Oil Palm Fruit Research Articles

Synthesis of graphitic carbon from empty palm oil fruit bunches through single-step graphitization process using K2FeO4-KOH catalyst as lithium ion battery anode

This research aims to optimize the graphitization process of carbon derived from Empty Palm Oil Fruit Bunches (EPOFB), a renewable biomass source, using a single-step K₂FeO₄-KOH impregnation-activation method. The results demonstrate that increasing the mass of K₂FeO₄, up to the optimal level, enhances the degree of graphitization, as confirmed by XRD and Raman spectroscopy. Optimal performance is observed with a catalyst mass of 0.11 g K₂FeO₄ in the C_ K₂FeO₄(0.11)KOH_800 sample, which exhibits a d002 spacing of 0.3356 nm, an IG/ID ratio of 2.42, a high surface area of 787.767 m²/g, and clearly defined graphitic layers in TEM images. Electrochemical testing of C_ K₂FeO₄(0.11)_KOH_800 reveals promising results, including the lowest charge transfer resistance (Rct) of 87.18 Ω, a significant area under the curve in cyclic voltammetry, a charging capacity of 330.3 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C, with an excellent rate capability of 183 mAh g⁻¹ at 1 C after 100 cycles, maintaining a retention rate of 68.2 %. The single-step K₂FeO₄-KOH impregnation-activation method effectively enhances the graphitization of EPOFB-derived carbon, offering potential applications in high-performance lithium battery anodes.

An in-depth study of anthocyanin synthesis in the exocarp of virescens and nigrescens oil palm: metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis.

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a very important tropical woody oil plant with high commercial and ornamental value. The exocarp of the oil palm fruit is rich in anthocyanosides and proanthocyanidins, which not only give it a bright colour, but also mark the maturity of the fruit. The study of the dynamic change pattern of anthocyanoside content and important anthocyanoside metabolism-related regulatory genes during oil palm ripening is conducive to the improvement of the ornamental value of oil palm and the determination of the optimal harvesting period of the fruits. We analyzed the virescens oil palm (AS) and nigrescens oil palm (AT) at 95 days (AS1, AT1), 125 days (AS2, AT2) and 185 days (AS3, AT3) after pollination were used as experimental materials for determining the changes in the total amount of anthocyanins as well as their metabolomics and transcriptomics studies by using the LC-MS/MS technique and RNA-Seq technique. The results showed that the total anthocyanin content decreased significantly from AS1 (119µg/g) to AS3 (23µg/g), and from AT1 (1302µg/g) to AT3 (170µg/g), indicating a clear decreasing trend during fruit development. Among them, the higher flavonoids in AS and AT included anthocyanins such as peonidin-3-O-rutinoside (H35), pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside (H21), and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (H7), as well as condensed tannins such as procyanidin B2 (H47), procyanidin C1 (H49), and procyanidin B3 (H48). Notably, nine genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway exhibited up-regulated expression during the pre-development stage of oil palm fruits, particularly during the AS1 and AT1 periods. These genes include: Chalcone synthase (CHS; LOC105036364); Flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H; LOC105054663); Dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR; LOC105040724, LOC105048473); Anthocyanidin synthase (ANS; LOC105035842), UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT; LOC105039612); Flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase (F3'5'H; LOC105036086, LOC105044124, LOC105045493). In contrast, five genes demonstrated up-regulated expression as the fruits developed, specifically during the AS3 and AT3 periods. These genes include: Chalcone synthase (CHS; LOC105036921, LOC105035716); Chalcone isomerase (CHI; LOC105045978); UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT; LOC105046326); Flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase (F3'H; LOC105036086). Most of differentially expressed genes exhibited up-regulation during the early stages of fruit development, which may contribute to the elevated anthocyanin content observed in oil palm fruits of both types during the pre-developmental period. Furthermore, the expression levels of most genes were found to be higher in the AT fruit type compared to the AS fruit type, suggesting that the differential expression of these genes may be a key factor underlying the differences in anthocyanoside production in the exocarp of oil palm fruits from these two fruit types. The findings of this study provide a theoretical foundation for the identification and characterization of genes involved in anthocyanin synthesis in oil palm fruits, as well as the development of novel variations using molecular biology approaches.

Pengaruh Variasi Ukuran Partikel pada Pembuatan Bio-Briket dari Pelepah dan Tandan Buah Kosong Kelapa Sawit

Palm oil empty fruit bunches (EFB) and fronds are solid waste originating from palm oil processing which can be used as the main raw material for making briquettes. This is supported by its contents, namely lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. The smaller the particle size, the greater the compressive strength of the briquette, but the burning rate will be slower because the cavity/pores of the briquette are smaller. This research aims to determine the effect of particle (mesh) size on the characteristics of briquettes which include water content, ash content, density, compressive strength and burning rate as well as to determine the best composition of a mixture of empty oil palm fruit bunches and fronds. The results of this research show that the best particle size is 70 mesh briquettes with a raw material composition of 46% EFB and 46% fronds (1:1) with 8% tapioca flour adhesive. Biobriquettes with small particle sizes have lower calorific value. The results of this research indicate that the manufacture of briquettes is in accordance with the Standard Characteristics of SNI No. 1/6235/2000.

Evolution of global water footprints of crop production in 1990–2019

Abstract Crop production has the largest water footprint (WF) of all economic sectors and ranks as a leading cause of water scarcity. Despite this, our understanding of historical changes in global WFs of crops remains limited. In this study, we analyse the recently published dataset on green and blue WFs of 175 individual crops in 1990–2019. We explore the main changes in unit WFs (expressed in m3t−1 yr−1) and WFs of production (m3 yr−1) and connect the observed changes to various physical and socio-economic drivers. We find that nearly 80% of crops reduced global average unit WFs (required less water per tonne) as crop yields improved and cultivation centred around more productive areas. However, the total WF of crop production increased by 30% as these productivity gains were insufficient to compensate for cropland expansion of mostly water-intensive crops. Close to 90% of the increase occurred between 2000–2019 likely driven by accelerated economic growth, globalisation, changing diets, and production of first-generation biofuels. Among crops, we observe the largest increases for oil palm fruit, soya beans, and maize as they became the main providers of crop-based nutrients, animal feed, and biofuels for the modern economy. Among regions, most of the increase occurred across the tropics, mainly in Indonesia, Brazil, and Nigeria. However, India, China, and the USA had the largest WFs of production over the study period. Humanity consumed 6.8 trillion m3 of water (87.1% green) to produce crops in 2019. This number is likely to increase in the future which may exacerbate already existing environmental and socio-economic issues. Thus, it is important to transition to more water-sustainable agrifood systems. Much potential still exists in increasing crop water productivity, shifting production to less water-scarce geographies, and rethinking our dietary and industrial consumption patterns.

Higuchi fractal dimension and deep learning on near-infrared spectroscopy for determination of free fatty acid (FFA) content in oil palm fruit

Free fatty acid (FFA) content is an essential parameter with a significant influence on the quality of oil palm, with lower levels showing higher quality. The measurement of this parameter is often carried out with conventional methods in chemical laboratories using solvents and reagents, but these techniques have several limitations. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a rapid and non-destructive technique for determining FFA content based on near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. This technique comprised the use of Higuchi fractal dimension (HFD) and deep learning to process NIR spectra as a new chemometric analysis. The sample population consisted of 350 oil palm fruits at various maturity ages collected from the Cikabayan Oil Palm Plantation. Each sample had its NIR spectrum acquired with a wavelength of 1000–1500 nm. Good performance was shown by a low root mean squared error (RMSE) value and a high coefficient of determination (R2). Based on numerical analysis, this study proposed HFD with a maximum discrete time interval (kmax) value of 10 and deep learning with long short-term memory (LSTM) as a robust architectural model. The results showed that the proposed technique could predict oil palm fruit FFA levels with RMSE and R2 values of 0.167 and 0.959, respectively. Furthermore, it could identify FFA content at each process step, before and after harvesting. Based on these results, its implementation in oil palm control management was expected to enhance effectiveness and efficiency, leading to the production of high-quality products.

Perbandingan Algoritma CART dan C.4 5 Pada Citra Tandan Buah Sawit Untuk Mengetahui Tingkat Kematangan Dalam Penentuan Harga

Information technology is a means and infrastructure of a system method to organize, send, interpret, use, process, obtain, and store data in a meaningful and useful way. Oil palm is a tropical plant originating from West Africa. The advantage of this plant is that it can also be planted outside its place of origin, including Indonesia. This plant has been widely cultivated in the form of plantations and factories in various regions in Indonesia. Oil palm is an industrial plant that is used as a raw material for vegetable oil, industrial oil, and fuel. Oil palm is important for Indonesia because it creates jobs for local people and is a source of foreign currency for the country. Oil palm plants begin to flower and form fruit after 2-3 years. The fruit will ripen about 5-6 months after pollination. The ripening process of oil palm fruit can be seen from the change in color of the fruit's skin. The fruit will turn orange-red when ripe. When the fruit is ripe, the oil content in the fruit flesh is at its maximum. If it is too ripe, the oil palm fruit will fall from the stalk of the bunch. This study aims to assess the maturity of a bunch of oil palm fruit. The methods used in this study are CART and C.4 5. Each method has several stages that will produce entropy and gain values ​​that will later form a decision tree. The dataset consists of 37 data consisting of 10 criteria originating from Ramp 789 Batang Peranap. Based on the implementation of the C4.5 algorithm and the CART algorithm in determining the level of ripeness of oil palm fruit bunches on RAMP 789 Batang Peranap which produces an accuracy of 98.00%. These results are obtained based on Process data with testing using the RapidMiner application, which produces a Decision tree that is useful as a reference for decisions in determining whether or not oil palm fruit bunches are ripe, which so far have only been predicted.

Novel Fungicide from Waste Oil Palm Fruit Bunch for Sustainable Management of Tomato Wilt Disease Caused by Fusarium oxysporum - experimental and in silico studies

Tomato wilt, a widespread and persistent disease caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum, can be effectively controlled through biological approaches, promoting ecosystem sustainability and enhancing agricultural productivity and quality. This study explored the use of empty oil palm fruit bunch (EOPFB) waste as a natural fungicide to control tomato Fusarium wilt disease through in vitro, pilot scale, and molecular docking experiments. EOPFB aqueous extract showed the highest mycelium growth inhibition of 68.3 %, with the commercial fungicide Mancozeb exhibiting a moderate 42.30 % inhibition, and sterile distilled water having a negligible effect of 0.24 %. The inhibition rate varied with concentration, peaking at 72.63 % at 0.15 g/mL and dropping to 54.80 % at 0.01 g/mL. In terms of wilt disease incidence and severity, EOPFB performed best, recording the lowest incidence of 47.20 % and severity of 15.58 %. Mancozeb followed closely, with an incidence of 46.30 % and severity of 26.23 %. Sterile distilled water, on the other hand, showed the highest incidence of 76.28 % and severity of 56.17 %. Molecular docking simulations corroborated the experimental results, validating the potency of EOPFB as an inhibitor of trypsin from F. oxysporum, and identifying 2-amino-5,6-dimethyl-3 H-pyrimidine-4-one as the primary active compound responsible for the fungicidal activity. This phytochemical, abundant in the crude ethanolic extract of EOPFB, was found to have a higher binding affinity (6.1 kcal/mol) than Mancozeb (4.8 kcal/mol), at the trypsin target. These findings demonstrate the potential of EOPFB, an agricultural waste product, as a sustainable and eco-friendly solution for managing tomato Fusarium wilt disease, contributing to increased tomato production. It also highlights the potential of 2-amino-5,6-dimethyl-3 H-pyrimidine-4-one as a lead compound for the development of novel, natural fungicides, and underscores the value of EOPFB as a rich source of bioactive compounds with agricultural and biotechnological applications.

Effect of Acephate in Oil Palm Fruits and Palm Products After Trunk Injection

Effect of Acephate in Oil Palm Fruits and Palm Products After Trunk Injection

A Structural Equation Modelling Approach in Assessing the Sustainability of Indonesian Smallholder Oil Palm Farming

Oil palm plantations (Elaeis guineensis Jacq) in Indonesia have been considered as a leading sector to increase the country's economic growth, create jobs, and improve the distribution of people's income The production of oil palm fruit commodities in 2019 reached a total of 51,443,315 tonnes (Director General of Plantations, 2020). Its export volume in 2019 was 29,135,179 tonnes, equivalent to US$ 20,802,708,000. Oil palm crop production in Indonesia is managed by three groups: state-owned plantation companies, private plantation companies, and smallholder plantations. Oil palm plantation areas spanned 14,677,560 hectares in 2019, 41% of which were community-based plantations. These areas produced 14,846,112 tonnes of palm oil in the same year, accounting for 16% of the national palm oil crop production volume (Directorate General of Plantations, 2020). The development of oil palm plantation areas has made a major contribution to the country's foreign exchange reserves, added to local revenue, encouraged the acceleration of economic development, and encouraged poverty alleviation in rural areas. This study aims to analyse the economic, social, environmental, institutional, and technological influences on the sustainability of independent oil palm farms in Sintang District. The research method used is the Structural Equation Model (SEM) operated through the AMOS programme. While the tools used in this study using a questionnaire with 216 respondents. From a total population of 491 respondents. The findings of this study indicate that the C.R value of the economic dimension is 4.026, social is 2.920, environmental is 3.237, institutional is 3.247, and technology is 2.694. This shows that there is a positive and significant relationship between the dimensions of the sustainability of independent oil palm farming.

Treatment of Domestic Wastewater in Colombia Using Constructed Wetlands with Canna Hybrids and Oil Palm Fruit Endocarp

Untreated domestic wastewater from rural areas poses significant risks to ecosystems and human health. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are a viable alternative for this wastewater treatment, enhancing nitrogen removal using substrates as carbon sources. This process is particularly beneficial for wastewater with low carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratios, making the treated water suitable for agricultural irrigation. In this study, a Horizontal Subsurface Flow CW (HSF-CW) was evaluated using Canna hybrids and a mixed substrate of gravel and endocarp from oil palm fruit (EOP) as a carbon source to leverage its abundance in the region. It was also determined that the effluent complies with the permissible limits set by Resolution 1207 of 2014 from the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, which establishes environmental standards for wastewater treatment to ensure environmental protection and enable safe reuse in agricultural irrigation. The key parameters analyzed included organic contaminants, heavy metals, nutrients, and microbiological indicators. Removal efficiencies of up to 91%, 94%, 98%, 52%, 73%, 78%, and 75% were achieved for BOD, TSS, total phosphorus, nitrates, nitrites, ammonium, and total nitrogen, respectively, demonstrating the CW’s strong performance in contaminant removal and meeting most standards for agricultural irrigation. Although the carbon source was not highly efficient, the overall system performance supports its viability for improving water quality and promoting sustainable agricultural practices in rural areas.

Wavelengths Selection Method in Near Infrared Spectra Using Multivariate Analysis for Nondestructive Determination of Oil Content in Palm Oil Fruits

Wavelengths Selection Method in Near Infrared Spectra Using Multivariate Analysis for Nondestructive Determination of Oil Content in Palm Oil Fruits

Detection of new oil palm fruit bunches based on deep learning

Abstract The Indonesian oil palm plantation experiences a production rate of fresh fruit bunches and crude palm oil (CPO) influenced by the quality of fruits with excellent and uniform maturity accepted by the palm oil processing factory. The uniformity of fruit quality produced from the harvesting process through fruit maturity criteria, namely fractions 00, fraction 1, fraction 3, and fraction 4, necessitates the need for maturity detection based on deep learning with a pre-trained YOLOv5 model capable of detecting the maturity of new oil palm fruit bunches. The aim is to develop a deep learning-based maturity detection model based on visual images and analyse the deep learning algorithm’s performance by classifying the maturity level of new oil palm fruit bunches. The method collects a dataset of new oil palm fruit bunches with 4180 images. The collected dataset will be annotated with Roboflow, so the annotation results will undergo training, validation, and testing processes using the deep learning script. The result obtained for the data found to detect the ripeness levels of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB), shows that the YOLOv5 model demonstrates strong performance with an accuracy reaching 72.5% in testing, which falls into the category of fair annotation. These results indicate that the system created and used is functioning well.

Downdraft Gasifier for Oil Palm Empty Bunches with Computational Fluid Dynamics

Abstract The demand for palm oil increases every year and this condition proportional to the increase in waste from the manufacture of palm oil. Therefore, this study aims to determine the potential of empty palm fruit bunches to be used as renewable energy. This research simulated Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) gasification with empty oil palm fruit bunches using a downdraft gasifier, then simulated with three variations of air flow rates. This is done because the air flow rate is very influential on the temperature and gasification results. The best and uniform variation was obtained at a water flow rate of 25 L/min with a resulting temperature of 28 °C to 957 °C and with an even temperature coverage in the reactor. Then in this study the syngas H2, CO, CO2 and CH4 were obtained which were not evenly distributed in the reactor at all variations of air flow rate, and for the acquisition of syngas H2, CO, CO2 and CH4 the most were obtained at variations of air flow rate of 25 L/min.

Risk Management in Palm Fruit Harvesting Activities using the Hirarc Method PT. Prima Artha Dynamics

Risk Management in Palm Oil Fruit Harvesting Activities Using the Hirarc PT method. Prima Artha Dynamics. This research is motivated by a source of danger in oil palm fruit harvesting activities with the risk of work accidents in oil palm fruit harvesting activities. Therefore, the aim of this research is to analyze the main causes of the risk of work accidents in oil palm fruit harvesting activities, to analyze the severity of the risk of work accidents in oil palm fruit harvesting activities, To determine the steps taken to control the risk of work accidents in oil palm fruit harvesting activities. This research uses the HIRARC (Hazard Identification Risk Assessment Risk Control) method, namely by identifying sources of danger, analyze the level of risk and risk control efforts. Data was obtained through interviews with 18 harvest employees. From the results of this research, there are main causes that are a source of danger and risk for oil palm fruit harvesting activities, namely slippery land, palm fruit bunches, sharp objects, palm fronds, snake droppings/powder, centipedes and wasps. The main causes that are the source of danger and the occurrence of risks have a mild level of risk, namely falling/slipping, being hit by fruit when removing fruit to TPH, being hit by fronds during harvest, falling into the eyes of droppings, being stung by centipedes and being stung by wasps and for moderate risks, namely being injured/injured by sharp objects. Efforts to control the risks of oil palm fruit harvesting activities include the use of complete Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), upaya lain yang dilakukan adalah pembersihan lahan yang semak agar tidak menjadi sarang ular.

Implementation of Convolutional Neural Network Algorithms to Detect the Ripeness of Palm Fruits based on Image Colors

The ripeness of oil palm fruit greatly affects the quality of the oil produced. Usually, humans manually detect the maturity of oil palm fruit, a process that can be inconsistent and time-consuming. Therefore, there is a need for automated methods that can improve accuracy and efficiency in determining the maturity of oil palm fruit. The study proposes using the Convolutional Neural Network algorithm to detect oil palm fruit maturity based on digital color images. We expect a convolutional neural network, known for its effectiveness in image analysis, to deliver accurate results in classifying fruit maturity. The aim of this study is to develop and test a model of a convolutional neural network that can classify oil palm fruit into three maturity categories: raw, ripe, and rotten. This study employs a maturity-categorized data set of oil palm images. We built and trained a convolutional neural network model using this data set. We evaluate the model performance using four main metrics: accuracy, precision, recall, and f1-score. We perform an in-depth analysis to assess model performance in each maturity category. The confusion matrix yielded an accuracy of 74.6%. The convolutional neural network model developed showed the highest precision results for the ripe fruit (86.00%), followed by rotten fruit (72.30%), and raw fruit (67.30%). We obtained the highest recalls (85.40%) for the raw fruit category, followed by ripe fruits (75.50%) and rotten fruits (72.30%.

FACILE SYNTHESIS OF CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE (CMC) FROM AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES

Cellulose derivative products, such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), which are used in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries, but still rely on cotton-derived cellulose, can be made from oil palm fruit empty bunches (OPEFB) and rice straw. This study examined how sodium monochloroacetic acid (NaMCA) concentration (3, 6, and 9 g) affected the simple synthesis and characteristics of CMC from OPEFB and rice straw cellulose. OPEFB-derived CMC produced with NaMCA (9 g) had the lowest of brightness, while rice straw CMC was brighter. NaMCA modifications altered the onset temperature (Tonset), but not maximum degradation temperature (Tmax), according to thermal analysis. The onset temperatures of OPEFB and rice straw CMC were 40–62 °C and 67–183 °C, respectively. Commercial CMC has an onset temperature of about 27 °C. The EDX analysis showed that rice straw CMC had a higher degree of substitution (DS) of 0.34–1.37 than OPEFB CMC, which had 0.30-0.70. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) cellulose and rice straw cellulose offer a viable carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) alternative. This process turns agricultural waste into valuable products and enables for their usage in numerous applications.

Analysis of Brondolan Fruit Loss in Palm Oil Harvesting Activities in the Case Study of Sentekan Estate PT Rea Kaltim Plantations

Brondolan is an oil palm fruit that is separated from spikelets because it is too ripe during harvesting activities. Apart from that, brondolan is part of the fresh fruit bunch which produces maximum quality Crude Palm Oil (CPO). The aim of this research is to analyze losses from harvesting activities in the form of oil palm fruit stalks. The research method is to carry out quantitative and descriptive analysis. Loss of brondolan fruit during palm oil harvesting activities from the research sample was 10% of the sample block area in the disk area, pickle market area and yield collection area (TPH), amounting to 16,946 Kg/month of the total Kg/division oil palm fruit production. This occurs because the fruit is abandoned or left behind as a result of weak supervision and poor maintenance or maintenance activities in the plate area, pickle market area and TPH area which are not controlled by the growth of weeds, kentosan, this has an impact on the potential loss of 3,2% of total TBS production in the division.

Level of Attack of Ganoderma boninense on Palm Oil Plant in Different Topographies

This research was motivated by the stem rot disease of Ganoderma boninense. Symptoms of Ganoderma disease attack young and old plants aged 10-25 years, as a result of this attack, the production of oil palm fruit bunches decreases. This research aims to determine the symptoms of Ganoderma attacks on oil palm plants, and determine the highest level of Ganoderma attacks in different topography, namely hilly, flat and swampy. This research uses samples of oil palm plants by determining saturated sampling, namely taking samples of oil palm plants in all topography, including hilly, flat and swampy, with a total of 15 blocks in Division 4, with 5 blocks in each topography. Data collection uses primary and secondary data. The data analysis used was by calculating the percentage of attacks and using a completely randomized design (RAL) test. The research results show that the oil palm plants at PT. Rea Kaltim Plantations, Estate Sentekan Main in Division 4 has symptoms of Ganoderma boninense attacks. The highest percentage of Ganoderma boninense attacks is found in the swamp topography (17.08%). Based on ANOVA test, the topography gives a significant effect on the percentage of Ganoderma attacks.

Utilization of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) Waste as a Mixing Material for In-terlocking Brick Production

The choice of building materials has a considerable influence on the reliability of a building. Conventional bricks, despite their frequent use, pose a challenge due to their weight, as they affect the load-bearing capacity of the building, unlike interlocking bricks, which have holes at the top and bottom for reinforcement, potentially reducing the effects of earthquakes. In this study, interlocking bricks made from a mixture of empty oil palm fruit stalks and sand with different sand replacements (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5%) are investigated. The research results consistently show that the average density of EFB fiber composite bricks with a density of 1.48 grams/cm³ is lower than that of standard composite bricks. Although the compressive strength of these bricks is initially lower than that of standard bricks, it increases with the substitution of part of the sand with EFB fibers, although not significantly, with the highest compressive strength observed at a substitution rate of 12.5%, reaching 5.201 MPa. Water absorption rates ranged from 13.97% to 21.99%, which increases compared to standard bricks but still meets the requirements. With ongoing research and innovation, EFB-based interlocking bricks have the potential to address environmental challenges and support sustainable and environmentally friendly building practices.

Rancang Bangun Mesin Digesting Tandan Kosong Kelapa Sawit Sebagai Bahan Baku Brown Paper

Indonesia's pulp and paper production capacity was 5.5% of global production capacity in 2021. As an effort to support the development of the pulp and paper industry in Indonesia, pulp from empty oil palm fruit bunches (EFB) waste which are currently abundant is being tried to develope as raw material for brown paper. To simplify the process of developing pulp quality from EFB, the authors tried to design a rotary digester on a laboratory scale as a EFB digesting machine. The steps used in this research are assembling digester, making pulp, and finally analyzing the data. The digester machine was successfully designed to carry out the pulping process with operating conditions at a pressure of 7 bar, a temperature of 160°C, and a stirrer speed of 80 rpm with a maximum capacity of 1.3 L. The designed rotary digester is capable of producing pulp with an optimal yield level (43%) under reaction conditions, a temperature of 100°C and a NaOH concentration of 5%.