Oil Mill By-products Research Articles

Level Adoption Of Feed And Organic Fertilizer Technology Based on By Products of Oil Palm Plantation Industry In Lamandau District, Central Kalimantan

The main problem of livestock raising is feed, for that reason, the government issued an policy about integrated livestock farming with plants/plantations especially oil palm which has the potential to produce feed resources which was abundant, inexpensive, continuous, and does not compete with human needs. The activity was carried out in Lamandau District, Central Kalimantan Province. The objective of the research is to look at the level of adoption of complete feed technology from the by-products of the oil palm plantation industry and organic fertilizer in order to initiate the activities of palm oil - cattle integration. A total of 10 farmer groups, 3 individuals and 1 Livestock Breeding Center of Agriculture services were became cooperators. The business activities of cooperator were include animal husbandry, horticultural crop farming and oil palm plantations. The assessment of the level of adoption is done through interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and field monitoring, which are classified into 3 criteria, namely low (0.0 - 33.3%), moderate (33.4 - 66.7%) and high (66.8 - 100%). Introduction of technology and accompaniment activities were carried out for 3 years. The FGD activities involved various stakeholders such as the Regional Government, PBS of Palm Oil, Banking, and Farmer Groups. Direct practice is done for farmer group learning. The results of this study showed that in the first year only 1 farmer group adopted feed and organic fertilizer technology. The second-year the level of adoption of cattle feed was 33.33% with the range production of 5-20 tons/month, solid organic fertilizer 33.33% with the ring production of 3-20 tons/month and liquid organic fertilizer (biourine) 33.33% with the range production of 1,000-4,000 liters/month. The third-year the adoption level of cattle feed is 100% with the range production of 1-20 tons/month, 100% solid organic fertilizer with the range production of 1-20 tons/month, and 33.33% liquid organic fertilizer with the range production of 1,000-4,000 liters/month. The conclusion is the adoption of feed technology was greater, followed by organic fertilizer and finally liquid fertilizer technology. This is related to how important is its use in the field. Commitment of local government and PBS of palm oil is needed to help easily and continuously obtain feed and fertilizers materials of palm oil mill byproduct and facilitating marketing of their products.

Investigation of pesticidal ability of humic acid derived from palm oil Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) vermicompost

Purpose Humic Acid (HA), a plant’s growth promoter readily available in compost was found to have insect repelling functional groups. This study was conducted to investigate the pesticidal ability of HA extracted from Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) vermicomposts at Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N) ratio of 25, 30 and 35. Methods The vermicomposts were prepared using EFB, a palm oil mill by-product as the base material with underutilized organic wastes (fishmeal, bonemeal, and bunch ash) as additives to enhance the macronutrients of vermicomposts. Composting was conducted for 52 days with earthworms as composting agents. HA (mass yield of 2.34 – 2.63%) was extracted from the matured vermicomposts through alkaline extraction before acid precipitation. The insect repelling effectiveness of HA, Garlic Extract (GE) and 87% GE + 13% HA was evaluated by spraying them onto soil samples in different compartments with crickets. Results Vessel with lesser crickets indicates agent sprayed repels insect better. Results showed 87% GE + 13% HA repels insect most effectively, followed by 100% HA and lastly 100% GE. The macronutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) were improved upon mixing additive materials to the vermicompost. Conclusion HA alone possesses some ability to repel crickets. It performs better when it is coupled with GE as HA acts as a diluent to promote GE absorption into soil thus enhancing the pesticidal effect. This demonstrates EFB has potential as a precursor material for high value vermicompost with insect repellent ability, thus presenting an opportunity for respective industries to generate value-added products while solving by-product underutilization issue.

NUTRIENT RECYCLING OF EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES AND PALM OIL MILL EFFLUENT- A CO-COMPOSTING TECHNIQUE

Empty fruit bunches and palm oil mill effluent are the major and bulky by-products in palm oil mill after extraction of palm oil, both facing practical difficulties in direct soil application. In this experiment, the objective was to standardise an efficient and ecofriendly technique of utilising the nutrient potential of palm oil mill by-products for nutrient recycling. Bunch waste was mixed with raw effluent and digested effluent with and without urea as starter. Both were mixed based on the proportionate availability of the residues from the palm oil mill. A combination of digested slurry from a biogas plant and bunch wastes took only 90 days for maturity of compost whereas the fresh palm oil mill effluent (POME) mixed with bunch waste took 150 days. The final compost was rich in both nitrogen and potassium, for which the palm requirement also is high. Hence the nutrient potential of these by-products can be exploited in an integrated nutrient management approach in oil palm plantations. The nutrients recovered from compost expected from the by-products from a hectare of plantation could meet almost 30 per cent requirement of nitrogen and the full requirement of potassium. The biogas produced during the process is an added advantage of this technique which can be utilised as a fuel source in the mill. Keywords: Biological oxygen demand, composting, empty fruit bunches, nutrient recycling, oil palm, palm oil mill effluent.

Efficient production of lignin-modifying enzymes and phenolics removal in submerged fermentation of olive mill by-products by white-rot basidiomycetes

The ability of seven distinct species of white-rot basidiomycetes (WRB) to produce lignin-modifying enzymes (LME) and reduce high phenolic content was assessed during submerged fermentation of oil mill by-products. Cerrena unicolor strains appeared to be the outstanding producers of laccase (56.3–78.5 U mL−1) and MnP (1.03–2.76 U mL−1) in the fermentation of olive pomace (OP), and laccase (26.9–93.8 U mL) in the fermentation of olive tree sawdust. Diluted 50% olive mill wastewater (OMW) can be used as a nutrient medium for laccase and MnP production but its supplementation with additional carbon and nitrogen sources and Cu2+ and Mn2= promoted the 3-, 28- and 18-fold increase of C. unicolor biomass and volumetric laccase and MnP activities, respectively, as well as 3- and 17-fold increase of Pleurotus ostreatus biomass and laccase activity, respectively. The tested fungi successfully reduced the phenolics content in the submerged fermentation of OP (72.0–81.3%) and OMW (62.4–83.5%). The laccase role in the OP phenolics reduction was proved through the treatment of 10% (wet weight) OP with commercial and lab-generated laccases preparations and reduction of total phenols by 66–70% during 24 h incubation. This work indicated that the olive mill by-products fermentation by individual substrate-specific WRB is an economically feasible and promising alternative for the simultaneous production of LME, cellulase, xylanase and detoxified materials suitable for further exploitation in biotechnological and agronomic applications.

Oil mill coadjuvants: Aggregation due to moisture and action on olive-pomace oils

Pomace is an oil mill byproduct and the raw material for extracting olive pomace oil. The pomace is stored several months in ponds until it is processed.Tests have been carried out in stored olive pastes, malaxated with and without different coadjuvants. These pastes have been equated to the oil mill pomace.Coadjuvants increase the water pH in 0.8 units. 89.5% of the initial oil is recovered from pastes without coadjuvant; 91.1% from pastes with calcium carbonate and 80.5% from pastes with talc. The free acidity is 1.9%, 2.6% and 2.1% respectively. The maximum amount of refined pomace oil is obtained when calcium carbonate is used and the minimum when talc is used.Moisten the adjuvants affects talc and calcium carbonate differently, although both of them easily releases the original micro-powder. Moisture does not affect the technological action of the coadjuvants or modify their physical characteristics.

Key unknowns in nitrogen budget for oil palm plantations. A review

Nitrogen (N) losses in agroecosystems are a major environmental and economic issue. This issue is particularly pronounced in oil palm cultivation because oil palm production area is expected to increase to 12 Mha by 2050. N fertilization in oil palm plantations is mainly provided by mineral fertilizers, palm oil mill by-products, and biological fixation using legume cover crops. N loss has a major environmental impact during cultivation. For instance, 48.7 % of the greenhouse gases emitted to produce 1 t of palm oil fruit are due to N fertilization. Actually, there is little comprehensive knowledge on how to calculate N budgets in oil palm plantation in order to optimize fertilization, taking into account N leaching and N gases emissions. Here we modeled knowledge about all N fluxes in an oil palm field following standard management practices of industrial plantations, on a mineral soil, from planting to felling after a 25-year-growth cycle. The largest fluxes are internal fluxes, such as oil palm uptake, with 40–380 kg N ha−1 year−1, and the decomposition of felled palms at the end of the cycle, with 465–642 kg N ha−1. The largest losses are emissions of NH3 and leaching of NO3−, corresponding to 0.1–42 % and 1–34 % of mineral N applied, respectively. The most uncertain and least documented fluxes are N losses such as N2O, NOx, N2 emissions, leaching, NH3 volatilization, and runoff. The most critical conditions for N losses occur during the immature phase when young palms uptake is low and during the mature phase in areas with sparse soil cover or receiving high amounts of fertilizers. Data is lacking about the effects of management practices on NO3− leaching and N2O/NOx emissions in those critical conditions.

Characterization of Matured Vermicompost Derived from Valorization of Palm Oil Mill Byproduct.

The valorization process involves transforming low-value materials such as wastes into high-value-added products. The current study aims to determine the potential of using a valorization process such as vermicomposting technology to convert palm oil mill byproduct, namely, decanter cake (DC), into organic fertilizer or vermicompost. The maturity of the vermicompost was characterized through various chemical and instrumental characterization to ensure the end product was safe and beneficial for agricultural application. The vermicomposting of DC showed significantly higher nutrient recovery and decreases in C:N ratio in comparison with the controls, particularly in the treatment with 2 parts DC and 1 part rice straw (w/w) (2DC:1RS). 2DC:1RS vermicompost had a final C:N ratio of 9.03 ± 0.12 and reasonably high levels of calcium (1.13 ± 0.05 g/kg), potassium (25.47 ± 0.32 g/kg), magnesium (4.87 ± 0.19 g/kg), sodium (7.40 ± 0.03 g/kg), and phosphorus (3.62 ± 0.27 g/kg). In addition, instrumental characterization also revealed a higher degree of maturity in the vermicompost. Ratios of 2921:1633 and DTG2:DTG3 also showed significant linear correlations with the C:N ratio, implying that those ratios could be used to characterize the progression of vermicompost maturity during the valorization process of DC.

Addition of Phenols Compounds to Meat Dough Intended for Salami Manufacture and its Antioxidant Effect.

A purified extract of phenols compounds (65% of phenolic content of which decarboxymethyl oleuropein aglycone represented 45% of the wet mass) obtained from vegetation water (a by-product of oil mill) was added to a ground meat dough intended for salami manufacture in two concentration levels: 75 and 150 mg/100 g of dough (F1 and F2, respectively). The control batch was composed of lean and fat cuts of pork in 70:30 ratio, 2.7% salt and a mixed starter culture of staphylococci and pediococci. After stuffing into natural casings, salamis were aged until they reached a total weight loss of 30%. The product was then sliced and packaged in a protective atmosphere (nitrogen:carbon dioxide 80:20) and placed in a refrigerator thermostat (2-4°C) with alternating 12 h of artificial light and darkness. The samples were analysed for the measurement of pH, water activity, organic acidity, peroxide number and secondary products of lipid peroxidation at the time of slicing and after 10, 20 and 30 days of storage into the refrigerated thermostat. The pH and water activity were not substantially different between the control and the two enriched batches. The peroxide number and secondary products of lipid peroxidation values in the two batches with phenols were at least substantially lower than the control sample. In conclusion, the phenol compounds obtained from vegetation water have shown no interference with the ripening process while protecting the dough from oxidation.

Optimising the process for production of high performance bagasse-based composites from rice bran-UF adhesive system

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to prepare high-performance agro-based composites from the non-toxic rice bran-urea-formaldehyde (RB-UF) adhesive system. Investigations have continued for production high performance agro-based composites using environmentally acceptable approaches. The utilisation of such system with the available used local agro-based wood products (sugar-cane bagasse, SCB) adds economic value and helps reducing the environmental impact of commercial urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesive, and most importantly, provides a potentially inexpensive alternative to the existing commercial artificial wood-panel mills. Design/methodology/approach – Optimising the process for incorporating the RB in UF, as wood adhesive for binding the bagasse fibres, was carried out, by partially replacing commercial UF by denaturalised RB in slurry (wet) and dry form or through synthesis of UF. The denaturalisation of RB was carried out at different pHs (10-11) and at temperature 60°C for two hours. While incorporating the RB during synthesis of UF, it was carried out according to the method reported elsewhere. The formulation of adhesive components, pH value of the denaturalisation stage and the process of incorporating the RB were optimised. Assessment of the role of RB adhesive was specified from its free-formaldehyde (HCHO) content, as well as the properties (mechanical and physical properties) of the produced composites of bagasse particle board type, in comparison with the environmental impact of commercial thermosetting resin (UF). Findings – The promising adhesive system exhibits improvement in the environmental performance (as E1 type) over a commercially UF adhesive (as E2 type), besides providing boards fulfill the requirements of grade H-3 (according to ANSI A208.1 (NPA1993). This adhesive system was resulted from replacing 30 per cent of UF by denalturalised RB (at pH 10) in slurry form. Where, its reduction in free-HCHO reached 53 per cent, as well as modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), internal bond (IB) and TS of the produced boards were approximately 24.2 N/mm2, approximately 3753 N/mm2, approximately 0.84 N/mm2 and approximately 11.4 per cent, respectively. Research limitations/implications – The eco-adhesive with relatively high percentage of low-cost commercial UF (70 per cent) and 30 per cent RB, as oil production by-product, in slurry form provides good board strength and is environmentally friendly compared to SCB-based composite properties, with that produced from commercial UF. The mechanical (MOR, MOE and IB) and water-resistance properties of the produced composite comply with the standard values. Practical implications – The approach provided low HCHO-free UF adhesive with good comparative board strength and water resistance and reasonable working life. Replacing 30 per cent of UF by RB in slurry form and denaturalised at pH 10 is considered a promising inexpensive alternate adhesive (as E1) in the wood industry based on SCB wastes. Social implications – Incorporating the RB by-product of oil production to commercial UF will be beneficial for saving the health of wood co-workers and motivating the wood mill to export its wood products. Originality/value – It provided a potentially simple way to improve both the utilisation of commercial UF and SCB as industrial substrates for particle-board production. This will benefit farmers, local wood mills in Upper Egypt, significantly. Meanwhile, incorporating low percentage of RB, as oil-mill by-products, is promising to partly replace UF resin in the wood industry, minimising formaldehyde emission or toxic gasses during board formation.

Short-term effects of olive mill by-products on soil organic carbon, total N, C:N ratio and stratification ratios in a Mediterranean olive grove

Olive grove soils in semi-arid Mediterranean areas are very poor in organic matter and are exposed to progressive degradation processes. Therefore, additions of the olive mill by-products as organic amendments can improve soil quality and hence mitigate the negative environmental and agronomic limitations of these soils. A field study was conducted to assess the short-term effects of two oil mill by-products [olive leaves and alperujo (a two-phase olive mill waste)] and determine soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), the C:N ratio, and their stratification across the soil profile, in an area under Mediterranean conditions.The experimental design consisted on three large plots each spanning a 100m×100m area covered with unirrigated olive trees of the Picual variety less than 30 years old under conventional tillage (CT) in the province of Jaen (southern Spain). One of the plots (CT) was used as control plot and the other two were treated with alperujo (CTa) and olive leaves (CTol), respectively. Soil properties were assessed three years after the by-products were applied. Supplying the soil with the by-products increased C and N stocks. Thus, the SOC stock was 75.4Mgha−1 in CT, 91.5Mgha−1 in CTa and 136.3Mgha−1 in CTol; and the TN stock 12.1, 13.9 and 16.1Mgha−1 in CT, CTa and CTol, respectively. SOC, TN and the C:N ratio in the surface horizon were higher in the treated plots (viz. 18.5gCkg−1, 1.4gNkg−1 and 13.2:1 in CTa, and 84.1gCkg−1, 5.7gNkg−1 and 14.7:1 in CTol) than in the control plot (8.9gCkg−1, 0.9gNkg−1 and 9.8:1, respectively). In addition, application of the by-products improved soil quality (the stratification ratio, SR, for SOC was greater than 2).Oil mill by-products such as olive leaves and alperujo are thus potentially useful as soil amendments since they are effective sources of organic matter and nitrogen, improve soil quality and alleviate the environmental and agronomic limitations of Mediterranean agricultural soils, even those under using CT. In addition, the by-products can be recycled on site.

Thin Layer Drying Kinetics of By-Products from Olive Oil Processing

The thin-layer behavior of by-products from olive oil production was determined in a solar dryer in passive and active operation modes for a temperature range of 20–50 °C. The increase in the air temperature reduced the drying time of olive pomace, sludge and olive mill wastewater. Moisture ratio was analyzed to obtain effective diffusivity values, varying in the oil mill by-products from 9.136 × 10−11 to 1.406 × 10−9 m2/s in forced convection (ma = 0.22 kg/s), and from 9.296 × 10−11 to 6.277 × 10−10 m2/s in natural convection (ma = 0.042 kg/s). Diffusivity values at each temperature were obtained using the Fick’s diffusion model and, regardless of the convection, they increased with the air temperature. The temperature dependence on the effective diffusivity was determined by an Arrhenius type relationship. The activation energies were found to be 38.64 kJ/mol, 30.44 kJ/mol and 47.64 kJ/mol for the olive pomace, the sludge and the olive mill wastewater in active mode, respectively, and 91.35 kJ/mol, 14.04 kJ/mol and 77.15 kJ/mol in natural mode, in that order.

Evaluating the Global Warming Impact of Palm Oil Production. (I). A Field Model

There is substantial interest in the extent to which palm oil production affects global warming via its impact on fluxes of greenhouse gases. Oil palm planting has expanded considerably in recent years, most markedly in Southeast Asia, replacing forest and other vegetation and hence most likely changing the overall carbon balance of the region. Several previous attempts have been made to assess effects of these changes and to determine the nature of the impacts. This paper describes a flexible model which applies to individual sites and stands of oil palm and which takes account of the major factors likely to influence the carbon balance of the crop. The model calculates all major on-site (plantation) and off-site (mill) gains and losses of C, taking into account different site conditions and management practices. It offers numerous options that include choice of previous land use and crop lifespan. There are specific options governing C emission from peat soils, while different crop yield potentials are represented via a choice of oil palm growth curves. Provision is made for input of data by the user. Different management options are catered for such as use of palm oil mill by-products and fossil fuel equivalent inputs in the field, the latter including both direct (I.e. fuel for transport and machinery) and indirect (fertilisers, herbicides, crop protection chemicals etc.) sources. Outputs from the model showing effects of different previous land uses and other factors are presented. The model is also extended to track the C balance over successive oil palm crops. Keywords: Oil palm, land use change, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emission, single crop model.

Fluidized Bed Drying of 2-Phase Olive Oil Mill By-Products

This study is focused on the fluidized bed drying of solid olive oil mill by-products (SOB) resulting from the 2-phase oil extraction method. The most usual method used in SOB drying is the rotary dryer, which revealed some problems and disadvantages that can be easily solved with the development of new drying techniques based on exhaustive studies of the solid and a better comprehension of the drying process. Two-phase SOB drying in a fluidized bed proved to be a suitable alternative that provides high-efficiency drying at relatively low air temperatures (T < 150°C). Drying kinetics modeling was developed based on well-known empirical models such as Henderson & Pabis's model and Page's model. An n-order potential model is presented, showing a good accuracy for the description of the experimental drying curves of 2-phase SOB and it was possible to correlate satisfactorily its fitting parameters with the process variables.

Cocomposting of Olive Oil Mill By-Products: Chemical and Microbiological Evaluations

An experiment was performed to evaluate the possibility of cocomposting wet husk and wastewater, the two main olive oil mill by-products. The pH, E.C., total C and N, humic substances, phenolics, volatile acids, lipids, P and K plus yeast, fungi, heterotrophic-, cellulolytic- and nitrifying bacteria and phytotoxicological parameters were monitored during a 120-day stabilization process. Performances of the composting system adopted, together with physicochemical characteristics of starting material and final product, are reported. Composting was found to induce a high level of organic matter change, with decrease of organic carbon, total nitrogen and C/N ratio, as well as of the easily biodegradable lipids. Good metabolic activity of the microbiological population, with the exception of the nitrifying bacteria, and a complete detoxification of starting material were also observed. The results obtained suggested that composting might be an adequate low-cost strategy for the recycling of olive oil by-products.

Plant trash in linters and willowed picker: materials used in the cotton garnetting industry

First cut linters and willowed picker, used in cotton garnetting, were examined for content of cotton bract an other plant trash. Bract was found to be a minimal contaminant of the trash of first cut linters. A significant amount of bract (about 9% of the trash) was present in willowed picker. Cotton seed hulls, a valuable oil mill by product, contained an insignificant amount of bract trash.