The production of ecofiber from palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB)

• Main Author: Mohd Munzir, Hamzah
• Format: Undergraduates Project Papers
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: SB Plant culture
• Online Access: http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/521/1/2714.pdf; http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/521/

Malaysia is the world’s largest producer and exporter of product based on palm oil. The oil consists of only 10% of the total biomass produced in the plantation. The other product of palm oil came in the form of residue which consists of huge amount of lignocelluloses materials such as oil palm fronds, trunks and empty fruit bunches. The conventional methods of burning these residues often create environmental problems in that it generates severe air pollution. Looking forward to a better method, an alternative way of optimizing the usage of oil palm residues were obtained as it turn into value-added product. The studies focused on the production of fiber from empty fruit bunch (EFB). The purposes of this study were to determine the yield of fiber produced from certain amount of biomass waste (oil palm wastes). Other than that, the method that was used to produce fiber from the fresh empty fruit bunch (EFB) was studied. Three sets of experiments were performed; in first set, the sample was processed in the grinder and dried to get specific moisture of the sample. On the second set, the sample then treated with hot water at 100°C and NaOH solution 2%, 4%, and 8% concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with different temperature 80°C, 100°C, 120°C for forty minutes. In the end of this experiment, the remaining oil was extracted using rotary evaporator, and the surface of the EFB fiber was observed using Scanning Electron Microscope. The third set, the tensile strength test was done to the EFB fiber.