Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Research Articles

Preparation and Characterization of Fire Retardant Nano-Filler from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fibers

The possibilities of utilizing an abundantly available agricultural waste, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibers, for the development of nano-filler was investigated. The aim was to develop fire retardant nano-fillers from OPEFB fiber through grinding, chemical treatment (bromine water and SnCl2), and cryogenic crushing, followed by a high energy ball milling process. The structural, morphological, and thermal properties of nano-fillers were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The analysis revealed that the particle size distribution was reduced from micro to nano size in the range of around 14 to 100 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations revealed that the nanoparticles of OPEFB had irregular shapes. The elemental composition of the OPEFB were investigated by elemental dispersive X- ray analysis (EDX), showing the presence of tin, carbon, oxygen, chlorine, and bromine elements both before and after ball milling. Further, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the developed nanofillers exhibited enhanced thermal properties compared to the untreated fibers. Such results suggest that the developed nano-filler can be used for the fabrication of nanocomposites with improved fire retardancy.

Mechanical Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fibers-Cast Alloy Composite Using Three Point Bending Test

This paper presents the mechanical properties of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber/epoxy resin reinforced cast LM6 (aluminum based) alloy composites. The metal matrix composite was fabricated by incorporating OPEFB/epoxy resin using mono filaments concept in the as cast LM6 alloys. Three different diameters (10, 12 and 14 mm) of the maximum force of metal matrix composite materials along with controlled sample (cast LM6 alloy + OPEFB/epoxy resin) were determined from three point bend testing. Test results showed that maximum force of mixture between OPEFB fibers composite and cast LM6 alloy for metal matrix composite are higher than that of cast LM6 alloy. Thus the utilization of OPEFB/epoxy composite as mono filaments in metal matrix composite can be significant in improving the strength of the cast LM6 alloy. Beside that increasing the diameter size of OPEFB/epoxy composite will reduce the weight of metal matrix composite (cast LM6 + OPEFB/epoxy composite).

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Chemical Treated Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches Fiber Reinforced Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite

Chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunches fiber (OPEFB) reinforced polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) biocomposites were prepared using solution casting technique. This paper focused on the effect of chemical treatments on mechanical, physical and thermal properties of PVA/OPEFB composites. The chemically treated fibers are characterized by universal tensile tester, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The tensile strength and tensile modulus of the composites were found to be increased after chemical treatment was done on OPEFB fibers. XRD analysis showed that the crystallinity of fiber increase after different stage of treatment. TGA indicated that there was slight increase of the thermal stability for alkali + silane treated OPEFB fibers. In summary, the chemical treated OPEFB fibre has successfully improved the mechanical and thermal properties of PVA/OPEFB composite.

Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) From Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) Fiber via Simultaneous Ultrasonic and Alkali Treatment

In this study, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) cellulose which was earlier isolated from oil palm EFB fibre. In order to isolate the cellulose, the chlorination method was carried out. Then, the MCC was prepared by simultaneous ultrasonic and alkali treatment from the isolated α-cellulose. Based on mass balance calculation, the yields for MCC obtained from EFB was 44%. For fiber characterization, it is observed that the chemical composition of the hemicellulose and lignin for all samples decreased while composition for cellulose increased. The structural property of the MCC was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and the result shows that the MCC produced is a cellulose-I polymorph, with 73% crystallinity.

Dielectric Characterization of Oil Palm Fiber Reinforced Polycaprolactone-nickel Oxide Composite at Microwave Frequency

The composite of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPEFB) which is the waste product of oil palm industry, environmentally friendly polycaprolactone (PCL) and nickel oxide (NiO) were fabricated by compounding all materials in the Thermo Haake blending machine. The 3.5x6.1x0.8 cm3 samples with different percentage of OPEFB/PCL/NiO ratio were prepared for dielectric measurement and analysis. The dielectric properties of the substrates were obtained with the open ended coaxial method for microwave frequency range between 0.2MHz and 20GHz. The results reveal that the permittivity values of the composite can be tuned by changing the ratio of OPEFB/PCL/NiO prior to compounding and blending. These composites may offer alternatives to Teflon, which is made primarily from petroleum, for applications in radio and communications, especially in the fabrication of antennas, transmission and other microwave components.

The Physicochemical Characteristics of Residual Oil and Fibers from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches

Abundant oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) generated from the palm oil mill industry create huge problems for the environment and the palm oil mill itself. Despite the importance of determining the amount of oil left in the OPEFB, little research of that nature has been reported. This study describes the oil content and physicochemical characteristics of OPEFB fibers, detection of oil attachment on the fiber’s surface using sudan red dye, contact angle values, and also the quality of the residual oil. The OPEFB fibers, which are normally used as mulch for the palm oil mill, have been found to be a rich source of lignocellulosic materials, especially cellulose, which constitutes 33.70 to 35.10% for a press-shredded fiber. Residual oil (3 to 7% on dry basis) extracted from the OPEFB exhibits good quality parameters such as deterioration of bleachability index (DOBI), free fatty acid (FFA), and peroxide value (PV). The DOBI values were still in the acceptable range, which is from 1.94 to 2.43, while the PV results are within the range of about 1.84 to 2.80 meq/kg. The major fatty acids of the residual fiber oil were palmitic and oleic acids, at 39.77% to 39.89% and 39.55% to 42.60%, respectively. There were no significant changes in the macronutrients and quality of the OPEFB residual oil. Therefore, the residual oil from the OPEFB should be recovered and reused as a raw material for industrial applications, boosting the oil extraction rate (OER) in the palm oil industry.

Physico-mechanical properties of resol phenolic adhesives derived from liquefaction of oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres

Utilization of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibres in the production of phenolic (PF) resin is an alternative way to reduce the dependency of petroleum-based phenol. In this study, resol-type phenolic resin was synthesized from oil palm EFB fibres via liquefaction process using phenol and sulfuric acid, followed by resinification reaction with formaldehyde in alkaline condition. The increase of the ratio of formaldehyde/liquefied EFB (F/LEFB) results in the increase in the viscosity and molecular weight of the produced PF resin. The obtained FTIR spectra confirmed that the chemical functionalities of the produced PF resin are almost similar to that of commercial PF resin. The NMR analyses indicated that the phenol para position was favoured for the reaction over the ortho position in both commercial resin and resin synthesized due to the existence of steric hindrance effect from the hydroxyl phenol and phenol derivatives of liquefied EFB. The shear strength of the produced PF resins is fulfilling the requirement as specified in JIS K-6852.

Flexural properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) resin reinforced with oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers: a preliminary finding.

The purpose of this preliminary study was to evaluate the flexural properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) reinforced with oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber. The flexural strength and flexural modulus of three OPEFB fiber-reinforced PMMA were compared with a conventional and a commercially available reinforced PMMA. The three test groups included OPEFB fibers of 0.5 mm thickness, 2.0 mm thickness, and OPEFB cellulose. All test group specimens demonstrated improved flexural strength and flexural modulus over conventional PMMA. Reinforcement with OPEFB cellulose showed the highest mean flexural strength and flexural modulus, which were statistically significant when compared to the conventional and commercially reinforced PMMA used in this study. OPEFB fiber in the form of cellulose and 0.5 mm thickness fiber significantly improved flexural strength and flexural modulus of conventional PMMA resin. Further investigation on the properties of PMMA reinforced with OPEFB cellulose is warranted. Natural OPEFB fibers, especially OPEFB in cellulose form, can be considered a viable alternative to existing commercially available synthetic fiber reinforced PMMA resin.

An integrative process of bioconversion of oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber to ethanol with on-site cellulase production.

The aim of this study was to efficiently convert oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPEFB), one of the most commonly generated lingo-wastes in Southeast Asia, into both cellulase and bioethanol. The unprocessed cellulase crude (37.29%) produced under solid-state fermentation using OPEFB as substrate showed a better reducing sugar yield using filter paper than the commercial enzyme blend (34.61%). Organosolv pretreatment method could efficiently reduce hemicellulose (24.3-18.6%) and lignin (35.2-22.1%) content and increase cellulose content (40.5-59.3%) from OPEFB. Enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated OPEFB using the crude cellulase with 20% solid content, enzyme loading of 15 FPU/g OPEFB at 50 °C, and pH 5.5 resulted in a OPEFB hydrolysate containing 36.01 g/L glucose after 72 h. Fermentation of the hydrolysate medium produced 17.64 g/L ethanol with 0.49 g/g yield from glucose and 0.088 g/g yield from OPEFB at 8 h using Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Effect of fibers treatment on dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy hybrid composites

Epoxy hybrid composites fabricated by reinforcing 2‐hydroxy ethyl acrylate (2‐HEA) treated oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) and jute fibers. It assume that chemical modification of jute and oil palm EFB fibers increased fiber/matrix interfacial bonding and it results in enhanced thermal properties of hybrid composites. Dynamic mechanical and thermal analysis of treated hybrid composites was carried out. Results indicated that chemical modification of oil palm EFB and jute fibers affect the dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of hybrid composites. The storage modulus values of hybrid composites increases with chemical treatment and loss modulus increased with fiber treatment in hybrid composites. Damping factor peak values of treated hybrid composites shifted toward the lower temperature compared to both untreated hybrid composites. Cole–Cole analysis was made to understand the phase behaviour of the hybrid composites. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated an increased in thermal stability of hybrid composite with the incorporation of chemically modified fibers. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1669–1674, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

Fibrous Agricultural Biomass as a Potential Source for Bioconversion to Vanillic Acid

This study was conducted to assess the potential of six fibrous agricultural residues, namely, oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPEFBF), coconut coir fiber (CCF), pineapple peel (PP), pineapple crown leaves (PCL), kenaf bast fiber (KBF), and kenaf core fiber (KCF), as a source of ferulic acid and phenolic compounds for bioconversion into vanillic acid. The raw samples were pretreated with organosolv (NaOH-glycerol) and alkaline treatment (NaOH), to produce phenol-rich black liquor. The finding showed that the highest amount of phenolic compounds and ferulic acid was produced from CCF and PP, respectively. This study also found that organosolv treatment was the superior method for phenolic compound extraction, whereas alkaline treatment was the selective method for lignin extraction. Vanillic acid production byAspergillus nigerI-1472 was only observed when the fermentation broth was fed with liquors from PP and PCL, possibly due to the higher levels of ferulic acid in those samples.

Microstructure Modelling of Silica Bodies from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) Fibres

Investigating the mechanical behaviour of silica bodies in oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) is important to improve the process of silica body removal. This study will assist in providing an understanding of the role of OPEFB as a bioresource material for the bioconversion process. The microstructure of silica bodies/protrusions on the OPEFB fibre surface was modelled using the finite element method, based on the information obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of silica body geometry, possible anisotropy/orthotropy, and debonding between the interface of the silica body and OPEFB fibre were investigated. Agreements were observed between the results using both circular and spiked silica body models with different geometries and volume fractions. In addition, the cohesive debonding modelling results showed that once critical stress was activated, the stress-strain curve deviated from the no-debond model. The results also suggested that the value of cohesive energy should be between 0.5 kN/m and 4 kN/m.

Effects of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) Fibre Size on Fracture Toughness of OPEFB Filled Polymer Nanocomposite

The effect of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber size on the fracture toughness of OPEFB/PP/PPnanoclay composites was investigated. Four fiber sizes ranging from 180 μm, 250 μm, 300 μm, and 355 μm were used to reinforce PP/PPnanoclay composites. The ratio of PP/PPnanoclay was 7:100 by weight (7 phr). Fracture toughness of the composite was determined according to ASTM D5045 and single edge notch bending (SENB) been employed during the test. The result indicates that the fracture toughness of OPEFB/PP/PPnanoclay composites has decreased as OPEFB fiber size increased. Fracture surfaces investigated through the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the bonding between fiber and matrix for OPEFB/PP/PPnanoclay composites with smaller OPEFB fibre size has better bonding as compared to OPEFB/PP/PPnanoclay composites with larger OPEFB fiber size.

Production and purification of xylooligosaccharides from oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre by a non-isothermal process

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) fibre, a by-product generated from non-woody, tropical perennial oil palm crop was evaluated for xylooligosaccharides (XOS) production. Samples of OPEFB fibre were subjected to non-isothermal autohydrolysis treatment using a temperature range from 150 to 220 °C. The highest XOS concentration, 17.6g/L which relayed from solubilisation of 63 g/100 g xylan was achieved at 210 °C and there was a minimum amount of xylose and furfural being produced. The chromatographic purification which was undertaken to purify the oligosaccharide-rich liquor resulted in a product with 74-78% purity, of which 83-85% was XOS with degree of polymerisation (DP) between 5 and 40.

ACTIVATED CARBON FIBER DERIVED FROM SINGLE STEP CARBONIZATION-ACTIVATION PROCESS

The properties of activated carbon are influenced by the conditions of carbonization and activation. Activated carbon is normally produced through a conventional two-step process. This two-step process comprises the carbonization of precursor followed by activation of the carbonaceous char at elevated temperatures with the presence of suitable oxidizing gases. However, such process is very time consuming and energy intensive. The present study attempted to synthesize activated carbon fiber (ACF) derived from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) fiber by using single step activation process. The properties of the produced ACF were investigated and analyzed by SEM, EDS, FTIR and XRD. Nitrogen adsorption was carried out to characterize the porosity of the produced ACF. EDS results indicated the carbon content of raw oil palm EFB fiber was 63.33 wt % with oxygen content of 36.67 wt %. After activation, ACF has a higher carbon content of 93.63 wt % and oxygen content of 5.19 wt %. The BET and Langmuir surface area for the produced ACF were 432 m2/g and 670 m2/g, respectively. The results revealed the possibility to prepare ACF from oil palm EFB fiber by using single step activation process.

Elasticity, microstructure and thermal stability of foliage and fruit fibres from four tropical crops

A comparative analysis of the elasticity, microstructure and thermal stability of fibres (thickness ranging from 43.4 to 189.4 µm) isolated from pineapple leaves (PALF), coconut coir (COIR), banana leaf-stem (BAN) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) reported in this study. Statistical analysis of the mechanical properties derived from tensile test to rupture reveals significant differences (P<0.05) in the fibre strength (σ), stiffness (E) and extensibility (parameterized by the strain to rupture, ɛ). It is observed that COIR fibres yield the smallest strength, σ (=99.8±22.5 MPa), and stiffness, E (= 0.5±0.1 GPa), while PALF fibres yield the largest σ (=639.5±301.6 MPa) and E (=7.1±3.1 GPa); PALF fibres exhibit the smallest ɛ (=0.11±0.03) but OPEFB fibres yield the largest ɛ (=2.0±1.3). From scanning electron micrographs, it is observed that cellulose fibril rupture predominates in OPEFB, COIR and BAN fibres; a large proportion of the cellulose fibrils fail by pullout in PALF fibres. Thermogravimetric analysis reveals that all fibres are thermally stable up to 250 °C; the fibre residue ranges from 30 to 80 wt% after heating to 500 °C. In particular, BAN experiences the highest weight loss and PALF experiences the lowest weight loss. The findings lend to a simple approach for determining the performance of the composites by assessing the type of natural fibres for reinforcing polymeric matrices.

Characterization of anaerobic consortia coupled lignin depolymerization with biomethane generation

Two sediment-free microbial consortia (LI3 and LP3) were established to depolymerize lignin under anaerobic conditions. During depolymerizing high molecular weight lignin to low molecular weight molecules, the two cultures produced biomethane up to 151.7 and 113.0 mL g(-1) total lignin. Furthermore, LI3 and LP3 could also utilize the biomass - oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPEFB) to produce 190.6 and 195.6 mL methaneg(-1) total lignin in OPEFB, and at the same time improve the bioavailability of lignocellulosic matters for further enzymatic hydrolysis. The microbial community analysis by denature gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and the high-density 16S rDNA gene microarray (PhyloChip) exhibited that Methanomethylovorans sp. (LI3) and Methanoculleus sp. (LP3) were the main methanogens present, and phylum Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were mainly involved in the lignin depolymerization. The established microbial consortia with both lignin depolymerization and biomethane production provide profound application on the environmental friendly pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials.

Effect of Triacetin on Tensile Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber-Reinforced Polylactic Acid Composites

The effects of triacetin as a plasticizer on the tensile properties and morphology of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites were studied. In this research, pulverized oil palm EFB fiber size from 0.25–0.50 mm were weighted with different fiber loadings and mixed with 5% triacetin. The obtained results indicated that the tensile strength and the Young's modulus of PLA/EFB composites with the addition of triacetin were enhanced at an 80% PLA and 20% EFB fiber loading. The interfacial properties between PLA and the EFB fiber were improved after the addition of triacetin.

Application of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber to Improve the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Composite Railway Brake Block Materials

One of the natural fiber considered to replace syntetic fiber is Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) fiber which offer advantages such as environment friendly and widely available especially in indonesia . This study investigates the characteristics of railway brake block with OPEFB fibres compare to synthetic fiber. All the test results were compared to the technical requirement of PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (PT. KAI ) and evaluated using Extension Evaluation Method (EEM) to select and get the best sample. From the evaluation results using EEM, one of non commercial sample using OPEFB fiber give a better results compare to commercial sample using synthetic fibers. So it can be concluded that OPEFB fiber as reinforcement for railway brake material could improve physical and mechanical properties of the material, environment friendly and could replace synthetic fibers.

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

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.