TT No. 557: Palm-based Shower Gels with Natural Exfoliating Agents

Shower gel, also known as bodywash, is the general term for liquid soap. It is available either in emulsion or clear types of products and used as a skin cleansing agent during showering or bathing. Shower gels are a combination of surfactants, water, skin conditioning agents and fragrances. It has chemical advantages over soap because it is milder at cleansing and less irritating to […]

TT No. 556: Palm Oil-based Memory Foam

Unlike conventional flexible polyurethane (PU) foams, memory foams are characterised by their slow recovery after compression. For example, when the human hand is positioned (Figure 1) on the memory foam, the foam progressively conforms to the shape of the hand, and after the hand is removed, the foam slowly resumes to its initial shape. In general, memory foams are used in pillows, upholstered furniture, […]

TT No. 555: Palm-based Emulsion in Water (EW) Termiticides

Termites are known to impact negatively on agriculture and construction industry imposing great damage to plantations and buildings. Financial loss due to termites infestations in Malaysia was estimated at RM 8- RM 10 million annually (Lee, 2002). The common method in termites control is by the use of emulsifiable concentrate termiticides. Such emulsifiable concentrates (EC) are petrochemicals-based and may pose risks to humans, animals, plants […]

TT No. 554: Production of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) from Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) with Wood Fibres Mix

Medium density fibreboard (MDF) is a bio-composite widely used particularly in furniture and building products. In Malaysia, most MDF plants use rubberwood (RW) as raw material, and of late the industry is facing a problem with the inconsistency in supply and the price hike of RW. Other materials such as mixed tropical hardwood (MTH) are used as part of raw materials to substitute RW […]

TT No. 553: Process Optimisation for Rapid Composting of Oil Palm Biomass

One of the issues associated with the bio-conversion of oil palm biomass into bio-compost is the long maturation time of composting. Since the palm oil mills operate continuously at least six days a week generating large quantities of biomass and POME, rapid composting is very crucial in order to make composting projects efficient and effective in clearing the accumulated biomass. Rapid composting is largely […]