The physical and mechanical properties of oil palm trunk (OPT) are far from homogeneous (Kamarudin et al., 2011). The conversion of OPT to sawnlumber has to be carried out immediately, as long-term storage may not be economical. This is to prevent insect and fungal attacks due to high moisture and starch contents (Nur Syuhada et […]

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) contains about 70%-80% holocellulose; which comprises about 40%-45% and 30%-35% of cellulose and hemicelluloses respectively; and 18%-22% lignin. Cellulose is a polymer of α-D-1,4-linked anhydrous glucose units, (C6H12O5 )n. Basically, the individual cellulose molecules are linked together to form elementary microfibrils, which, in turn are aggregated by intermolecular hydrogen bonding […]

Activated carbon (AC) is widely used as an adsorbent in the treatment of liquids and gases. Many industries such as pharmaceutical, mining, petroleum, nuclear, water treatment, food and beverages are using activated carbon in their processing units. The important parts of the production process of activated carbon are the carbonisation (production of charcoal) and activation […]

Fruits of the oil palm can vary considerably based on their external appearance, notably the exocarp colour. The most common type of fruit colour is nigrescens (Nig), which is deep violet to black at the apex and pale yellow at the base when unripe. The colour of the Nig fruit varies to some extent on […]

The palm Bactris gasipaes also known as pejibaye or peach palm, is native to the tropical forests of South and Central America (Graefe et al., 2013). Bactris produces high fruit yields up to 3.8 t ha-1 yr-1 (Bolanho et al., 2013). The fruits (Figure 1) are rich in starch and contain all essential and non-essential […]