Month: February 2020

Arsenic contamination of palm oil is of great concern due to its carcinogenic effects. Most soils contain some arsenic, generally at low levels of 1 to 50 mg kg-1. However, industrial wastes and pesticides may contain more, and their disposal/application will contaminate the environment. Unpublished data obtained from a laboratory in the European Union (EU) … Read more

Rheology is the science of flow and deformation of materials under stress and strain. The study of rheological properties is an important area in food product development. Viscoelasticity is one of the rheological properties of materials. A viscoelastic sample behaves like an elastic solid or a viscous liquid under different conditions. Rheological testing is a … Read more

Lubricity is defined as the ability of a liquid to provide hydrodynamic and/ or boundary lubrication to prevent wear between moving parts; or the ability to reduce friction between solid surfaces in relative motion. Thus, diesel fuel with poor lubricity will contribute to wear and tear in the fuel system of diesel engines. Various international … Read more

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