Dimensional Stability Properties of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) from Treated Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) Fibres

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of pre-treatments by using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and acetic acid on oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) fibres for the production of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF). The EFB fibres were treated with chemicals in the concentration range of 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6% and 0.8% prior to refining. Single-homogenous layer MDF with 12 mm thickness and density of 720 kg/m3 was produced. Urea-Formaldehyde (UF) was applied at 10% loading (based on dry weight of dry fibres) as a binder. The physical properties (Water Absorption (WA) and Thickness Swelling (TS)) of the produced panels were tested according to European Standard, EN 622-5:2006. The results show that types of chemical used had greater effects than concentration on the dimensional stability of the MDF. EFB fibres treated with acetic acid produced MDF with better dimensional stability compared to the MDF NaOH treated fibres. High concentration of NaOH produced poor dimensional stability in the panels.

Topographic Information from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar(IfSAR)for Oil Palm Plantation Design,Suitability and Management

In this paper,authors explained on the possibility of using IfSAR(Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar)data to design,plan and develop new oil palm plantation.The study was carried out in MPOB(Malaysian Palm Oil Board)research station located in Jerantut,Pahang.The importance of the study was to demonstrate the process of using IfSAR data using geospatial technology to visualize the land assessment for better plantation planning and future management.Development of plantation database such as block mapping,palm trees,soil type,roads and drainage length,topography etc.will give alternative uses to decision makers and land owners.Integration of these technologies and the availability of more spatial data will make planning,developing and monitoring of the current and future plantation activities become easier.Under the present stringent requirement with respect to the environment,these technologies could assist the plantation in meeting the certification standards.

Assessment of Genetic Diversity of NIFOR Oil Palm Main Breeding Parent Genotypes Using Microsatellite Markers

The genetic diversity among 15 NIFOR breeding parents was assessed using 10 microsatellite markers. A high genetic diversity was observed with a total of 64 alleles including 23 rare alleles or alleles at frequencies less than 0.05. The NIFOR tenera parents recorded the highest number of rare alleles. The average observed heterozygosity and mean gene diversity across all parental groups were 0.6889 and 0.7029, respectively. Higher genetic diversity was detected among the NIFOR dura and tenera parents compared to that of the Deli dura parents in absolute terms. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 87% of the total variation (p < 0.001) observed was due to differences among parents. Rogers’ genetic distance ranged from 0.2988 to 0.8000 (mean = 0.5570). The dendrogram constructed on the basis of Rogers’ genetic distance clustered the parents in three groups. They generally clustered in heterotic manner rather than by geographic origins. The groupings obtained through PCoA confirmed the results obtained by cluster analysis. The results obtained are strong assets for NIFOR breeding programme.

Development of Cu Nanoparticle Loaded Oil Palm Fibre Reinforced Nanocomposite

Functionalized copper nanoparticles (FCuNPs) have been synthesized by chemical reduction method and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) performed as a stabilizer in that medium. Analysis observed that the average size of the synthesized FCuNPs was 3.5 nm. The obtained FCuNPs were loaded in the oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) natural fibre. Before the loading of FCuNPs in EFB fibres, the surface of the fibres is tailored by the cationic agent CHPTAC since they have a natural tendency to exhibit negatively charged surface owing to the presence of large amount of hydroxyl groups. Thereafter, different types of composite were developed and their properties were studied. The composites were developed by using the untreated empty fruit bunch (UEFB) fibres and FCuNPs loaded EFB (NP-CAEFB) fibres with commercially available unsaturated polyester resin (UPER). The synthesized composites were characterized through FTIR, FESEM, XRD, DSC, tensile strength tests, etc. The obtained biodegradation results indicated that significant weight loss was not observed for neat PER and PER/FNP-CAEFB nanocomposite, whereas, the UEFB/VUPER composite showed ca. 21.4% weight loss at 90 days, which was considered rationally due to the preferential degradation of the fibre.

<i>In-Situ</i>Impregnation of Copper Nanoparticles on Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Powder

Copper nanoparticles were impregnated onto oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) powders via in-situ sol-gel method. The impregnation and interfacial interaction of copper nanoparticles with EFB were analysed by fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The interaction of copper nanoparticles with the surface functional groups of EFB powders was identified by FTIR analysis. The peak shift of O-H and C-O functional groups indicated the interaction between EFB and copper nanoparticles. Besides that, XRD and EDX analysis confirmed the formation of copper nanoparticles on EFB powder. Due to the copper impregnation, the crystallinity of the EFB was increased as shown by XRD. The particles size of nanoparticles was analysed via TEM and AFM where the sizes were in the range of 60 - 100 nm. These findings strongly suggest that, copper nanoparticles impregnated EFB powders can be synthesized via in- situ sol gel method.

马来西亚棕榈油在食品和饲料中的应用及油棕行业可持续发展的研究进展

目前棕榈油是全球第一大产量的植物油,其性状稳定,含有丰富的维生素E和类胡萝卜素等营养成分,且价格具有竞争力,因此被广泛应用于食品加工及饲料等行业。马来西亚作为世界棕榈油主要生产国和出口国之一,对全球棕榈油市场具有重要贡献。综述了马来西亚棕榈油生产、贸易及可持续发展状况,并对棕榈油在食品和饲料行业的应用进行总结,以期为棕榈油的消费和应用提供参考。