oil palm plantations areas of Jerantut, Pahang Malaysia. Methodology consists collecting of ALOS PALSAR 2 and tabular data on the study area, processing of ALOS PALSAR 2 including of converting digital numbers to normalize radar cross sections (NRCS), topography correction and filtering, making of regions of interest according to areas of age and yield of FFB of oil palms and making of relationship analysis between backscatter value of HH, HV and age and yield of FFB of oil palm. The results have showed relationship between HH, HV and age of oil palm which R2 of 0.63 for HH and 0.42 for HV that indicated increasing of age of oil palm as increasing of HH and HV value. Also relationship between HH, HV and yield of FFB of oil palm which R2 of 0.26 for HH and 0.15 for HV, that indicated increasing of yield of FFB as decreasing of HH and HV value.

Genetic differentiation and trade among populations of Peach Palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) in the Peruvian Amazon - implications for genetic resource management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Adin, A.; Weber, J.C.; Sotelo Montes, C.; Vidaurre, H.; Vosman, B.J.; Smulders, M.J.M.

2004-01-01

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is cultivated for fruit and 'heart of palm', and is an important component of agroforestry systems in the Peruvian Amazon. In this study, AFLP was used to compare genetic diversity among domesticated populations along the Paranapura and Cuiparillo rivers, which

Somatic Embryogenesis in Peach-Palm (Bactris gasipaes) Using Different Explant Sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinmacher, Douglas A; Heringer, Angelo Schuabb; Jiménez, Víctor M; Quoirin, Marguerite G G; Guerra, Miguel P

2016-01-01

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is a member of the family Arecaceae and is a multipurpose but underutilized species. Nowadays, fruit production for subsistence and local markets, and heart-of-palm production for local, national, and international markets are the most important uses of this plant. Conventional breeding programs in peach palm are long-term efforts due to the prolonged generation time, large plant size, difficulties with controlled pollination and other factors. Although it is a caespitose palm, its propagation is currently based on seeds, as off-shoots are difficult to root. Hence, tissue culture techniques are considered to be the most likely strategy for efficient clonal plantlet regeneration of this species. Among various techniques, somatic embryogenesis offers the advantages of potential automated large-scale production and putative genetic stability of the regenerated plantlets. The induction of somatic embryogenesis in peach palm can be achieved by using different explant sources including zygotic embryos, immature inflorescences and thin cell layers from the young leaves and shoot meristems. The choice of a particular explant depends on whether clonal propagation is desired or not, as well as on the plant conditions and availability of explants. Protocols to induce and express somatic embryogenesis from different peach palm explants, up to acclimatization of plantlets, are described in this chapter.

The Use of Thermal Analysis and Photoacoustic Spectroscopy in the Evaluation of Maltodextrin Microencapsulation of Anthocyanins from Juçara Palm Fruit (Euterpe edulis Mart. and Their Application in Food

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Ana Paula da Silva dos Passos

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Anthocyanins extracted from the pulp of the fruit of juçara palm (Euterpe edulis Mart. were microencapsulated with maltodextrin in order to stabilise them. Photoacoustic spectroscopy was used to investigate the photostability of the microencapsulated samples. Complementary differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy measurements were also performed. Lyophilised extract had 14 340.2 mg/L of total anthocyanins, and the microencapsulation effi ciency of 93.6 %. Temperature analysis showed that maltodextrin conferred protection up to 70 °C for 120 min. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the microencapsulated particles had a flake-like morphology with a smooth surface, characteristic of lyophilisation processes. In addition, when added to yogurt, a red colourant was predominant in the samples at pH from 1.5 up to 5.0. Thermal analysis showed a weak interaction between the sample and the encapsulating agent, and photoacoustic data indicated the photostability of the matrix when exposed to light. Yogurts containing microencapsulated anthocyanins showed a more intense pink colour than yogurts treated with pure dye, and sensory analysis demonstrated that they can have good acceptance on the market. Microencapsulation enabled the innovative application of anthocyanins from juçara palm fruit, and complementary techniques allied to the photoacoustic spectroscopy were effective tools for its evaluation.

Determination of Optimum Moisture Content of Palm Nut Cracking ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

ABSTRACT: After processing the palm fruit for oil, the nut is usually dried in order to loosen the kernel from the shell. The drying is necessary to enhance the release of whole kernel when the nut is cracked. A study was carried out to determine the optimum moisture content of nuts for high yield of whole kernels during ...

Effects of dietary intake of red palm oil on fatty acid composition and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AYELESO

2012-04-24

Apr 24, 2012 ... 2Department of Wellness Sciences, Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, Cape .... from the nutritional label of the Carotino Palm Fruit Oil from Malaysia. ... chow daily diet of the experimental animals for seven weeks. The.

OPTIMASI WAKTU HIDROLISIS TANDAN KOSONG KELAPA SAWIT MENJADI FURFURAL BERBANTUKAN GELOMBANG MIKRO

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Marinda Rahim

2015-10-01

Full Text Available As a regional center for the development of oil palm plantations and crude palm oil (CPO industry, East Kalimantan has the potential to produce oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB in large enough quantities. EFB is the solid waste from the palm oil industry which uses palm fruit bunches (FFB as a raw material. EFB part is 23% of FFB. Whereas EFB has a high economic value if processed further. One of the method that is used to hydrolyze the content of pentosan in EFB into furfural. The purpose of this research is to develop one step hydrolysis technique of EFB into furfural with microwaves assistance to obtain the optimum time which can produce maximum furfural. In this research 10 grams of EFB was added with 250 mL of H2SO4 15% as the catalyst. The mixture was then hydrolyzed using microwave-assisted with a time variety of for 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and105 minutes. The results of analysis by Gas Chromatography (GC showed that the highest results of furfural was at 75 minutes with a concentration of 1.34 mg / mL.

Evapotranspiration and crop coefficient of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) on the main nursery in a greenhouse

Science.gov (United States)

Sigalingging, R.; Sumono; Rahmansyah, N.

2018-02-01

The estimation of crop water requirement is an important part of oil palm plantation because fruit yield of oil palm can be affected by water stress. Evapotranspiration and crop coefficient of oil palm using Tenera variety at 7-12 months old was determined. Soil texture was sandy loam with 73.8 % sand, 10.8 % silt, 15.77 % clay and 1.41 % organic matter. The results showed that the oil palm getting older decreased significantly in bulk density, particle density and porosity of soil caused the root of oil palm enlarged (19.42 g to 53.37 g). This was indicated by increased the dry root weight. On the other hand, the value of evapotranspiration and crop coefficient increased significantly, that was 1.85 to 2.00 mm/day and 0.8 to 0.87 respectively.

Pollination, seed set and fruit quality in apple: studies with Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada

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Cory Silas Sheffield

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The orchard crop pollinator Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae was evaluated for apple pollination in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada during 2000-2001. Resulting pollination levels (measured as pollen grains on floral stigmas, percent fruit set, mature fruit weight and seed yield were evaluated against an attempted gradient of Osmia bee density. In addition, fruit quality was assessed using two symmetry indices, one based on fruit diameter, the second on fruit height. Pollination levels, percent fruit set and mature fruit quality were much higher than minimums required for adequate crop production, and all but pollination levels showed weak but significant decreases at increased distance from the established nests, suggesting that even at low numbers these bees may have been making significant contributions to apple production. Fruit were typically of better quality in areas of the orchard adjacent to Osmia nests, having fewer empty carpels and greater symmetry; fruit quality (i.e., symmetry is typically most reduced when two or more adjacent carpels are empty. Empty carpels reduce growth in fruit height rather than diameter, suggesting that symmetry indices using fruit diameter are not sensitive enough to evaluate fruit quality. Evidencing this, fruit without mature seeds observed in this study showed high symmetry based on diameter, but were greatly asymmetric with respect to fruit height. Further discussion on Osmia bees as apple pollinators and on methods of evaluating apple fruit quality with respect to seed distribution within the apple fruit are provided.

Integrated Bali Cattle Development Model Under Oil Palm Plantation

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Rasali Hakim Matondang

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Bali cattle have several advantages such as high fertility and carcass percentage, easy adaptation to the new environment as well. Bali cattle productivity has not been optimal yet. This is due to one of the limitation of feed resources, decreasing of grazing and agricultural land. The aim of this paper is to describe Bali cattle development integrated with oil palm plantations, which is expected to improve productivity and increase Bali cattle population. This integration model is carried out by raising Bali cattle under oil palm plantation through nucleus estate scheme model or individual farmers estates business. Some of Bali cattle raising systems have been applied in the integration of palm plantation-Bali cattle. One of the intensive systems can increase daily weight gain of 0.8 kg/head, calfcrop of 35% per year and has the potency for industrial development of feed and organic fertilizer. In the semi-intensive system, it can improve the production of oil palm fruit bunches (PFB more than 10%, increase harvested-crop area to 15 ha/farmer and reduce the amount of inorganic fertilizer. The extensive system can produce calfcrop ³70%, improve ³30% of PFB, increase business scale ³13 cows/farmer and reduce weeding costs ³16%. Integrated Bali cattle development may provide positive added value for both, palm oil business and cattle business.

The heart of date palm: its nutritional and functional constituents

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Ali Movahed

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Background: The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L. is one of the three important fruit crops in the palm family. Kabkub is the main cultivated species in southern part of Iran, Bushehr. Every part of this tree has its own uses. The tree's terminal buds (heart of palm or palmitos are believed to have many nutritional values. As a folk medicine, it has been used for the improvement of stamina and treatment of sexual weakness. In order to evaluate the nutritional values of this product of date palm, we analyzed the total carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and fats in the sample. Methods: The palm hearts were obtained from local trees, minced, dried, and ground to powder. Fats were extracted and analyzed using Bligh-Dyer method and gas chromatography. Total proteins and carbohydrates were determined by Kjeldahl and Lane-Eynon methods, respectively. The minerals were analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results: The total fat content of the sample was 0.27g/28g. The unsaturated fatty acids present in the sample were mainly linoleic, linolenic and oleic acids, all together comprised 27.2% of the fats. Palmitic acid was the main saturated fat. The total protein estimated was 0.3g/28g. The carbohydrate content of the palm heart was 2.29 g and the minerals present in the sample were mainly Zn, Fe, Mg, P, Mn, Ca, Cu, Na, K, and Se. Conclusion: Date palm contains many essential fatty acids and known anti-inflammatory nutrients including zinc. The amount of crude fiber present in the heart of palm makes it as a valuable dietary product to be used as a tasty fat-cholesterol free nutrient.

Upgrading of oil palm wastes by radiation processing - project review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nahrul Khair Alang Md Rashid

1998-01-01

Early works on oil palm waste treatment at MINT started in 1984 with the objective of degrading EFB (Empty Fruit Bunches) by radiation. This idea was shared by JAERI that adopted the research project with MINT in 1986 under the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (STA) programme. The results of these preliminary works show that EFB can be degraded using gamma radiation at a dose of ranging from 500 to 1000 kGy - 50 to 100 times higher than what is considered to be the economic dose. It is generally accepted that the economics of radiation treatment process could only be realised if the treatment dose can be kept below 10 kGy, which was incidentally, during the course of this early works, found to be the pasteurisation dose for oil palm by - products. With these information, MINT and JAERI agreed to pursue further research in this area and formulated a bilateral research co-operation in radiation pasteurisation of EFB and subsequent degradation by cellulolytic fungi or mushrooms. The research has the objective of upgrading EFB, which was not considered as suitable for feed due to its known physical properties as coarse and highly fibrous, to animal feed as well as substrate for mushroom cultivation and enzyme production. In addition to the desire to provide an environment friendly method for waste disposal to a growing industry, the possibility of catalysing the development of livestock industry by commercial farming in the process is another motivation for this project. Malaysia is estimated to be only about 40% self-sufficient in beef production. Thus there is great opportunity for the growth and expansion of this industry in Malaysia. However, growth in ruminant population should not result in the alienation of land for pastures. Among the reasons for the lack of interest in livestock production through commercial farming is the unavailability of local feed material which could be cheaper than imported feed grains, particularly maize. Feed is one the main cost

Upgrading of oil palm wastes by radiation processing - project review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alang Md Rashid, Nahrul Khair [Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research (MINT), Bangi (Malaysia)

1998-07-01

Early works on oil palm waste treatment at MINT started in 1984 with the objective of degrading EFB (Empty Fruit Bunches) by radiation. This idea was shared by JAERI that adopted the research project with MINT in 1986 under the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (STA) programme. The results of these preliminary works show that EFB can be degraded using gamma radiation at a dose of ranging from 500 to 1000 kGy - 50 to 100 times higher than what is considered to be the economic dose. It is generally accepted that the economics of radiation treatment process could only be realised if the treatment dose can be kept below 10 kGy, which was incidentally, during the course of this early works, found to be the pasteurisationdose for oil palm by - products. With these information, MINT and JAERI agreed to pursue further research in this area and formulated a bilateral research co-operation in radiation pasteurisation of EFB and subsequent degradation by cellulolytic fungi or mushrooms. The research has the objective of upgrading EFB, which was not considered as suitable for feed due to its known physical properties as coarse and highly fibrous, to animal feed as well as substrate for mushroom cultivation and enzyme production. In addition to the desire to provide an environment friendly method for waste disposal to a growing industry, the possibility of catalysing the development of livestock industry by commercial farming in the process is another motivation for this project. Malaysia is estimated to be only about 40% self-sufficient in beef production. Thus there is great opportunity for the growth and expansion of this industry in Malaysia. However, growth in ruminant population should not result in the alienation of land for pastures. Among the reasons for the lack of interest in livestock production through commercial farming is the unavailability of local feed material which could be cheaper than imported feed grains, particularly maize. Feed is one the main cost

Rubber Fruit Shell (Hevea brasiliensis) as bio sorbent to remove FFA (Free Fatty Acid) content in CPO (Crude Palm Oil)

Science.gov (United States)

Pandia, S.; Sinaga, M. S.; Masyithah, Z.; Husin, A.; Nurfadilla, S.; Fitriani; Sipahutar, B. K. S.

2018-02-01

This study aimed to discover the effectiveness of the shell of rubber fruit as bio sorbent for removing FFA (Free Fatty Acid) content in CPO (Crude Palm Oil). Methods used in this study were pretreatment, activation (carbonating and chemically) and adsorption process at room temperature. In the beginning, the shell of rubber fruit was cleaned and dried under the sun. Then the shell was cut for about 0.5 cm of length and carbonated in a furnace for 1h at 600°C. After that, they were crushed to pass through 140 meshes and activated using three variations of chemical such as 6 of HNO3, 6N of KOH and 6N of H3PO4 at certain ratio as 1:3, 1:4, and 1:5 (b/v). The adsorption process was carried out using bio sorbent with the highest iodine number in varying bio sorbent dosage and contact time. The highest iodine number was 913.680 mg/g and obtained at the ratio of bio sorbent to 6N of KOH as 1:5. The best removal of FFA content was 91.94% and at 1% bio sorbent dose and 30 min of contact time.

Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Production of Crude Palm Kernel Oil - A Cradle to Gate Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subramaniam, V.

2016-01-01

The Malaysian oil palm industry is one of the major economic backbones of the country. The industry as a whole brought in an export revenue of RM 63 billion just in the year 2015. In the past, the competitiveness of palm products along the supply chain was based on direct economic comparison with other vegetable oil products. However, with increasing attention on sustainable development, the environmental performance of products are now defining issues in trade. This articles presents the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the production of crude palm kernel oil (CPKO). Crude palm oil (CPO) and CPKO both come from the oil palm fresh fruit bunch (FFB). CPO is obtained from the mesocarp of the fruit and the lauric CPKO comes from the kernel at the fruit's core. CPO is produced in the palm oil mill while palm kernels which are the by-product of the production of CPO are transported to kernel crushing plants to be processed into CPKO. The objectives of this study are to quantify the GHG emissions for the production of CPKO and suggest the best solution to reduce the emissions if any. The system boundary starts from the production of oil palm seedlings at the nursery stage right till the production of CPKO at the kernel crushing plant which makes it a cradle to gate study. Inventory data for the production of CPKO was collected from 24 crushing plants which were located near the ports and two kernel crushing plants which were integrated with a palm oil mill. Weight allocation was performed at the kernel crushing plant. The largest GHG contribution came from upstream nursery and plantation with continued land use which amounts to 394.19 kg CO 2 eq/ t CPKO followed by emissions from biogas at the palm oil mill which amounts to 87.48 kg CO 2 eq/ t CPKO even though the scenario chosen is the biogas capture scenario. The third largest GHG emissions comes from the kernel crushing plant due to the processing of CPKO using the electricity from the grid which emits 74.33 kg

Clean Cook Stove Technology for Artisanal Palm Oil Clarification and Biochar Production in Ghana

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dorvlo, Selorm Y.; Addo, Ahmad; Abenney-Mickson, Stephen

the palm fruits) and simultaneously produce heat and biochar. The adopted design procedure was iterative and eight preliminary tests were conducted; each an improvement of the previous stove tested. The best stove configuration was adopted for the design calculations and the final stove fabricated...... with a biochar yield of 5%. A maximum CO emission of 5 ppm was measured. The study showed that the palm oil clarification process with the designed cook stove provided a smokeless work environment, heat and biochar....

Characterization of polyester composites from recycled polyethylene terephthalate reinforced with empty fruit bunch fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, Chiachun; Ahmad, Ishak; Heng, Muichin

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) was synthesized from recycled PET. → Effect of surface treatment on EFB/UPR was studied. → Treatment on EFB improved the mechanical and thermal properties. → Treatment on EFB also improved fiber-matrix interaction. -- Abstract: Unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) was synthesized from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which acted as a matrix for the preparation of UPR/empty fruit bunch fibers (EFB) composite. Chemical recycling on fine pieces of PET bottles were conducted through glycolysis process using ethylene glycol. The unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) was then prepared by reacting the glycolysed product with maleic anhydride. FTIR analysis of glycolyzed product and prepared UPR showed that cross-links between unsaturated polyester chain and styrene monomer occurred at the unsaturated sites which resulted in the forming of cross-linking network. The preparation of UPR/EFB composite was carried out by adding EFB into prepared UPR matrix. The effects of surface treatment on EFB with sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH), silane coupling agent and maleic anhydride (MA) were then studied. The experimental results showed that treated EFB have higher values of tensile and impact strength compared with untreated EFB. The best results were obtained for silane treatment followed by MA and NaOH treatments where the tensile strength was increased by about 21%, 18% and 13% respectively. SEM micrographs of the tensile fracture surfaces of UPR/EFB composite also proved that treatment on EFB has increased the interfacial adhesion between the fiber and UPR matrix compared to the untreated UPR/EFB composite.

Estimation the Amount of Oil Palm Trees Production Using Remote Sensing Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Fitrianto, A. C.; Tokimatsu, K.; Sufwandika, M.

2017-12-01

Currently, fossil fuels were used as the main source of power supply to generate energy including electricity. Depletion in the amount of fossil fuels has been causing the increasing price of crude petroleum and the demand for alternative energy which is renewable and environment-friendly and it is defined from vegetable oils such palm oil, rapeseed and soybean. Indonesia known as the big palm oil producer which is the largest agricultural industry with total harvested oil palm area which is estimated grew until 8.9 million ha in 2015. On the other hand, lack of information about the age of oil palm trees and changes also their spatial distribution is mainly problem for energy planning. This research conducted to estimate fresh fruit bunch (FFB) of oil palm and their distribution using remote sensing technique. Cimulang oil palm plantation was choose as study area. First step, estimated the age of oil palm trees based on their canopy density as the result from Landsat 8 OLI analysis and classified into five class. From this result, we correlated oil palm age with their average FFB production per six months and classified into seed (0-3 years, 0kg), young (4-8 years, 68.77kg), teen (9-14 years, 109.08kg), and mature (14-25 years, 73.91kg). The result from satellite image analysis shows if Cimulang plantation area consist of teen old oil palm trees that it is covers around 81.5% of that area, followed by mature oil palm trees with 18.5% or corresponding to 100 hectares and have total production of FFB every six months around 7,974,787.24 kg.

Genetic divergence among populations and accessions of the spineless peach palm from Pampa Hermosa landrace used in the heart-of-palm agribusiness in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves-Pereira, Alessandro; Clement, Charles R; Picanço-Rodrigues, Doriane

2012-04-01

Although originally domesticated for its fruit, exploitation of the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) in the production of gourmet heart-of-palm has also become an important activity, hence the need for improved material for large-scale production, on employing the Pampa Hermosa landrace as the seed source. In this study 11 microsatellite markers were used to evaluate genetic divergence among 96 elite plants representing four populations of spineless peach palm from the above cited source. Genetic variability was high (H(T) = 0.82). The low levels of divergence [F(ST) (0.023), G(ST)' (0.005)] and the high number of migrants (Nm - 3.8 to 52.2) indicated significant interpopulation gene flow. Some of the plants presented high levels of genetic divergence, but the plants were grouped independently of their geographic origins. When combined with morpho-agronomic evaluation, the results found could substantially contribute towards mounting an efficient tool for obtaining superior genotypes with wide genetic variability for improvement programs.

Genetic divergence among populations and accessions of the spineless peach palm from Pampa Hermosa landrace used in the heart-of-palm agribusiness in Brazil

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Alessandro Alves-Pereira

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Although originally domesticated for its fruit, exploitation of the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth in the production of gourmet heart-of-palm has also become an important activity, hence the need for improved material for large-scale production, on employing the Pampa Hermosa landrace as the seed source. In this study 11 microsatellite markers were used to evaluate genetic divergence among 96 elite plants representing four populations of spineless peach palm from the above cited source. Genetic variability was high (H T = 0.82. The low levels of divergence [F ST (0.023, G ST' (0.005] and the high number of migrants (Nm -3.8 to 52.2 indicated significant interpopulation gene flow. Some of the plants presented high levels of genetic divergence, but the plants were grouped independently of their geographic origins. When combined with morpho-agronomic evaluation, the results found could substantially contribute towards mounting an efficient tool for obtaining superior genotypes with wide genetic variability for improvement programs.

Conceptual design of semi-automatic wheelbarrow to overcome ergonomics problems among palm oil plantation workers

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Nawik, N. S. M.; Deros, B. M.; Rahman, M. N. A.; Sukadarin, E. H.; Nordin, N.; Tamrin, S. B. M.; Bakar, S. A.; Norzan, M. L.

2015-12-01

An ergonomics problem is one of the main issues faced by palm oil plantation workers especially during harvesting and collecting of fresh fruit bunches (FFB). Intensive manual handling and labor activities involved have been associated with high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among palm oil plantation workers. New and safe technology on machines and equipment in palm oil plantation are very important in order to help workers reduce risks and injuries while working. The aim of this research is to improve the design of a wheelbarrow, which is suitable for workers and a small size oil palm plantation. The wheelbarrow design was drawn using CATIA ergonomic features. The characteristic of ergonomics assessment is performed by comparing the existing design of wheelbarrow. Conceptual design was developed based on the problems that have been reported by workers. From the analysis of the problem, finally have resulting concept design the ergonomic quality of semi-automatic wheelbarrow with safe and suitable used for palm oil plantation workers.

Gastric emptying measurements: delayed and complex emptying patterns without appropriate correction

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Moore, J.G.; Christian, P.E.; Taylor, A.T.; Alazraki, N.

1985-10-01

Anteriorly acquired and geometric mean corrected gastric emptying curves of solids and liquid isotopic-labeled meals were compared in 37 subjects given 61 meals of three different sizes. Anterior data alone consistently and significantly underestimated solid-phase gastric emptying rates with all meal sizes when compared to geometric mean acquired data. However, with liquids there were only slight differences between anterior and anterior and posterior geometric mean corrected emptying-rates. The difference probably reflects greater attenuation of the 140 kev photon of /sup 99m/Tc compared to the 247 keV photon of In. With anterior data alone, an apparent early delay in emptying of solids was present with all meal sizes and the resultant emptying curves were nonlinear in shape. Geometric mean correction resulted in the linearization of the solid-phase emptying curves and essentially eliminated the apparent delay in emptying or lag phase noted with the anterior data alone. Based on our results, geometric mean correction techniques are necessary for accurate assessment of radioisotopic-labeled solid meals.

A Preliminary Study of Biodegradable Waste as Sorbent Material for Oil-Spill Cleanup

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Idris, J.; Eyu, G. D.; Mansor, A. M.; Ahmad, Z.; Chukwuekezie, C. S.

2014-01-01

Oil spill constitutes a major source of fresh and seawater pollution as a result of accidental discharge from tankers, marine engines, and underwater pipes. Therefore, the need for cost-effective and environmental friendly sorbent materials for oil spill cleanup cannot be overemphasized. The present work focuses on the preliminary study of empty palm fruit bunch fibre as a promising sorbent material. The morphology of the unmodified empty palm fruit bunch, EPFB fibre, was examined using an optical microcopy, scanning electron microcopy coupled with EDX and X-ray diffraction. The effects of oil volume, fibre weight, and time on oil absorption of EPFB fibre were evaluated with new engine oil from the model oil. The results show that EPFB fibre consists of numerous micro pores, hydrophobic, and partially crystalline and amorphous with approximately 13.5% carbon. The oil absorbency of the fibre increased with the increase in oil volume, immersion time, and fibre weight. However, sorption capacity decreased beyond 3 g in 100 mL. Additionally unmodified EPFB fibre showed optimum oil sorption efficiency of approximately 2.8 g/g within three days of immersion time. PMID:24693241

A specific PFT and sub-canopy structure for simulating oil palm in the Community Land Model

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Fan, Y.; Knohl, A.; Roupsard, O.; Bernoux, M.; LE Maire, G.; Panferov, O.; Kotowska, M.; Meijide, A.

2015-12-01

Towards an effort to quantify the effects of rainforests to oil palm conversion on land-atmosphere carbon, water and energy fluxes, a specific plant functional type (PFT) and sub-canopy structure are developed for simulating oil palm within the Community Land Model (CLM4.5). Current global land surface models only simulate annual crops beside natural vegetation. In this study, a multilayer oil palm subroutine is developed in CLM4.5 for simulating oil palm's phenology and carbon and nitrogen allocation. The oil palm has monopodial morphology and sequential phenology of around 40 stacked phytomers, each carrying a large leaf and a fruit bunch, forming a natural multilayer canopy. A sub-canopy phenological and physiological parameterization is thus introduced, so that multiple phytomer components develop simultaneously but according to their different phenological steps (growth, yield and senescence) at different canopy layers. This specific multilayer structure was proved useful for simulating canopy development in terms of leaf area index (LAI) and fruit yield in terms of carbon and nitrogen outputs in Jambi, Sumatra (Fan et al. 2015). The study supports that species-specific traits, such as palm's monopodial morphology and sequential phenology, are necessary representations in terrestrial biosphere models in order to accurately simulate vegetation dynamics and feedbacks to climate. Further, oil palm's multilayer structure allows adding all canopy-level calculations of radiation, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and respiration, beside phenology, also to the sub-canopy level, so as to eliminate scale mismatch problem among different processes. A series of adaptations are made to the CLM model. Initial results show that the adapted multilayer radiative transfer scheme and the explicit represention of oil palm's canopy structure improve on simulating photosynthesis-light response curve. The explicit photosynthesis and dynamic leaf nitrogen calculations per canopy

Effect of oil palm empty fruit bunches fibers reinforced polymer recycled

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Hermawan, B.; Nikmatin, S.; Sudaryanto; Alatas, H.; Sukaryo, S. G.

2017-07-01

The aim of this research is to process the OPEFB to become fiber with various sizes which will be used as a filler of polymer matrix recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Molecular analysis and mechanical test have been done to understand the influence of fiber size toward material capability to receive outer deformation. Single screw extruder formed a biocomposites granular continued with injection moulding to shaped test pieces. Maleic anhydride was added as coupling agent between filler and matrix. Filler concentration were 10 and 20% in fiber size respectively with constant additif. Two kind of fiber glass (10%) were used as comparator. In order to analyze the results of the mechanical test Fisher least significant difference (LSD) in ANOVA method was performed (-with α=0,05-).

Conversion of alkaline pretreated empty palm fruit bunch (EPFB) to phenols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nor Aishah Saidina Amin; Roslindawati Haron

2010-01-01

Various efforts on green chemistry are being directed at producing renewable chemicals. Chemicals derived from biomass can be the basis for building blocks in the chemicals industry. Phenols, traditionally produced from petroleum, can be derived from biomass for naturally-sourced solvents. Lignocellulose biomass consists of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. Lignocellulose components can be altered by various chemical pretreatment methods. EFB contains about 60% cellulose and almost equal portions of lignin and hemicelluloses. Pretreatment of EFB fragmentized and degraded the lignocellulose structure in order to produce chemicals under thermochemical process. In this work, EFB was chemically pretreated with different sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentrations to concentrated lignocellulose before being pyrolyzed to produce solid, gas and liquid products. Pyrolysis was conducted after the pretreatment step to evaluate the effects of pretreatment process on production and compositions of the bio-oil. The conversions of EFB were reported to be 61wt%, 47wt% and 42 wt%, after pretreatment with 5 wt%, 15 wt% and 25 wt%,NaOH concentrations, respectively. GCMS analysis results revealed the crude bio-oil contained dominantly phenol. Pyrolysis of the alkaline pretreated EFB seemed potential to produce biomass-based phenols. (author)

Synthesis of sodium lignosulphonate from oil palm empty fruit bunches's lignin

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Prakoso, Nurcahyo Iman; Purwono, Suryo; Rochmadi

2017-03-01

Synthesis of sodium lignosulphonate have been done by using batch method. Optimation of synthesis method was achieved through this study. The study was conducted on the optimation of mass ratio of lignin to the NaHSO3 solution, the concentration of NaHSO3 solution, reaction temperature, and reaction time. Of all the treatments, it was found that the optimum mass ratio of lignin to the NaHSO3 solution, concentration of NaHSO3 solution, reaction temperature, and reaction time respectively, 0.3 M, 0.1 M 97 °C, and the reaction was carried out for 4 hours. Excellent yields and selective products were obtained (90-92%)

Simple Arm Muscle Model for Oil Palm Harvesting Process

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Rahman Aliff

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Arm are essential in order to perform manual material handling work that normally involves lifting, handling, placing, push and pull, carrying and moving heavy loads. When these work elements are performed over prolonged periods repeatedly, it will expose workers arm to awkward posture and possible ergonomic risk factor. For example, work element that requires repetitions frequently may lead the arm to face physical stress and mental fatigue. The situation can be extremely risky if the worker task requires higher focus or time consumable. These issues are unavoidable in palm oil harvesting process since the workers are still using manual handling when harvesting the fresh fruit bunch (FFB. The worker using a chisel to harvest the young palms and a sickle mounted on a bamboo or aluminum pole to harvest taller palms. When perform this work element combining with heavy physical workload, it may lead to work-related muscle disorders (WSMDs. This study was conducted to identify the force reaction and inverse dynamic analysis during oil palm harvesting process using ergonomics software called Anybody Technology. Inverse dynamic analysis is a technique for figuring strengths and/or moments of power (torques taking into account the kinematics (movement of a body and the body’s inertial properties.

Inoculate Release of Stethorus gilvifrons Mulsan (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae for Biological Control of Date Palm Spider Mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticusMcGregor (Prostigmata: Tetranychidae

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M. Latifian

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The spider mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticus feeds by sucking the sap from the immature fruits tissue. The natural color of fruits changes to pale yellow or gray by mite's feeding. Damaged fruit are cracked and its damage can dry out the fruits. Because of resistance to pesticides, resurgence of date palm spider mite causes to disrupt the natural balance of their population. Tiny black ladybird beetle, Stethorous gilvifrons is the most important and active lady beetle species in Khuzestan province and is very effective on biological control of the spider mite. Determination of the amount and release time of the lady beetles are the most important factors in the implementation of biological control programs of date palm spider mite. So, careful monitoring, time of the release and the ability of deployment of predatory ladybird are essential steps to success in the programs of biological control. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted in Shadegan region of Khuzestan province. The nested design was used to compare the efficiency of different inoculate release methods of the predator, S. gilvifrons. The main niches include three release times which were at the time of emergence, three days and one week after emergence of date palm spider mite in date palm plantation. Sub nesting including three different levels of predator release including minimum, moderate and maximum release with 0.5, 1 and 3 predator /m2 per day and were continued for two weeks. The two or three-days ladybirds were used to release. First, the infected clusters were covered by mesh fabric and ladybirds were released under them. After a week, mantles were opened up to the establishment of ladybird run on the normal condition of date palm plantations. This experiment was repeated three times, and each replication consists of a quarter- hectare plantation with dominant cultivar Sayer.Three date Palm trees from each release and control were randomly selected

Kinetic Parameters of Non-Isothermal Thermogravimetric Non-Catalytic and Catalytic Pyrolysis of Empty Fruit Bunch with Alumina by Kissinger and Ozawa Methods

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Rahayu Mohamed, Alina; Li, Nurfahani; Sohaimi, Khairunissa Syairah Ahmad; Izzati Iberahim, Nur; Munirah Rohaizad, Nor; Hamzah, Rosniza

2018-03-01