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In the typical biological treatment of effluent in a palm oil mill, sludge is produced as the by-product. This is dead microbial material, which accumulates at the bottom of anaerobic lagoons and is rich in plant nutrients and organic matter. Periodically, it has to be removed so that the lagoon does not get ‘silted up’. … Read more

Concern about the possible health effects of formaldehyde emitted from wood based panel products manufactured with urea-formaldehyde (UF) and melamine-formaldehyde (MF) binding resins has led to the development and increasing use of low emission products. The potential formaldehyde emission by wood-based panels is determined by a standard test ISO WD 12460 – TC 89/WG 5 … Read more

The Biomass Technology Centre (BTC) is a one-stop centre for R&D in biocomposites from oil palm biomass, especially medium density fi breboard (MDF). The MDF pilot plant has quality control and testing laboratories and also facilities for processing wood-based biocomposites. BTC has the expertise and facilities to provide assistance and strategic technical support to producers … Read more

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 … Read more

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 … Read more