Palm Kernel Fibre Research Articles

Investigation of Thermal Conductivity of Palm Kernel Fibre Nanofluid Using De-Ionized Water and Ethylene Glycol Mixed at Ratio of 50:50 and 60:40

Investigation of Thermal Conductivity of Palm Kernel Fibre Nanofluid Using De-Ionized Water and Ethylene Glycol Mixed at Ratio of 50:50 and 60:40

Study on the Mechanical Properties of Palm Kernel Fibre Reinforced Epoxy and Poly-Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) Composite Material

The goal of this paper is to determine the mechanical properties of a proposed combined polymer composite which consist of a poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix and palm kernel fibre reinforced with epoxy. The influence of fibres volume on the mechanical properties of the composites was also evaluated. Composites with volumetric amounts of palm kernel fibre up to 12 % were fabricated and they were arranged in randomly oriented discontinues form. Tensile, impact, flexural and hardness tests were carried out to determine the characteristics of material. The acquired results show that the tensile modulus changes with the fibre content. The strength of coconut fibre reinforced composites tends to decrease with the amount of fibre which indicates ineffective stress transfer between the fibre and matrix. When higher fibre content of 10% was used, the damping peak shows the maximum value for almost all the frequency mode. It was observed that the effects of reinforcing poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA matrix with the palm kernel fibres caused the composites to be more flexible and easily deform due to high strain values and reduction of high resonant amplitude. In general, the mechanical properties of the developed composite showed variation at different test performed. This led to the conclusion that the material is most useful were strength to weight ratio is needed. The optimum percentage of fibre in epoxy resin to obtain the highest tensile properties was found at 10 vol. %. It was also found that fibre, dispersion of fibre and interfacial adhesion between fibre–matrix can affect the mechanical properties of the composites.

Study on the Mechanical Properties of Palm Kernel Fibre Reinforced Epoxy and Poly-Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) Composite Material

The goal of this paper is to determine the mechanical properties of a proposed combined polymer composite which consist of a poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix and palm kernel fibre reinforced with epoxy. The influence of fibres volume on the mechanical properties of the composites was also evaluated. Composites with volumetric amounts of palm kernel fibre up to 12 % were fabricated and they were arranged in randomly oriented discontinues form. Tensile, impact, flexural and hardness tests were carried out to determine the characteristics of material. The acquired results show that the tensile modulus changes with the fibre content. The strength of coconut fibre reinforced composites tends to decrease with the amount of fibre which indicates ineffective stress transfer between the fibre and matrix. When higher fibre content of 10% was used, the damping peak shows the maximum value for almost all the frequency mode. It was observed that the effects of reinforcing poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA matrix with the palm kernel fibres caused the composites to be more flexible and easily deform due to high strain values and reduction of high resonant amplitude. In general, the mechanical properties of the developed composite showed variation at different test performed. This led to the conclusion that the material is most useful were strength to weight ratio is needed. The optimum percentage of fibre in epoxy resin to obtain the highest tensile properties was found at 10 vol. %. It was also found that fibre, dispersion of fibre and interfacial adhesion between fibre–matrix can affect the mechanical properties of the composites.

Adsorption Studies of Heavy Metals by Low-Cost Adsorbents

In this study, removal of toxic metals Cr(VI) from artificially contaminated water has been investigated with the aim of detoxifying industrial effluents before their safe disposal onto land or into the river. Two low-cost natural adsorbents, Palm Kernel fiber and Coconut husks, were used to remove Cr(VI) ion from synthesized waste water. The effects of, initial concentration, contact time, on adsorption efficiency were investigated. Adsorption isotherm and kinetics were also studied. Generally, the result showed an increase in removal efficiency with increase in contact time and decrease of initial concentration. Kinetic study revealed that pseudo-second order model is suitable to explain all our experimental data. The adsorption equilibrium data correlate well with Freundlich model, with regression coefficient, R 2 . The results showed that efficiencies of ACNH and APKF for Cr(vi) ion removal were 91.14%, and 84.89% respectively,. High adsorption capacity of the tested adsorbents makes it preferable and very cheap and environmental-friendly alternative adsorption material. © JASEM

Effect of cane wood and palm kernel fibre filler on the compressive strength and density of automobile brake pad

The study on the effect of cane wood and palm kernel as filler materials on the compressive strength and density of an automobile brake pad has been done. The Central Composite Design tool of the Design Expert 8 software was used to design percentage composition of the test samples for 20 experimental runs. To ascertain how well the factors fit in the design, the lack of fit test was performed. The analysis of variance shows that the developed models are significant and quadratic, showing that both materials affect the responses. On optimization, optimal compressive strength and density of 107.3 MPa and 1.73 g/cm3 were obtained for the composition of 30% resin content, 21.329% palm kernel fibre content and 40% cane wood content. Thus, the combination of cane wood and palm kernel fibre as filler material for brake pad production will give an automobile brake pad with good compressive strength and density.

Hexavalent Chromium Adsorption by a Novel Activated Carbon Prepared by Microwave Activation

Microwave heating reduces the preparation time and improves the adsorption quality of activated carbon. In this study, activated carbon was prepared by impregnation of palm kernel fiber with phosphoric acid followed by microwave activation. Three different types of activated carbon were prepared, having high surface areas of 872 m2 g-1, 1256 m2 g-1, and 952 m2 g-1 and pore volumes of 0.598 cc g-1, 1.010 cc g-1, and 0.778 cc g-1, respectively. The combined effects of the different process parameters, such as the initial adsorbate concentration, pH, and temperature, on adsorption efficiency were explored with the help of Box-Behnken design for response surface methodology (RSM). The adsorption rate could be expressed by a polynomial equation as the function of the independent variables. The hexavalent chromium adsorption rate was found to be 19.1 mg g-1 at the optimized conditions of the process parameters, i.e., initial concentration of 60 mg L-1, pH of 3, and operating temperature of 50 oC. Adsorption of Cr(VI) by the prepared activated carbon was spontaneous and followed second-order kinetics. The adsorption mechanism can be described by the Freundlich Isotherm model. The prepared activated carbon has demonstrated comparable performance to other available activated carbons for the adsorption of Cr(VI).

Biosorption of Methyl violet onto palm kernel fiber: Diffusion studies and multistage process design to minimize biosorbent mass and contact time

Determination of the overall rate controlling step in the biosorption of Methyl violet dye onto a new biosorbent, palm kernel fiber has been determined. Pseudo-second-order model described the kinetics over the whole contact time period for the effect of initial concentration and temperature. Using the Wu’s approaching equilibrium factor, R w , it was observed that the time for the switch from initial biosorption to intraparticle diffusion is affected by initial concentration and temperature. A comparison between the activation parameters of film diffusion, pseudo-second order ion exchange and intraparticle diffusion revealed that film diffusion is the overall slowest step in the biosorption process. Temperature increased the biosorption capacity but reduced slightly the rate of intraparticle diffusion, indicating that the biosorbent surface was activated by temperature which limited the diffusion of Methyl violet molecules into the interior of the biosorbent. A multistage process design to minimize mass and contact time was done. Plot of optimization of contact time and system number for a 99.5% Methyl violet removal in a four stage countercurrent batch process using 2.5 m 3 of 120 mg dm −3 solution. ► The overall biosorption rate determining step in methyl violet adsorption onto Palm kernel fiber was investigated. ► Diffusion patterns of methyl violet dye into palm kernel fiber was elucidated. ► Wu’s approaching equilibrium factor, R w was applied in examining the intraparticle diffusion pattern. ► Temperature effect on the diffusion of methyl violet was also studied. ► Multistage process design to minimize mass and contact time was done.

Removal of methylene blue and crystal violet from aqueous solutions by palm kernel fiber

The ability of palm kernel fiber (PKF) to adsorb methylene blue (MB) and crystal violet (CV) from aqueous solutions has been studied. Adsorption studies were carried out at different initial dye concentrations (20, 40, 80 and 160 mg/L), contact time, pH (1.0–11.0) and sorbent doses (0.4, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 g/L). Other factors affecting the absorption process as stirring rate, ionic strength and temperature of the initial dye solution were also examined. Adsorption data were modeled using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherms. Equilibrium data of the biosorption process fitted very well to the Freundlich model ( R 2 = 0.997 and 0.991 for MB and CV, respectively). The thermodynamic parameters such as Δ H°, Δ S° and Δ G° were evaluated. The dye adsorption process was found to be endothermic for the two dyes. The maximum adsorption capacity Q o was 95.4 mg/g for MB and 78.9 mg/g for CV at an optimum pH. Adsorption kinetic was verified by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. The results indicated that the dye uptake process followed the pseudo second-order and saturation type rate expressions for each dye.

Comparison of Nutritional Composition Between Palm Kernel Fibre and the Effect of the Supercritical Fluid Extraction on Its Quality

High fibre foods start to gain much attention in the industrial world, due to its importance in human health for treating and prevention wide range of diseases. Finding new and cheap source of dietary fibre is highly needed. Palm kernel cake which is wastes produced after oil extraction from palm kernels is increasing in volume as the oil palm industry expands in many parts of Asia and Africa. The aim of this study is to compare the nutritional composition of palm kernel fibre derived from PKC samples: Supercritical carbon dioxide - palm kernel cake with testa (SC-PKt), supercritical carbon dioxide-palm kernel cake without testa (SC-PK), and palm kernel cake from palm oil mill. Supercritical carbon dioxide was used to extract the residual oil from Palm kernel with and without testa at temperature of 80°C and pressure 41.36MPa. Total dietary fibre, crude fibre, crude protein, ash and moisture were determined in these samples and compared with palm kernel cake from palm oil mill. The results showed that the palm kernel with testa contains the highest amount of the total dietary fibre with 63.06g/100g sample, crude fibre 8.49g/100g, crude protein content 14.40g/100g, ash 4.43g/100g sample with p<0.05. The mean moisture content of the Palm Kernel with testa was 3.26 which is least than the other samples. The results of this study suggest that, extracting oil using supercritical can minimize the waste by producing a new and cheap source of fibre with good nutrition. Moreover, the defatted palm kernel with testa considered superior than the defatted palm kernel without testa and palm kernel cake, and could be used as a good and cheap source of dietary fibre for human consumption. However, others tests are still needed to confirm it validity for human consumption.

Equilibrium studies of copper ion adsorption onto palm kernel fibre

The equilibrium sorption of copper ions from aqueous solution using a new adsorbent, palm kernel fibre, has been studied. Palm kernel fibre is obtained in large amounts as a waste product of palm oil production. Batch equilibrium studies were carried out and system variables such as solution pH, sorbent dose, and sorption temperature were varied. The equilibrium sorption data was then analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) and Temkin isotherms. The fit of these isotherm models to the equilibrium sorption data was determined, using the linear coefficient of determination, r 2, and the non-linear Chi-square, χ 2 error analysis. The results revealed that sorption was pH dependent and increased with increasing solution pH above the pH PZC of the palm kernel fibre with an optimum dose of 10 g/dm 3. The equilibrium data were found to fit the Langmuir isotherm model best, with a monolayer capacity of 3.17 × 10 −4 mol/g at 339 K. The sorption equilibrium constant, K a, increased with increasing temperature, indicating that bond strength between sorbate and sorbent increased with temperature and sorption was endothermic. This was confirmed by the increase in the values of the Temkin isotherm constant, B 1, with increasing temperature. The Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) isotherm parameter, free energy, E, was in the range of 15.7–16.7 kJ/mol suggesting that the sorption mechanism was ion exchange. Desorption studies showed that a high percentage of the copper was desorbed from the adsorbent using acid solutions (HCl, HNO 3 and CH 3COOH) and the desorption percentage increased with acid concentration. The thermodynamics of the copper ions/palm kernel fibre system indicate that the process is spontaneous and endothermic.

Sorptive removal of Methylene blue from aqueous solution using palm kernel fibre: Effect of fibre dose

The use of palm kernel fibre, a readily available agricultural waste product for the sorption of Methylene blue from aqueous solution and the possible mechanism of sorption has been investigated at various fibre doses. The extent of dye removal and the rate of sorption were analyzed using two kinetic rate models (pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order kinetic models) and two diffusion models (intraparticle and external mass transfer models). Analysis of the kinetic data at different sorbent dose revealed that the pseudo-first order kinetics fitted to the kinetic data only in the first 5 min of sorption and then deviated from the experimental data. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to better fit the experimental data with high correlation coefficients at the various fibre dose used. The dye sorption was confirmed to follow the pseudo-second-order model by investigating the relationship between the amount of dye sorbed and the change in hydrogen ion concentration of the dye solution and also the dependence of dye uptake with solution temperature. It was found that the change in hydrogen ion concentration and increase in sorption temperature were directly related to the amount of dye sorbed, and activation energy was calculated to be −39.57 kJ/mol, indicating that the dye uptake is chemisorption, involving valence forces through sharing or exchange of electrons between sorbent and sorbate as covalent forces. The intraparticle diffusion plots showed three sections indicating that intraparticle diffusion is not solely rate controlling. The intraparticle diffusion and mass transfer rate constants where observed to be well correlated with sorbent dose in the first 5 min of sorption, indicating sorption process is complex. It was found that at low sorbent dose the mass transfer is the main rate controlling parameter. However at high sorbent dose, intraparticle diffusion becomes rate controlling.

Sorption dynamics and isotherm studies of methylene blue uptake on to palm kernel fibre

The effect of temperature on the sorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution onto palm kernel fibre has been studied. Batch kinetics and isotherm studies were performed at temperatures ranging from 299 to 339 K. The kinetic data were studied in terms of the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models and the Bangham and intraparticle diffusion models. The pseudo-second-order model best described the sorption process and was employed in predicting the rate constant, equilibrium sorption capacity and the initial sorption rate with effect of temperature. In addition activation energy of sorption has also been determined based on the pseudo-second-order rate constant. The isotherm data was analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Palm kernel fibre was found to have a Langmuir monolayer capacity of 233.41 mg g−1 at 299 K. The adsorption is endothermic at ambient temperature and the computation of the thermodynamic parameters, ΔH°, ΔS° and ΔG° indicates that the sorption was favourable at all temperatures.

Equilibrium sorption of anionic dye from aqueous solution by palm kernel fibre as sorbent

Palm kernel fibre was investigated for its ability to perform as a suitable sorbent for anionic dye from aqueous solution. The effect of sorbent dose and temperature was investigated using a batch sorption technique. The results revealed the potential of palm kernel fibre, an agricultural waste, as a low-cost sorbent for the anionic dye examined. The isotherm data were closely fitted to the Langmuir equation and the dye sorption capacity of palm kernel fibre increased as the sorbent dose decreased. Maximum saturated monolayer sorption capacity of palm kernel fibre for 4-bromoaniline-azo-1,8-dihydronaphthalene-3,6-disodiumsulphate was 38.6 mg/g. Thermodynamic parameters such as change in the free energy, the enthalpy, and the entropy were also evaluated. In addition, relationships between sorbent dose and Langmuir constants were developed and are presented.

Kinetics and mechanism of methylene blue sorption onto palm kernel fibre

The kinetics and mechanism of the sorptive removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solution using palm kernel fibre as adsorbent have been investigated. Batch kinetic experiments were performed and system variables investigated includes pH and initial dye concentration. The kinetic data were fitted to the pseudo-first, pseudo-second, intraparticle diffusion and mass transfer models. The pseudo-first order reaction kinetics fitted to the experimental data only in the first 5 min of sorption and then deviated, while the pseudo-second order kinetic model was found to fit the experimental data for the entire sorption period with high coefficient of determination. Equations were developed using the pseudo-second order model, which predicts the amounts of methylene blue at any contact time and initial concentration within the given range. This suggests that the sorption of methylene blue onto palm kernel fibre follows a chemical activation mechanism. A mathematical relationship was also drawn between the equilibrium sorption capacity and the change in pH (Δ H +) at the end of the kinetic experiments with varying initial dye concentration, supporting the fact that chemical reaction (ion exchange) occurred and is important in the rate determining step. Mass transfer was found to be favoured at high concentrations while intraparticle diffusion was favoured at low concentrations.

Kinetic studies of copper ion adsorption on palm kernel fibre

Palm kernel fibre is a common agricultural waste in West Africa and its use as an adsorbent for the removal of copper ions from aqueous solution has been studied. Batch kinetics studies were carried out based on the assumption of the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, which was developed to predict the rate constant of adsorption, the equilibrium adsorption capacity and initial adsorption rate with the effect of initial copper concentration and reaction temperature. A comparison was made of the linear least-squares method and a trial-and-error non-linear method of the pseudo-second-order kinetic model for the adsorption of copper onto palm kernel fibre.

Pseudo-second-order model for lead ion sorption from aqueous solutions onto palm kernel fiber

The sorption of lead ion onto palm kernel fiber was studied by performing batch kinetic sorption experiments. The batch sorption model, based on a pseudo-second-order mechanism, was applied to predict the rate constant of sorption, the equilibrium capacity and the initial sorption rate with the effects of the initial solution pH and fiber dose. Equilibrium concentrations were evaluated with the equilibrium capacity obtained from the pseudo-second-order rate equation. In addition, pseudo-isotherms were also obtained by changing fiber doses using the equilibrium concentration and equilibrium capacity obtained based on the pseudo-second-order constants.

Kinetics and thermodynamics of lead ion sorption on palm kernel fibre from aqueous solution

The kinetics and thermodynamics of lead ions sorption from aqueous solution on palm kernel fibre have been investigated. The experimental data was analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson isotherms using linear coefficient of determination and the non-linear Chi-square test. The equilibrium sorption capacity of lead ions was determined from the Langmuir equation and found to be 49.9 mg/g at 65 °C. A batch sorption model, based on the assumption of the pseudo-second-order mechanism, was applied to predict the rate constant of sorption, the equilibrium sorption capacity and the initial sorption rate with the effect of temperature. An activation energy of sorption was evaluated as 13.5 kJ/mol for the sorption of lead ions on palm kernel fibre. Various thermodynamic parameters, Δ H°, Δ S° and Δ G°, were computed from equilibrium constant values. The results show that the sorption of the lead ions on palm kernel fibre is a spontaneous and endothermic nature process.

Effects of calcium competition on lead sorption by palm kernel fibre

The kinetics of sorption of a mono-solute of lead ions and of a bi-solute of lead and calcium ions onto palm kernel fibre was investigated in a batch system. The experimental data were analysed based on an intraparticle diffusion equation and a pseudo-second-order mechanism, in both the mono- and bi-solute sorption systems, in order to predict the rate constant of sorption, the equilibrium capacity, and the initial sorption rate. The results indicate that the sorption mechanism is described by a pseudo-second-order equation. Intraparticle diffusion was significant in the lower-concentration systems. In addition, a modified intraparticle diffusion equation was applied to the sorption systems.