https://jopr.mpob.gov.my Wed, 17 Nov 2021 06:44:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/effect-of-solvent-pre-treatment-on-lignophenol-production-from-oil-palm-empty-fruit-bunch-fibres/ Sat, 13 Nov 2021 15:28:52 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9277 Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) are a by-product in the palm oil industry, and represent an abundant, inexpensive and renewable resource. EFB can be categorized as a lignocellulosic material due to its cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of solvent pretreatment on lignophenol production from EFB. Two types of EFB were tested, i.e. treated ground EFB (LP1) and non-treated ground EFB (LP2). EFB has potential as a starting material for lignophenol production using a two-step process involving a phase separation system at room temperature (~ 28°C). This process utilizes the phenol derivative (p-cresol) and concentrated acid (72% sulphuric acid) whereby the lignin is dissolved in the organic phase and the carbohydrates are present in the aqueous phase after 1 hr of stirring. LP1 and LP2 were further analysed and characterized by Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV) and by thermomechanical analysis (TMA). The experiments gave sufficient information on the characteristics of the lignophenols from treated and untreated EFB. The lignophenols of LP1 and LP2 showed similar results in their characteristics while their molecular weights were 5759 and 5866, respectively. There was no significant difference in the amount of cresol attached to lignin in LP1 and LP2, both being 26±1%. The yields of lignophenols for LP1 and LP2 were almost similar at a value of 61±1%. TMA curves showed that LP1 and LP2 had an apparent change of phase at 166.4ºC and 160ºC, respectively.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/new-epoxy-resins-from-oil-palm-components/ Sat, 13 Nov 2021 08:09:40 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9070 New types of epoxy resins, which are derived from plant components, such as saccharides and lignin, have been developed in our laboratory. Oil palm components such as lignin, saccharides, lignocellulose, glycerol and fatty acids can be included in the above epoxy resin system. Alcoholysis lignin (AL) was dissolved in glycerol (GLY) and ethylene glycol (EG), and the obtained mixture was allowed to react with succinic anhydride to form a mixture of ester-carboxylic acid derivatives (AL-GLY polyacid, ALGLYPA and AL-EG polyacid, ALEGPA). The mixture of ALEGPA and ALEGPA was allowed to react with glycerol diglycidyl ether (GLYGDE) in the presence of a catalytic amount of dimethylbenzylamine to form epoxy resins. The molar ratio of epoxy groups to carboxylic acid groups (EPOXY/ACID ratio, mol mol^-1) was maintained at 1.0. The contents of ALGLYPA in the mixture of ALGLYPA and ALEGPA (ALGLYPA content) were varied from 0% to 100%. The thermal properties of the epoxy resins were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). Glass transition temperature (T_g) of the epoxy resins increased with increasing ALGLYPA content, suggesting that the lignin and glycerol structures act as hard segments in the epoxy resin networks. Thermal decomposition temperature (T_d) of the epoxy resins was almost constant regardless of ALGLYPA content.

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