The production of crude palm oil (CPO) in the mill generates a huge amount of biomass such as palm kernel shells (PKS), press fibres and empty fruit bunches (EFB). Press fibres are widely used as fuel in the mill boiler together with small quantities of PKS. With the current scenario where biogas from palm oil mill effluent (POME) is captured, and the use […]

One of the solutions to the log shortage problem in plywood mills is undoubtedly the sourcing of logs from oil palm plantations. However, an acceptable and more efficient mechanism of log supply has to be worked out. This is to facilitate the log flow from the plantations to plywood mills so that the manufacturers will have enough logs for processing at a fair […]

During the past three decades, Malaysia witnessed a 23% increase in its processing facilities from 352 mills in 1984 to 432 mills in 2014 to produce crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel (PK). But the rapid expansion of the Indonesian palm oil production seem to trigger an unhealthy supply and demand relationship in the global oil market for palm oil. Now, with […]

Palm oil milling is invariably accompanied by the generation of effluent. Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a potential environmental pollutant. On average, 1.5 m3 water is needed to process 1 t of fresh fruit bunches and half of this ends up as POME. Currently, some 85% of POME treatment of more than 400 mills […]

The oil palm has three naturally occurring fruit forms, varying in shell thickness: i) thick shell dura, ii) thin shell tenera, and iii) shell-less pisifera (Figure 1). Teneras are hybrids between the dura and pisifera, and the preferred commercial planting material. Oil yield of tenera is up to 30% higher than the dura, while pisifera is female sterile and does not usually produce matured bunches.  Main Research: Dr Rajinder Sing