Malaysia produces 15.9 million tonnes of palm oil, of which 90% is fully refi ned. Palm oil is refi ned by a physical process in three stages – degumming, bleaching and deodorization. There are a variety of clays suitable for bleaching, with montmorillonites the most commonly used. Palm oil, as other vegetable oils, contains many minor […]

The pesticides used in oil palm plantations are mainly herbicides and insecticides. As herbicides are relatively cheap, they have become the most cost-effective mode of weed control. Herbicides are regularly applied to immature oil palm especially palms less than eight years old when the canopy is less dense. Fluroxypyr is one of the commonly used […]

Glufosinate ammonium is the common name for ammonium-2-amino –4-(hydroxymethylphosphinyl)-butanoate C5 H15NO4 P, sold commercially as Basta. The structure is shown in Figure 1. The crystals are colourless with a melting point of 216°C. The molecular weight is 198.16 and solubility 1370 mg litre-1 and 0.16 mg litre-1 at 20°C in water and acetone, respectively. Main […]

Based on ASTM D 4052. A small volume of the biodiesel sample is introduced into an oscillating sample tube and the change in oscillating frequency caused by the change in the mass of the tube is used in conjunction with the calibration data to determine the density of the sample. Main Research: Yung Chee Liang