https://jopr.mpob.gov.my Wed, 17 Nov 2021 07:20:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/isolation-and-functional-properties-of-hemicelluloses-from-oil-palm-trunks/ Sat, 13 Nov 2021 08:10:21 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9087 Approximately 80% (dry weight) of the total hemicelluloses (xylan) was extracted from oil palm trunks (OPT). Analysis of OPT gave the following composition (dry basis): 42%-45% cellulose, 26%-29% hemicellulose and 16%-18% lignin. Optimisation of the aqueous extraction was done using the following parameters: 3.0 M alkali concentration, 40°C temperature, 4 hr soaking time, 50 g sample with <0.32 mm fibre/dust sieve size. Extracted hemicelluloses were found to have a higher quantity of hemicellulose A (50%) as compared to hemicellulose B (30%). Xylose was found to be the major sugar in each of the fractions, with glucose, arabinose and mannose as minor constituents. The carbohydrate composition of the hemicellulose fraction consisted of xylan, to which other carbohydrates were attached. It was found that hemicellulose B had a higher molecular weight than hemicellulose A, while the intrinsic viscosity for both hemicelluloses was in the range of 0.6-0.7 dL g^-1. Both hemicelluloses were not completely soluble in water at elevated temperature, and their water-holding capacity was less than 10%. OPT hemicelluloses exhibited pseudoplastic flow behaviour (‘shear thinning’) and were affected by shear rate and temperature. The extracted hemicelluloses also had a low digestibility using xylanase enzyme

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/plywood-from-oil-palm-trunks/ Sat, 13 Nov 2021 08:10:21 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9090 Currently, the annual availability of oil palm trunks (OPT) in Malaysia is estimated at around 13.6 million logs based on 100 000 ha of replanting per year. Under specific controlled processing conditions to manufacture oil palm plywood, the total logs available can be converted into 4.5 million cubic metres of plywood. A number of plywood mills have embarked on the use of OPT in the manufacture of plywood. Nevertheless, because of the weaker and less durable veneers, the application of these materials was only as a core layer. Research and development on OPT has been getting much attention from researchers and members of other wood-based industries for which this material has shown exciting potential as an alternative raw material. However, anatomically, OPT is not truly a woody material and this poses a big challenge in how to turn OPT into what has been achieved with rubber wood or other tropical wood in terms of product quality and market acceptability. This article shows that OPT can be used to produce plywood and that its strength properties meet the minimum requirements of the Japanese Standard Method, JAS 233:2003.

]]> https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/swelling-and-dissolution-of-oil-palm-biomass-in-ionic-liquids/ Sat, 13 Nov 2021 08:03:01 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9025 Malaysia is amongst the world’s top producers of palm oil and the current planted area is around 4.5 million hectares. The palm oil industry generates vast amounts of palm biomass, especially empty fruit bunches (EFB) (from the mills), oil palm fronds (OPF) and oil palm trunks (OPT) (during routine pruning and from the field during replanting). Oil palm biomass can be used efficiently after further treatment, either by physical or chemical means. In this study, the swelling and dissolution mechanisms of the lignocellulosic biomass by ionic liquids were compared. There are five modes in describing the swelling and dissolution for cotton and wood cellulose fibre, and these were compared to the results obtained. Depending on the quality of the solvent, disintegration into rod-like fragments and ballooning, followed subsequently by dissolution were all observed among the oil palm fibre. In a typical dissolution trial, 5 wt % of oil palm biomass and cellulose fibre from EFB, OPF and OPT were treated with two different ionic liquids: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride/dimethyl sulphoxide ([bmim]Cl)/DMSO and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride/dimethyl sulphoxide ([emim]Cl)/DMSO at a ratio of 80:20 wt %. They were heated at different fixed times, namely 4, 6, 8, 16 and 24 hr for untreated oil palm biomass, and 1, 2 and 3 hr for cellulose fibre. The mechanisms of swelling and dissolution were monitored by optical microscopy.

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