Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Research Articles

Conversion of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Waste into Green Liquid Organic Fertilizer

Solid wastes generated from the oil palm industry contain valuable nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that can significantly enhance plant growth and potentially elevate fertilizer production. This study aims to identify the optimal formulation of liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) derived from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber waste. Three formulations of LOF were prepared, comprising OPEFB waste, molasses, noni fruit, and cattle urine, designated as Formulation A, B, and C. These formulations underwent a 14-day anaerobic incubation period. The formulated OPEFB LOF was then analyzed for nutrient content, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids. This study also examines the soil properties and plant growth outcomes following the application of the formulated OPEFB LOF. The results indicated that Formulation A exhibited the highest nutrient concentrations, specifically 485 ppm nitrogen, 95 ppm phosphorus, and 1007 ppm potassium. In comparison to the other two OPEFB LOF formulations, Formulation A showed the lowest values for total dissolved solids (502 ppm) and electrical conductivity (8.14 dS/m). The findings demonstrated that Formulation A displayed the most favorable growth characteristics in terms of leaf count, plant height, leaf length, and leaf width. This is attributed to the nitrogen-boosting properties of cattle urine, along with the complementary effects of molasses and noni fruit as soil improver and bio-activator. This study confirms the viability of utilizing green organic fertilizer derived from OPEFB substrate in agriculture, replacing conventional inorganic fertilizers.

Comparative study of oil palm and nettle fibers reinforced chemically functionalized high‐density polyethylene composites

AbstractThe demand of natural fiber reinforced composites has grown enormously in polymer industries owing to their renewability and sustainability and maintaining their performance and properties. In this investigation, two natural fibers have been considered as a reinforcer to develop chemically functionalized high‐density polyethylene (CF‐HDPE)‐based composites. The total holocellulose content of ~85% and ~65% for nettle fiber (NTF) and oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPF) make them significant for this study. OPF/CF‐HDPE and NTF/CF‐HDPE composites have been developed and characterized to measure their desirable properties. The structural confirmation suggests reinforcement/matrix adhesion through ester and hydrogen bonds between them. NTF/CF‐HDPE and OPF/CF‐HDPE are thermally stable upto 240°C and 250°C, respectively. A significant increment of ~40% and ~64% in tensile strength were observed in addition of OPF and NTF reinforcer in pristine matrix. A similar observation has been shown in flexural strength with improvement of ~58% and ~83% with OPF and NTF as reinforcer. Among all these composite compositions, the 30/70 NTF/CF‐HDPE composite demonstrated the highest tensile and flexural properties values due to higher holocellulose of NTF. This study demonstrates the potential of OPF and NTF reinforcer to develop natural fiber reinforced polymer composites, which helps respective industries to manufactured tailored made products with desirable properties.Highlights OPF/CF‐HDPE and NTF/CF‐HDPE composites are sustainable and low cost. The composite compositions have been developed by extrusion and injection molding. The composite's mechanical (tensile and flexural) properties have been demonstrated. SEM and FTIR characterized the composites for the fiber/matrix adhesion. The composite's thermal stability has been affected by fibers and matrix.

A Circular Bioeconomy Approach to Using Post-Bioadsorbent Materials Intended for the Removal of Domestic Wastewater Contaminants as Potential Reinforcements.

Agro-industrial residue valorization under the umbrella of the circular bioeconomy (CBE) has prompted the search for further forward-thinking alternatives that encourage the mitigation of the industry's environmental footprint. From this perspective, second-life valorization (viz., thermoplastic composites) has been explored for agro-industrial waste (viz., oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers, OPEFBFs) that has already been used previously in other circular applications (viz., the removal of domestic wastewater contaminants). Particularly, this ongoing study evaluated the performance of raw residues (R-OPEFBFs) within three different size ranges (250-425, 425-600, 600-800 µm) both before and after their utilization in biofiltration processes (as post-adsorbents, P-OPEFBFs) to reinforce a polymer matrix of acrylic resin. The research examined the changes in R-OPEFBF composition and morphology caused by microorganisms in the biofilters and their impact on the mechanical properties of the composites. Smaller R-OPEFBFs (250-425 µm) demonstrated superior mechanical performance. Additionally, the composites with P-OPEFBFs displayed significant enhancements in their mechanical properties (3.9-40.3%) compared to those with R-OPEFBFs. The combination of the three fiber sizes improved the mechanical behavior of the composites, indicating the potential for both R-OPEFBFs and P-OPEFBFs as reinforcement materials in composite applications.

The effect on tensile and surface morphological properties of oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre through hot water treatment

The effect on tensile and surface morphological properties of oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre through hot water treatment

Fabrication and characterization of biocomposite pellets from cassava starch and oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) are lignocellulosic biomass that can be used to produce a biocomposite as an alternative to substitute non-renewable materials, such as plastic. Generally, the production of biocomposites uses OPEFB, which has been processed into cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, or nanocellulose and is mixed with starch. However, the OPEFB pretreatment into various types of cellulose requires a long process and many chemicals. The OPEFB pretreatment with less process, such as cutting to shorter fibers and without chemicals, was expected to shorten the process. This study aims to produce and evaluate the characteristics of biocomposite pellets from a combination of cassava starch and OPEFB fibers. Short OPEFB fibers (3-5 mm) with varying concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% were added to the cassava starch before mixing with other materials. The twin screw extruder used to produce biocomposite pellets was set at six temperature zones ranging from 85-140 °C and the screw speed in the range of 160-190 rpm. The results show that higher concentrations of OPEFB fibers produced darker pellets, which tended to be greyish. The biocomposite pellets had densities of 1.322-1.417 g cm-3. SEM results show some agglomerations on the surface of starch-OPEFB fibers biocomposite pellets. The water solubility of biocomposite pellets ranged from 32.97 – 36.44%. In conclusion, biocomposite pellets could be produced from a mixture of cassava starch and OPEFB fibers up to 20%. In its application for rigid packaging production, the biocomposite pellets’ performance could be improved by mixing them with recycled polypropylene.

Recycled Household Plastic and Oil Palm Filler Reinforced Epoxy Composite for Lightweight Construction Applications

Polypropylene is extensively used in aerospace, automotive and construction applications due to its versatile properties. This project aims to reduce plastic and oil palm waste and promote the development of strong, sustainable and eco-friendly construction materials. The objective of this project is to develop a sustainable yet high-performance construction material by incorporating polypropylene particles, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibres and oil palm shell (OPS) particles into epoxy composites through the hand lay-up method. The composite specimens undergo ASTM D638 tensile test to determine the tensile properties. The addition of PP particles in varying weights shows decrease in tensile strength, likely due to poor dispersion and compatibility with the epoxy matrix. Incorporating 3 wt% OPEFB fibres with fibre length from 2mm to 4mm improves tensile strength by 2.32% and 23.36% respectively at higher PP particle loadings which are 15 wt% and 25 wt%. Adding 1 wt% and 3 wt% OPS particles improves the tensile strength by 2.96% and 4.68% respectively, in composites with 10 wt% PP particles and 3 wt% OPEFB fibres. The tensile performance may be improved by treating PP particles with compatibilizers such as silane or maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene.

0D-3D Superstructure of Biocarbon with FeCl3-Assisted for Electrochemical Symmetrical Supercapacitor

Biomass materials exhibit a diversity of macrostructures that can be derived or developed into various 0D-3D nanoscale structural designs with various different dimensions such as spherical, nanofiber, tubular, nanosheet, hierarchical, nanosphere, and honeycomb structures, when converted into activated carbon. This research converts oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber biomass into supercapacitor carbon material by optimizing the chemical activation process by varying the activating reagent. The active carbon conversion process includes precarbonization stages, chemical activation (KOH, FeCl3, and ZnCl2), carbonization, and physical activation. The resulting electrode was confirmed to have a morphology with a 0D to 3D structure (nanosphere, nanofiber and nanopore) due to the FeCl3 activator, so the resulting surface area was high (517.998 m/g). Biomass was successfully converted into carbon which was confirmed through through the resulting physical and electrochemical properties. The electrochemical performance of the sample supercapacitor cell was analyzed in a symmetric two-electrode system in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte solution. The FeCl3-activated samples shows the highest specific capacitance of 256 F/g at a scan rate of 1 mV/s. In addition, oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber biomass is a potential raw material, as a carbon material for supercapacitor cells with high performance.

The Performance Study of Microstrip Patch Antenna Made of Polyurethane - Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Composite

In this paper, the performance of microstrip patch antenna that is made of fully biodegradable materials has been studied. The polymer resins of Polyurethane as a binder agent were produced using polyol extracted from palm oil while the host composites were made from oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber. The performance of Polyurethane – Oil Palm (PolyOP) Empty Fruit Bunch composite as a microwave dielectric substrate was tested by fabricating microstrip patch antenna on it. The performance of fabricated patch antenna was measured using Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) and is compared with simulation results obtained from High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) simulator. The difference of percentage in resonant frequency, return loss, bandwidth and VSWR between simulation and measurement were found to be 0.4%, 75.2%, 67.9%, and 12.7%, respectively.

Silica Removal of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber

Silica Removal of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber

Recycling of deep eutectic solvent in the extraction of ferulic acid from oil palm empty fruit bunch.

The study explored ferulic acid extraction from palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fiber using deep eutectic solvent (DES) of chlorine chloride-acetic acid as the extraction medium and the way to recover and recycle the DES thereafter. Antisolvent was added to selectively precipitate the ferulic acid, which was recovered by filtration thereafter. Recycling the DES without further purification led to increased ferulic acid yield with each subsequent extraction, likely due to retained ferulic acid. The retained ferulic acid and other impurities could be removed by precipitation brought upon by the addition of a second antisolvent. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance revealed that there was no excess ferulic acid in the recycled DES-treated with two types of antisolvents (ethanol and water). The yield of ferulic acid increased from 0.1367-0.1856g/g when treated with only one antisolvent to 0.1368-0.2897g/g with two antisolvent treatments. Oil droplets were also observed in the DES upon the addition of antisolvent 2, with recovered oil ranging from 0.6% to 3%. The study emphasized the significance of using DES as an extraction medium for ferulic acid from oil palm EFB fiber and the method to recycle the DES for subsequent processes.

Hydrothermal liquefaction of oil-palm-derived lignin to bio-oils for use as antioxidants in biodiesel

Lignin extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers was used to produce a phenolics-rich bio-oil via hydrothermal liquefaction in pure water, or an ethanol–water (1:1 v v−1) solvent system, in a stirred batch reactor. The effects of liquefaction temperature (200–300 °C), pressure (10–40 bar), reaction time (0.5–3 h), solvent-to-lignin mass ratio (5–20), and the type of gas (N2, H2, CO2) in the reactor headspace were investigated on the yield and antioxidant properties of the bio-oil. The bio-oil and other products were characterized in detail. The conditions for obtaining a high yield of a bio-oil with a maximum phenolics content and the antioxidant activity were the following: ethanol–water solvent system with a solvent-to-lignin mass ratio of 10, 250 °C, 40 bar, H2 in the headspace, and a reaction time of 2 h. The bio-oil product contained multiple phenolics compounds, and proved to be an effective antioxidant additive in biodiesel made from palm oil. The bio-oil produced under the above specified conditions was a superior antioxidant than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), an oxidant used commercially. The bio-oil produced using water as the solvent instead of ethanol–water, was a less effective antioxidant.

Effects of empty fruit bunch on the structures and properties of starch-based bioplastics

This paper aimed at maximizing the application of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers to reinforce the starch-based bioplastics with superior mechanical and water resistance properties. EFB fibers were thermally modified with dry method by incorporating different concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Thermal treatments with NaOH exceeding 10 wt% caused significant fiber loss. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) exhibited the part removal of fatty acid, hemicellulose, and lignin and SEM observed clean surfaces for the treated fibers. The crystallinity index of the fibers increased from 13.82% to 97.60%, but their thermal stability decreased due to the treatments. The influence of treated fibers on the structure and properties of starch-based bioplastics was characterized. EFB fibers treated with 10 wt% NaOH attained the high yield of 52.44% and demonstrated the best reinforcing effects on the bioplastics. This was confirmed by higher thermal stability, tensile strength, and water resistance compared to the other starch-based bioplastics.

From Renewable Biomass to Water Purification Systems: Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch as Bio-Adsorbent for Domestic Wastewater Remediation and Methylene Blue Removal

Oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers (OPEFBF), in three size ranges (small: 250–450 µm, medium: 450–600 µm, large: 600–800 µm), were investigated as a filter-bed material in biofilters for the removal of organic matter and nutrients. After saturation, these fibers (post) were used in the removal of methylene blue through batch processes. The batch adsorption tests included optimizing the adsorbent dosage (0.5–32.0 g/L) and contact time (2.5–60.0 min). Experimental data were fitted to various kinetic/isotherm models. Instrumental characterization of both raw and post fibers was conducted. Post fibers underwent morphological/compositional changes due to the presence of microorganisms and their byproducts. Efficiencies reached up to 94% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 88.4% for total nitrogen and 77.2% for total phosphorus. In batch adsorption, methylene blue removal exceeded 90%, underscoring the effectiveness of small raw OPEFBF and large post OPEFBF. Kinetic models indicated that raw OPEFBF better fit the pseudo-first-order model, while post OPEFBF better fit the pseudo-second-order model. Both types of OPEFBF showed a good fit with the Freundlich model (higher R2, lower χ2 and SSE). Particularly, large post OPEFBF stood out as the most efficient adsorbent, achieving a maximum adsorption capacity of 12.02 mg/g for methylene blue. Therefore, raw/post OPEFBF could be an alternative to remove contaminants from wastewater.

Effective microorganism pre-treatment on oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre for cultivation of Volvariella volvacea (Bull.) Singer

Pre-treatment with effective microorganisms (EM) for the cultivation of Volvariella volvacea using oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) was proposed to increase yield. The effect of different EM doses on the mycelium growth and yield was observed. The treatment was carried out using a combination of two parameters: composting times (5 days (T1), 10 days (T2) and 15 days (T3) and dosages of EM (0% (E1), 10% (E2), 20% (E3) and 30% (E4). While the composition of EFB was analysed to compare the changes before and after the pre-treatments. It was determined that EM pre-treatments of 20% and 30% resulted in significantly faster mycelial growth compared to the other treatments. The highest yield of V. volvacea was observed at T2E4 (10d, 30% EM) with 271.5±57.28 g or biological efficiency (B.E) of 9.11%. The highest average weight per fruiting body (FB) was obtained at T1E3 (5d, 20% EM) with 14 g, while T2E4 (10d, 30% EM) yielded the highest number of harvested FB with 42. Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin were reduced in all treatments tested. Both EM dosages and composting times significantly affected the yield of V. volvacea. EFB fibre was a potential substrate for the cultivation of V. volvacea.

Isolation and characterization of soda lignin from OPEFB and evaluation of its performance as wood adhesive

The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanical properties of plywood panels that had been bound with lignin-phenol–formaldehyde (LPF) adhesive. LPF, composed of lignin that was extracted from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) fiber by soda pulping method and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (HNMR), and Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) analysis. Then, various compositions of soda lignin (10–50 wt%) were used as a phenol substitute in LPF synthesis. The characteristics of the synthesizedadhesive were compared to the properties of phenol formaldehyde (PF) adhesive. Plywood was fabricated with LPF and its mechanical properties were studied and evaluated using industrial standards. The result indicates that the increase of phenol substitution with soda lignin, up to 40%, improves the mechanical properties of plywood. This research demonstrated the use of lignin as a renewable replacement of phenol in PF adhesive formulation.

Investigation of mechanical properties and dynamic characteristics of OPEFB Fiber Composite

Composite materials is increasingly experiencing an increa- sing trend, the manufacture of composites currently uses a lot of natural fiber reinforcement, Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) fiber is a fiber that comes from oil palm empty fruit bunches waste that grows a lot in Indonesia and has the potential to be used as reinforcement in the manufacture of composites. With natural fiber reinforcement. The manufacture of composites in this study varied the fiber volume fraction by 5%, 15%, and 25%. Many previous studies on composite materials have focused on studying the physical and mechanical properties of composites. Even though damage to a structure or material is not only caused by static loads but also by dynamic loads. Vibration is a dynamic load experienced by material or structure, so it is necessary to determine the dynamic character of composite materials, one of the dynamic characteristics of materials is their natural frequency, the determination of the natural frequency in this study was carried out by using the finite element method in the ANSYS software. The results of the analysis in the form of tensile strength values and modulus of elasticity were obtained from tensile testing and dynamic characters in the form of natural frequencies and vibration modes were obtained from the analysis modal simulation process. From the results of the tensile test, it was found that the composite with a variation of 15% OPEFB fiber volume had the highest tensile strength and modulus of elasticity, as well as the results of the analysis modal simulation, a composite with 15% OPPEFB fiber, had the highest natural frequency value among the other two variations.

Study of The Potential of Palm Oil Empty Core Fiber As Composite Materials for Ship Hull

Palm oil is the largest commodity in Indonesia. Pprocessing of oil palm, leaving 20% to 23% empty palm fruit bunches (EFB). Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) is a collection of fiber left behind after separating the fruit from fresh fruit bunches that have been sterilized. Some researchers use natural fibers as an alternative for making composites. This study aims 1. To determine the tensile strength of the alternative material of palm empty fruit bunch fiber. 2. To determine the buckling or bending strength of the alternative fiber material for empty palm oil bunches. The method used is the tensile and bending test method in the process of mixing the fiber material of empty palm oil bunches in the manufacture of composites. The test results obtained were compared with the BKI composite standard. The volume fraction used in this study was 30% polyester resin and 70% EFB fiber, 40% polyester resin and 60% EFB fiber and 50% polyester resin and 50% EFB fiber with NaOH alkaline treatment for 2 hours. The average tensile stress values obtained for each fraction were 27.372 MPa, 24.168 MPa and 25.875 MPa respectively. The values for the bending stress of each fraction are 144.836 Mpa, 149.059 Mpa and 164.682 Mpa respectively.

Effect of Chemical Pre-Treatment on the Catalytic Performance of Oil Palm EFB Fibre Supported Magnetic Acid Catalyst

The development of heterogenous catalysts using renewable materials has received wide attention. A heterogenous catalyst has been a preferred choice as it evades the disadvantages of homogeneous catalysts, nevertheless, heterogenous catalysts has limited activity and a longer separation process. The current study emphasises the preparation of a new magnetic catalyst using oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibre as a carbon-based support material. The effect of different alkaline pre-treatments over the methyl ester conversion rate were investigated. The catalyst preparation parameters were studied by using the single factor optimisation approach, including the fibre loading, impregnation time, calcination temperature, and calcination time. Their effects in the esterification of oleic acid were investigated in this study. The optimisation study shows that the Na2CO3-treated(T)-EFBC magnetic catalyst had the highest esterification rate of 93.5% with 7 g EFB fibre loading, a 2 h impregnation time and a calcination temperature of 500 °C for 2 h. The catalyst possessed a good acidity of 3.5 mmol/g with excellent magnetism properties. This study showed that the catalysts are magnetically separable and exhibited good stability with 82.1% after five cycles. The oil palm EFB supported magnetic acid catalyst indicates it as a potential option to the existing solid catalysts that is economical and environmentally friendly for the esterification process.

Enhancing Compatibility and Mechanical Properties of Natural Rubber Composites

Pure natural rubber (NR) exhibits low mechanical properties, necessitating the incorporation of additives like vulcanizing agents and fillers. Carbon black and silica, conventional fillers, are relatively expensive and not environmentally friendly. This study explores using Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) fiber as an affordable, abundant, and biodegradable alternative filler for NR. However, compatibility issues arise between the nonpolar NR and the polar OPEFB fiber. A latex-starch hybrid coupling agent (CA (NR-St)) was added to the composite formulation to address this. NR, OPEFB fiber, and the coupling agent were mixed using an open roll mill with a 10 phr OPEFB filler loading and coupling agent concentrations of 0, 1, 2, and 3 phr. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), rheology, and mechanical property tests revealed that the coupling agent improved the compatibility between NR and OPEFB fibers, as evidenced by increased tensile strength and stiffness. The composite with 3-phr coupling agent exhibited the best performance with tensile strength and stiffness values of 25.6 MPa and 3.7 MPa, respectively. This increase in mechanical properties has the potential to act as a catalyst for increasing the use of renewable materials in the rubber industrial sector, especially the automotive industry.

Effects of Fibre Length on the Physical Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Cement Board (OPEFB-CB)

In a cement board (CB) composite, fibres reinforce the board. It is because the length of the fibres significantly impacts the strength of the CB composite. Nonetheless, the physical properties of the CB are also an important aspect when dealing with the quality control of the final product. This study investigates the effects of various fibre lengths in CB fabrication on its physical properties, including the cement-hydration rate, tensile strength, density stability and thickness swelling (TS). Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibres at different lengths are used based on the mesh retained size of R7M, R14M, and R30M. The OPEFB-CB mixture used in this research is 3:1 (cement: fibre ratio), with a target density of 1,300 kg/m3. The sample is compressed using a 1000 psi cold-compression load to achieve the desired composite thickness of 12 mm. This research revealed that the longest fibres retained on the R7M mesh with an average length of 5 mm resulted in lower density and the highest TS value. Meanwhile, lower dimensional stability was achieved by OPEFB-CB composites using fibre that retained on the R14M and R30M, having an average length of 3 mm and 1 mm, respectively. Based on the results, the optimum fibre length recommended in the fabrication of OPEFB-CB composites is processed fibres retained on the R14M sieve with an average length of 3 mm. This recommendation is made based on the most stable density and lowest TS results achieved by the R14M retained fibres which is in the range of 1,231–1,309.4 kg/m3 and TS of 0.65 %.