Oil Palm Mesocarp Fiber Research Articles

One-pot conversion of oil palm empty fruit bunch and mesocarp fiber biomass to levulinic acid and upgrading to ethyl levulinate via indium trichloride-ionic liquids

A variety of bio-based chemicals and biofuels have been produced from residual biomass including 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, levulinic acid and ethyl levulinate. In this study, Bronsted-Lewis acidic ionic liquids, which made up of an eco-friendly indium trichloride and a noncorrosive ionic liquids, 1-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, was developed for a cleaner production of ethyl levulinate from biomass conversions. This coupling catalyst was used for the first time without the corrosive alkyl sulfonic acid functionalised group in the ionic liquids. The conversions involve a sequential depolymerisation and esterification. The depolymerisation was conducted at ionic liquids-to-biomass ratio of 5:1 (w/w), 0.15 mmol indium trichloride, 20% (w/w) water and temperature of 160 °C for 5 h, whereas, the esterification was conducted at the temperature of 90 °C for 10 h in excess ethanol. The coupling catalyst gave ethyl levulinate yields of 13.1% and 14.7%, with process efficiencies of 44.3% and 55.1%, for oil palm empty fruit bunch and oil palm mesocarp fiber conversions, respectively. The coupling catalyst also exhibited minimal losses of <17% of ethyl levulinate yields for the consecutive three runs in reutilisation tests, signifying its potential recycling ability. The experimental results confirm that the proposed non-corrosive coupling catalyst provides a uniquely suitable catalytic system for the conversion of renewable biomass feedstocks into useful products under mild operating conditions.

Alkali Pretreatment and Acid Hydrolysis of Oil Palm Mesocarp Fiber (OPMF) to Produce Glucose

The uses of cellulose fibers in many fields have attracted significant scientific attention in the recent years. This research analyzed the amount of glucose produced from oil palm mesocarp fiber using sulphuric acid hydrolysis. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) pretreatment with different concentrations of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% w/v was conducted at 70 °C for a retention time of 2 h. The resulting fibers were examined using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The optimum conditions were 20% w/v sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at a temperature of 70 °C. The oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) was then hydrolyzed using 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% v/v sulphuric acid at varying temperatures of 30, 45, 60 and 90 °C for a treatment time of 2 h. Glucose concentration was tested using a UV spectrophotometer. The highest yield of glucose was 0.942 g/L using 20% v/v sulphuric acid and a temperature of 90 °C.

Thermal properties of biopolyol from oil palm fruit fibre (OPFF) using solvolysis liquefaction technique

Liquefaction is known to be an effective method for converting biomass into a biopolyol. The biomass liquefaction of oil palm fruit waste (PFW) in the presence of liquefaction solvent/polyhydric alcohol (PA): polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400) using sulfuric acid as catalyst was studied. For all experiments, the liquefaction was conducted at 150°C and atmospheric pressure. The mass ratio of OPFW to liquefaction solvents used in all the experiments was, 1/3. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) were used to analyze their biopolyol and residue behaviors. It was found that thermal stability of oil palm mesocarp fibre (PM), oil palm shell (PS) and oil palm kernel (PK) fibre exhibited the first degradation of hard segment at (232, 104, 230°C) and the second degradation of soft segment at (314, 226, 412°C) as compared to PM, PS and PK residue which (229, 102, 227°C) of hard segment and (310, 219, 299°C) of segment, respectively. This behavior of thermal degradation of the hard segment and soft segment of biopolyol was changes after undergo solvolysis liquefaction process. The result analysis showed that the resulting biopolyol and its residue was suitable monomer for polyurethane (PU) synthesis for the production of PU foams.

Production of acetoin from hydrothermally pretreated oil mesocarp fiber using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli in a bioreactor system

Acetoin is used in the biochemical, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Several effective methods for acetoin production from petroleum-based substrates have been developed, but they all have an environmental impact and do not meet sustainability criteria. Here we describe a simple and efficient method for acetoin production from oil palm mesocarp fiber hydrolysate using engineered Escherichia coli. An optimization of culture conditions for acetoin production was carried out using reagent-grade chemicals. The final concentration reached 29.9gL−1 with a theoretical yield of 79%. The optimal pretreatment conditions for preparing hydrolysate with higher sugar yields were then determined. When acetoin was produced using hydrolysate fortified with yeast extract, the theoretical yield reached 97% with an acetoin concentration of 15.5gL−1. The acetoin productivity was 10-fold higher than that obtained using reagent-grade sugars. This approach makes use of a compromise strategy for effective utilization of oil palm biomass towards industrial application.

Isolation and Characterization of Cellulose Nanocrystals from Oil Palm Mesocarp Fiber

The aim was to explore the utilization of oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) as a source for the production of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). OPMF was first treated with alkali and then bleached before the production of CNC by acid hydrolysis (H2SO4). The produced materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). It was proven that acid hydrolysis can increase the crystallinity of bleached OPMF and reduce the dimension of cellulose to nano scale. Changes in the peaks of the FTIR spectrum at 2852 (C-H stretching), 1732 (C=O stretching) and 1234 cm−1 (C-O stretching) indicated that the alkali treatment completely removed hemicelluloses and lignin from the fiber surface. This can be seen from the thermogram obtained from the TGA characterization. Morphological characterization clearly showed the formation of rod-shaped CNCs. The promising results prove that OPMF is a valuable source for the production of CNC.

Bionanocomposites produced from cassava starch and oil palm mesocarp cellulose nanowhiskers

Cassava starch films reinforced with cellulose nanowhiskers from oil palm mesocarp fibers were produced by casting. Nanowhiskers were obtained by sulphuric acid hydrolysis followed by microfluidization and incorporated in starch films at various loadings (1–10wt%). Morphological and mechanical characterizations showed that the reinforcing effect of oil palm cellulose nanowhiskers was significant at loadings of up to 6wt%, which was determined to be the nanowhiskers percolation threshold. Above this content, formation of agglomerates became more significant, causing a decrease in mechanical properties of starch bionanocomposites. Below percolation threshold, such as 2wt%, elongation at break increased by 70%, showing an effective reinforcing effect. Dynamic mechanical analyses revealed filler/matrix interactions through hydrogen bonding in bionanocomposites.

Preparation of Biopolyol by Solvolysis Liquefaction of Oil Palm Mesocarp Fibre using Polyhydric Alchohol

Liquefied oil palm mesocarp fibre (LOPMF) is a promising natural material that can be used as biopolyol of polyurethane foam. The aim of this study was to utilizing solvolysis liquefaction conversion technology of oil palm mesocarp fibre (OPMF) for polyurethane (PU) foam. LOPMF was obtained with liquefaction of fibre in polyhydric alchohol (PA) such as ethylene glycol (EG), polyethylene glycol (PEG) and glycerol (GLY) as liquefaction solvent and sulphuric acid (H2SO4) in three different OPMF/PA ratio (1/2, 1/3 and 1/4) in conventional glass reactor. During the liquefaction, cellulose, semi-cellulose and lignin are decomposed, which results in changes of acid value and hydroxyl value. Liquefied OPMF and residues were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The results revealed that almost 50% of the OPMF converted into biopolyol product within 2 hours with OPMF/PA ratio of 1/4. Biopolyol produced under different condition showed viscosities from 210 to 450 Pa.s. The hydroxyl and acid values of the liquefied OPMF varied with the liquefied conditions. It was observed that with an increase in the liquefaction solvent (PA) amount in the mixture resulted in a high acid value and hydroxyl value for the OPMF. High reaction temperature combining with low OPMF material to solvent ratio resulted low hydroxyl number of LOPMF. The result in this study showed that biopolyol was suitable monomer for polyurethane synthesis.

A Review on the Potential of Natural Fibre for Sound Absorption Application

This review covers an alternative material known as natural fibre that can be used to replace synthetic fibre as core material for the production of sound absorber. The review explored natural fibre such as bamboo fibre, arenga pinnata, paddy straw fibre, oil palm mesocarp fibre, and kenaf fibre in terms of acoustic properties such as sound absorption coefficient. It has been found that plenty of research regarding the utilization of natural fibre for sound absorption purposes have been accomplished. The implementation of natural fibre in producing sound absorber brings many environmental benefit as it is much greener compared to existing material such as synthetic fibre. Apart from that, natural fibre does not impose any serious health effect compared to the existing synthetic fibre.

Ecofriendly modification of acetosolv lignin from oil palm biomass for improvement of PMMA thermo‐oxidative properties

ABSTRACTThe environmentally friendly esterification of acetosolv lignin (AL), obtained from pressed oil palm mesocarp fibers, is described, for the improvement of thermo‐oxidative properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films. Acetylation of AL was performed in ecofriendly conditions using acetic anhydride in the absence of catalysts. Acetylated acetosolv lignin (AAL) was successfully obtained in only 12 min with a solvent‐free and catalyst‐free microwave‐assisted procedure. Lignins were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), confirming the efficacy of the methodology employed. AL and AAL as fillers in different concentrations (1% and 5%) were added to PMMA films. The thermal and mechanical properties of the lignin‐incorporated films were analyzed by TGA, DSC, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The films incorporated with lignin and acetylated lignin presented initial degradation temperature (Tonset) and onset oxidative temperature (OOT) values higher than pure PMMA films, contributing thus to an enhancement of thermo‐oxidative stability of PMMA. The DMA analyses showed that incorporation of AL or AAL increased the storage modulus (E′) of PMMA films, but did not affect their glass‐transition temperatures (Tg). The results indicate the potential use of oil palm mesocarp lignin to enhance the thermo‐oxidative properties of PMMA without compromising its mechanical response. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45498.

Production of Cellulose Nanowhiskers from Oil Palm Mesocarp Fibers by Acid Hydrolysis and Microfluidization

In the present study, oil palm mesocarp fibers (OPMF), an agroindustrial residue from the production of palm oil, were used to obtain cellulose nanowhiskers. They were obtained from bleaching of fibers, followed by hydrolysis using sulfuric acid and microfkuidization, to control the length of cellulose nanowhiskers and avoid a decrease in thermal stability with extended acid hydrolysis time. The results showed that the nanowhiskers obtained by acid hydrolysis for 105 min resulted in structures with an average length (L) of 117 ± 54 nm and diameter (D) of 10 ± 5 nm. After 105 min of acid hydrolysis, the suspension was dialyzed and the neutral suspension was subjected to microfku- idization. At this time the nanowhiskers presented the same dimensions, even with the fibrils disintegration of both amorphous and crystalline phases, during the microfkuidization. However, after microfkuidization, the sample presented a more stable suspension, but the crystallinity decreased. Increasing the hydrolysis time from 105 to 140 min, more sulfonated nanowhiskers were obtained, presenting lower thermal stability, but higher crystallinity than the microfkuidized sample. Furthermore, this study proved that it is possible to obtain cellulose nanowhiskers from oil palm mesocarp fibers, an agroindustrial residue from the palm oil production, helping to reduce the environmental impact of this waste, as well as providing the obtaining of a high value-added product.

Pyrolysis of oil palm mesocarp fiber and palm frond in a slow-heating fixed-bed reactor: A comparative study

Oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) and palm frond (PF) were respectively devolatilized by pyrolysis to OPMF-oil and PF-oil bio-oils and biochars, OPMF-char and PF-char in a slow-heating fixed-bed reactor. In particular, the OPMF-oil and PF-oil were produced to a maximum yield of 48wt% and 47wt% bio-oils at 550°C and 600°C, respectively. The high heating values (HHVs) of OPMF-oil and PF-oil were respectively found to be 23MJ/kg and 21MJ/kg, whereas 24.84MJ/kg and 24.15MJ/kg were for the corresponding biochar. The HHVs of the bio-oils and biochars are associated with low O/C ratios to be higher than those of the corresponding biomass. The Fourier transform infrared spectra and peak area ratios highlighted the effect of pyrolysis temperatures on the bio-oil compositions. The bio-oils are pervaded with numerous oxygenated carbonyl and aromatic compounds as suitable feedstocks for renewable fuels and chemicals.

Bioadsorption of Multiple Heavy Metal Ions by Rhizophora Apiculate sp. and Elaesis Guineensis sp.

Heavy metal ions contamination has become more serious which is caused by the releasing of toxic water from industrial area and landfill that are very harmful to all living organism especially human and can even cause death if contaminated in small amount of heavy metal concentration. Currently, peoples are using classic method namely electrochemical treatment, chemical oxidation/reduction, chemical precipitation and reverse osmosis to eliminate the metal ions from toxic water. Unfortunately, these methods are costly and not environmentally friendly as compared to bioadsorption method, where agricultural waste is used as biosorbent to remove heavy metals. Two types of agricultural waste used in this research namely oil palm mesocarp fiber (Elaesis guineensis sp.) (OPMF) and mangrove bark (Rhizophora apiculate sp.) (MB) biomass. Through chemical treatment, the removal efficiency was found to improve. The removal efficiency is examined based on four specification namely dosage, of biosorbent to adsorb four types of metals ion explicitly nickel, lead, copper, and chromium. The research has found that the removal efficiency of MB was lower than OPMF; whereas, the multiple metals ions removal efficiency decreased in the order of Pb2+ &gt; Cu2+ &gt; Ni2+ &gt; Cr2+.

Qualitative methods to identify potential strains for partial degradation of oil palm mesocarp fibre

Chemical and physical treatments for cellulosic wastes degradation currently suffer several setbacks that limit its application in the management of palm oil-related wastes. This study isolated and screened fungal strains capable of degrading raw oil palm mesocarp fibre (OPMF). The fungal strains were identified by using the polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by phylogenetic studies. Three fungal strains namely Mucor irregularis (AZ1), Pestalotiopsis microspora (AZ2) and Trichoderma harzianum (AZ3) were selected to investigate the degradability of OPMF. The OPMF, being a lignocellulosic biomass was partially degraded via ligninolytic and xylanolytic enzymes secreted by AZ1, AZ2 and AZ3, respectively. All three strains gave positive effects to xylanolytic and ligninolytic activities. The qualitative screening for lignocellulose degradation indicated that 36% lignin and 79% hemicel-lulose components of OPMF were completely degraded following fungi treatment. The presence of hollow zones on the screening plates affirmed the ability of these strains in hydrolyzing raw OPMF.

Study of Non-linear Mechanical Behavior of Oil Palm Mesocarp Fibers

ABSTRACTThis work investigates the non-linear mechanical behavior of oil palm mesocarp fibers (OPMF) using tensile tests, microstructure observation, and finite element models. The micrograph images showed the fiber’s surface with partly embedded silica bodies, while the cross section contained cell wall structures. Viscoelastic behavior was observed when the fibers were relaxed over time after being stretched, whereas the stress--strain curves from the cyclic tests indicated permanent set (plastic strain) due to the fibers’ deformation. Finite element models were developed comprising single particles (2D and 3D) and 2D multi-particle geometries representing silica bodies embedded in a matrix representing the fiber. The modeling results suggested that silica bodies do not contribute much to the integrity of OPMF, highlighting the need to have a more complex model that considers cellular structures of the fibers and a constitutive relationship of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin.

Factors Affecting Spinnability of Oil Palm Mesocarp Fiber Cellulose Solution for the Production of Microfiber

Cellulose microfiber (MF) formation by electrospinning is affected by several factors. In this paper, fabrication of MF from oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF), a biomass residue abundantly available at the palm oil mill, was conducted by electrospinning. The effect of OPMF-cellulose solution properties on the spinnability of the solution was determined. Extracted cellulose from OPMF was dissolved in four different formulations of ionic liquids: (i) ([EMIM]Cl), (ii) ([EMIM][Cl):DMF, (iii) ([EMIM]Cl):([C10MIM][Cl]), and (iv) ([EMIM]Cl):([C10MIM][Cl]):DMF at cellulose concentrations of 1% to 9% (w/v). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that MF formed had diameter sizes ranging from 200 to 500 nm. MF was formed only at 6% (w/v) cellulose concentration, when DMF was mixed in the solution. The results showed that cellulose concentration and viscosity played major roles in the spinnability of cellulose solution, in which too high viscosity of the cellulose solution caused failure of the electrospinning process and eventually affected the formation of MF. The characteristics of MF obtained herein suggest the potential of OPMF cellulose as a starting material for the production of MF.

Superheated Steam Treatment of Oil Palm Mesocarp Fiber Improved the Properties of Fiber-Polypropylene Biocomposite

The effect of fiber surface modification by superheated steam (SHS) treatment and fiber content (30 to 50 wt.%) was evaluated relative to the mechanical, morphology, thermal, and water absorption properties of oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF)/polypropylene (PP) biocomposites. SHS treatment of OPMF was conducted between 190 and 230 C for 1 h, then the SHS-treated fiber was subjected to melt-blending with PP for biocomposite production. The biocomposite prepared from SHS-OPMF treated at 210 C with 30 wt.% fiber loading resulted in SHS-OPMF/PP biocomposites with a tensile strength of 20.5 MPa, 25% higher than untreated-OPMF/PP biocomposites. A significant reduction of water absorption by 31% and an improved thermal stability by 8% at T5%degradation were also recorded. Scanning electron microscopy images of fractured SHS-OPMF/PP biocomposites exhibited less fiber pull-out, indicating that SHS treatment improved interfacial adhesion between fiber and PP. The results demonstrated SHS treatment is an effective surface modification method for biocomposite production.

Gasification of Nickel-Preloaded Oil Palm Biomass with Air

This study experimentally investigates the gasification of nickel-preloaded oil palm biomass as an alternative catalytic approach to produce clean syngas. To eliminate the use of catalyst support, nickel was added directly to the oil palm mesocarp fiber via ion-exchange using an aqueous solution of nickel nitrate. Nickel species was found to disperse very well on the biomass at a nano-scale dispersion. The presence of the finely dispersed nickels on biomass enhanced syngas production and reduced tar content in the producer gas during the air gasification of biomass. It is believed that nickel particles attached on the biomass and its char promote the catalytic cracking of tar on their surface and supply free radicals to the gas phase to enhance the radical-driven gas-phase reactions for the reforming of high molecular weight hydrocarbons. The unconsumed nickel-containing char shows great potential to be re-utilised as a catalyst to further enhance the destruction of tar components in the secondary tar reduction process.

Dynamically controlled fibrillation under combination of ionic liquid with mechanical grinding

ABSTRACTCombination of mortar grinder mill (MG) and ionic liquid (IL) treatment was employed in order to fibrillate fibers from oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) in one‐step. The structural changes of OPMF before and after the treatment were examined by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transformed infrared (FT‐IR) spectra, Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Compared with the only use of 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIM[BF4]), combination of MG and IL helped to remove hemicellulose and lignin components partially from OPMF, and also fibrillated OPMF fibers at average particle diameter of 127 nm. Afterwards, the fibrillated fibers were utilized as reinforcement material for the purpose of enhancement of mechanical properties of poly(ɛ‐caprolactone)(PCL). The addition of OPMF treated with the combined method led to a 64% increase in tensile strength in comparison with that of untreated OPMF. These results indicate that the combined method enables effective fibrillation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci.2017,134, 44469.

Fibrous residues of palm oil as a source of green chemical building blocks

Oil palm is an important industrial crop, and is usually harvested to obtain lipids and proteins. However, such biomass can be a source of important chemical biomacromolecules with several industrial applications. The aim of this work was to extract cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), cellulose nanofribrils (CNF), and lignin from pressed oil palm mesocarp fibers (POPMF). Initially, fibers were acetosolv pulped, resulting in two fractions: a lignin-rich black liquor and cellulose-rich pulp. Lignin was recovered from the black liquor and totally chlorine-free (TCF) bleaching was applied to purify the cellulose. Fibers and biomacromolecules were characterized using several methods including SEM, FEG/SEM, TEM, DRX, GPC, zeta potential, TGA, and FTIR. The pulping-bleaching treatment improved the amount of crystalline cellulose in the pulp, yielding CNC with good thermal stability, a length of 289nm, diameter of 11nm, and an aspect ratio of 26. The lignin presented a high purity, with a syringyl-rich structure and good thermal stability. Such characteristics highlight the potential use of POPMF lignin as a green building-block and POPMF nanocellulose materials as renewable biomaterials.

Reduction of residual pollutants from biologically treated palm oil mill effluent final discharge by steam activated bioadsorbent from oil palm biomass

Treatment of wastewater using bioadsorbent has gained interest as one of the tertiary treatment methods. Bioadsorbents from peat, coconut shell, fruit stones and oil palm biomass have been produced but the bioadsorbent ability in removing pollutants from biologically treated palm oil mill effluent final discharge is scarcely reported. This research attempts to treat biologically treated palm oil mill effluent final discharge using steam activated oil palm mesocarp fiber bioadsorbent without the use of chemicals as activating agents. Oil palm mesocarp fiber was carbonised at 600 °C for 30 min and later activated using steam at same temperature for another 30 min. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of the bioadsorbent was found to be 494 m2/g. Bioadsorbent produced was then used to treat biologically treated palm oil mill final discharge by mixing both bioadsorbent and the wastewater into a conical flask and shaken at 150 rpm for 24 h. At 10 g/L dosage, the bioadsorbent reduced the chemical oxygen demand and suspended solid of biologically treated palm oil mill effluent final discharge from 395 mg/L and 117 mg/L down to 303 mg/L and 14 mg/L, respectively. Consecutive treatments at 10 g/L dosage resulted in higher removal of the chemical oxygen demand and suspended solids up to 122 mg/L and 7 mg/L, respectively, which meets the river water quality, making the final wastewater suitable as recycled water for the zero-emission system in the palm oil mill.