There is high demand for tocols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) as standard reference materials in scientific analyses as well as medical research. In addition, many other industries use them, such as cosmetics and nutraceuticals. The high demand for tocols has boosted its price. While tocopherols are readily available from both natural and synthetic sources, the supply […]

Filtration is used to dewater effluent, slurry and sludge. Sludge dewatering reduces its water content to be disposed of in landfills and reduces the volume of the residue for more stable and economical operation of the effluent plant. The major sludge dewatering processes include rotary drum vacuum filter, belt filter press and filter press. They […]

In the clarification of crude palm oil in the mill, the crude slurry is held for 4 to 7 hr in a vertical clarifier to allow the oil to rise above the sludge. Hot water is added and the temperature maintained at 95o C to reduce the viscosity of the slurry to enhance the rising […]

The fibre produced from empty fruit bunches using a crusher and mechanical screw has a high percentage of fines. For certain products, fines in the fibre matrix are undesirable. The fines may be short fibre fragments and peeled-off cell walls. A dynamic washer has been designed by MPOB recently to remove fines from oil palm […]

The palm oil industry generates large volumes of palm oil mill effluent (POME) – 52 million tonnes by 392 palm oil mills in 2005 (0.7 t per tonne fresh fruit bunch processed). Due to the high organic content of POME, anaerobic, followed by aerobic, digestion are employed to reduce its biological oxygen demand (BOD) to […]