Simple microwave pyrolysis kinetics of lignocellulosic biomass (oil palm shell) with activated carbon and palm oil fuel ash catalysts

The important parameters characterizing microwave pyrolysis kinetics, namely the activation energy (E a) and the rate constant pre-exponential factor (A), were investigated for oil palm shell mixed with activated carbon and palm oil fuel ash as microwave absorbers, using simple lab-scale equipment. These parameters were estimated for the Kissinger model. The estimates for E a ranged within 31.55–58.04 kJ mol−1 and for A within 6.40E0–6.84E+1 s−1, in good agreement with prior studies that employed standard techniques: Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The E a and A were used with the Arrhenius reaction rate equation, solved by the 4th order Runge-Kutta method. The statistical parameters coefficient of determination (R 2) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to verify the good fit of simulation to the experimental results. The best fit had R 2 = 0.900 and RMSE = 4.438, respectively, for MW pyrolysis at power 440 W for OPS with AC as MW absorber.

Functional Properties of Kenaf Bast Fibre Anhydride Modification Enhancement with Bionanocarbon in Polymer Nanobiocomposites

The miscibility between hydrophilic biofibre and hydrophobic matrix has been a challenge in developing polymer biocomposite. This study investigated the anhydride modification effect of propionic and succinic anhydrides on Kenaf fibre’s functional properties in vinyl ester bionanocomposites. Bionanocarbon from oil palm shell agricultural wastes enhanced nanofiller properties in the fibre-matrix interface via the resin transfer moulding technique. The succinylated fibre with the addition of the nanofiller in vinyl ester provided great improvement of the tensile, flexural, and impact strengths of 92.47 ± 1.19 MPa, 108.34 ± 1.40 MPa, and 8.94 ± 0.12 kJ m−2, respectively than the propionylated fibre. The physical, morphological, chemical structural, and thermal properties of bionanocomposites containing 3% bionanocarbon loading showed better enhancement properties. This enhancement was associated with the effect of the anhydride modification and the nanofiller’s homogeneity in bionanocarbon-Kenaf fibre-vinyl ester bonding. It appears that Kenaf fibre modified with propionic and succinic anhydrides incorporated with bionanocarbon can be successfully utilised as reinforcing materials in vinyl ester matrix.

Fire resistance of lightweight foam concrete by incorporating lightweight bio-based aggregate

Concrete is widely used in the industry due to its effectiveness in terms of cost and strength. In this study, the introduction of bio-based aggregate as coarse aggregate in lightweight foam concrete will be investigated to find a better solution for fire incidents that are commonly happened. As such, lightweight foam concrete (LWFC) has been applied in many buildings especially in non-load bearing wall to enhance thermal conductivity, sound insulation and fire resistance. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of incorporating bio-based aggregate namely oil palm shell (OPS) into lightweight form concrete in terms of strength properties and fire resistance. Three different concrete mix was designed containing different percentage of OPS aggregate replacement (0, 5, 10 and 15%). From the result, the compressive strength of the LWFC-CTR mixture had achieved the highest compressive strength at 28-day, which is recorded at 3.82 MPa. The fire resistance of LWFC-OPS 15% had showed a positive outcome with improvement by almost 23.5% compared to control mix at 15 minutes. Therefore, the major finding of this research is the incorporation of eco-friendly OPS aggregate has improved the fire resistance of lightweight foam concrete, which can be used as an alternative solution for non-load bearing walls.

A review: The utilization and its benefits of liquid smoke from lignocellulosic waste

In the integrated charcoal technology, the smoke arising from the process is flowed into a pipe which is cooled, so that the smoke turns into a liquid, so it is called liquid smoke. Therefore, the technology to produce liquid smoke is environmentally friendly. The raw material used in the process of making wood vinegar is generally in the form of lignocellulose waste which contains lignin and cellulose such as wood waste, bamboo waste, oil palm shell waste, coconut shell waste and others. With simple technology input, liquid smoke can be produced from this waste, which has many benefits. The method to produce the liquid smoke was through a process of charcoal or pyrolysis which produces three forms of solid products, namely charcoal, products in the form of gases, namely smoke, and products in the form of liquids, so called tar and liquid smoke; and the main component as a characteristic of liquid smoke were acetic acid, phenolic and carbamic acid. Phenol is the compound that plays the most role in liquid smoke, because it is antibacterial and antifungal and inhibits fat oxidation. Therefore, liquid smoke with its various benefits can be a solution for the problems of pets and bacteria in agriculture or environmental pollution.

Structural Behavior of Nanocoated Oil Palm Shell as Coarse Aggregate in Lightweight Concrete

Oil palm shells (OPS) are mechanical waste that is utilized as coarse aggregates in lightweight concrete. These OPS have shape and strength like conventional aggregates yet the substantial made with these OPS invigorates a limit of 18 MPa. The characteristic strength which must be utilized in structures is seen to be around 25 MPa to 30 MPa. Considering the strength as one of the boundaries for design to be sturdy, the OPS are surface-covered with nanosilane compound. This nanosilane covering goes about as infill on the outside of the aggregates and holds the concrete paste as traditional cement. Operations are permeable in nature; their inner construction has permeable design which makes the aggregates frail. Nanosilane coatings go about as holding between the concrete stage and aggregate stage and hold the substantial solid. In the present examination, mechanical and underlying conduct of nanocovered oil palm shell lightweight concrete is contrasted with that of regular cement. Nanocovered oil palm shell lightweight substantial shows comparative strength as customary cement and decrease in nonsustainable wellspring of energy in oil palm shell lightweight concrete. Supplanting of customary cement with oil palm shell concrete addresses the modern waste which can be utilized for making concrete solid and solid. Morphology and material portrayal of oil palm shell and ordinary aggregates are investigated.

Computer Analysis of the Effects of Time and Gas Atmosphere of the Chemical Activation on the Development of the Porous Structure of Activated Carbons Derived from Oil Palm Shell

The results of the advanced computer analysis of the influence of time and gas atmosphere of the chemical activation process on the microporous structure formation of activated carbons prepared from oil palm shell via microwave irradiation and activation, using potassium hydroxide as an activation agent, are presented in this paper. The quenched solid density functional theory (QSDFT) and the new numerical clustering-based adsorption analysis (LBET) methods were used especially in the analysis of the microporous structure of the activated carbons, taking into account the surface heterogeneity, and the results obtained were confronted with the simple results achieved earlier using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and T-plot methods. On the basis of the computer analysis carried out and taking into account the results obtained, it has been shown that the material with the best adsorption properties and suitable for practical industrial applications is activated carbon obtained in a gaseous nitrogen atmosphere at an activation time of 30 min. Moreover, the value of the heterogeneity parameter indicates that the surface area of this activated carbon is homogeneous, which is of particular importance in the practical application. The paper emphasizes that an erroneous approach to the interpretation of analytical results based on gas adsorption isotherms, which consists in basing conclusions only on the values of a single parameter such as specific surface area or micropore volume, should be avoided. Therefore, it is recommended to use in the analysis of measurement data, several methods of porous structure analysis, including methods considering the heterogeneity of the surface, and when interpreting the results one should also take into account the adsorption process for which the analyzed materials are dedicated.