Search Results (13)

This study is an effort to optimize the thermal properties of refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) oil by incorporating bionanoparticles. This study investigates the impact on thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity by incorporating chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) at different temperatures with varying weight fractions of NPs. To the best of our knowledge, these synthesized CS-NPs from oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) and commercial marine-sourced CS-NPs are used for the first time to prepare nanofluids. These nanofluids offer high potential for industrial applications due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and nontoxicity. Fungal-sourced chitosan is a vegan-friendly alternative and does not contain allergic compounds, such as marine-sourced chitosan. The CS-NPs were synthesized using a chemical and mechanical treatment process at three different amplitudes, and CS-NPs at amplitude 80 were selected to prepare the nanofluid. Chitin, chitosan, and CS-NPs were characterized by the FTIR-ATR method, while the size and morphology of the CNs were analyzed by SEM. Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of nanofluids and base fluid were measured using a multifunctional thermal conductivity meter (Flucon LAMBDA thermal conductivity meter) by ASTM D7896-19 within the temperature range 40–160 °C with step size 20. The thermal conductivity values were compared between commercial CS-NPs and synthesized CS-NPs treated with RBD palm olein with different weight percentages (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 wt.%). It was confirmed that the thermal properties were enhanced in both kinds of nanoparticles added to RBD palm olein, and higher enhancement was observed in fungal-sourced CS-NPs treated with RBD palm olein. Maximum enhancement of thermal conductivity of commercial and synthesized CS-NPs treated with RBD palm olein were 4.28% and 7.33%, respectively, at 0.05 wt.%. Enhanced thermal conductivity of RBD palm olein by the addition of CS-NPs facilitates more effective heat transfer, resulting in quicker and more consistent cooking and other potential heat transfer applications. Full article

The co-production of BHD with other renewable fuels (i.e., using a novel process involving carbon dioxide utilization to achieve the global sustainability goal) is presented. The three configurations of BHD production from refined bleached deodorized palm oil (RBDPO), including (1) the conventional BHD process with hydrogen recovery (BHD process), (2) the BHD process coupled with the Fischer–Tropsch process (BHD-FT process), and (3) the BHD process coupled with the bio-jet fuel and methanol processes (BHD-BIOJET-MEOH process) are investigated using the process model developed in Aspen Plus. The effect of the operating parameters is studied, and the condition of each process offering the highest BHD yield is proposed. Then, the pinch analysis and heat exchanger network (HEN) design of each proposed process are performed to find the highest energy-efficient configuration. The economic and environmental analysis is later performed to investigate the sustainability performance of each configuration. The conventional BHD process requires less hydrogen and consumes less energy than the others. The BHD-BIOJET-MEOH process is the most economically feasible, offering the highest net present value (NPV) of USD 7.93 million and the shortest payback period of 3 years and 1 month. However, it offers the highest carbon footprint of 0.820 kgCO₂ eq./kg of BHD, and it presented the highest potential environmental impact (PEI) in all categories. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the environmental impact of using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in small fishing vessels by conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA) in Korea. For the first time in the country, LPG engines designed for small fishing ships were utilized in this study. In addition, this research examined the potential benefits of employing Bio LPG, a renewable LPG produced from two distinct raw materials (crude palm oil (CPO) and refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil), instead of conventional LPG. The LCA findings reveal that utilizing LPG fuel in small fishing vessels can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 30% over conventional gasoline and diesel fuels. During the life cycle of vessels that use LPG fuel instead of gasoline and diesel fuels, there is a reduction of 2.2 and 1.2 million tons of GHG emissions, respectively. Moreover, substituting conventional fossil fuels with Bio LPG can result in over 65% reduction in GHG emissions. For the life cycle of boats that use Bio LPG fuel in place of gasoline and diesel fuels, the reduction of GHG emissions was 4.9 million tons and 2.5 million tons for CPO and 5.2 million tons and 2.7 million tons for RBD, respectively. This study not only underscores the substantial advantages of using Bio LPG over conventional fossil fuels but also presents conventional LPG as a way to reduce GHG emissions and promote sustainable practices in the fishing industry. Full article

The presence of glyceryl esters (GE) and 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE) in refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil is severely concerning to the palm oil consumer. In the present study, the influence of the phosphoric acid degumming process on the formation of GE and 3-MCDE and in the RBD palm oil was determined with varying the acid dose (0.03–0.06 wt%), temperature (70–100 °C), and reaction time (15–45 min). The experimental conditions of the acid degumming process were designed following the central composite design of experiments, and they were optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on the minimal formation of GE and 3-MCDE in the RBD palm oil. The optimal experimental conditions of the acid degumming process were a reaction time of 30 min, phosphoric acid concentration of 0.06 wt%, and temperature of 90 °C. Under these experimental conditions, the minimal GE and 3-MCDE formation in RBD palm oil were determined to be 0.61 mg/kg and 0.59 mg/kg; respectively. Several analytical methods were employed to determine RBD palm oil quality, including color, phosphorus, free fatty acids (FFAs), peroxide values, and fatty acid properties. It was found that the phosphoric acid degumming of CPO effectively removed the phosphorus and hydroperoxide content without conceding the quality of palm oil. Full article

This experimental study aims to examine the partial discharge (PD) properties of palm oil and coconut oil (CO) based aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) nanofluids with and without surfactants. The type of surfactant used in this study was sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The volume concentrations range of Al₂O₃ dispersed in oil samples was varied from 0.001% to 0.05%. The ratio of surfactants to nanoparticles was set to 1:2. In total, two different types of refined, bleached and deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) and one type of CO were measured for PD. Mineral oil (MO) was also examined for comparison purpose. PDIV measurements for all samples were carried out based on rising voltage method whereby a needle-sphere electrode configuration with a gap distance of 50 mm was chosen in this study. Al₂O₃ improves the PDIVs of RBDPO, CO and MO whereby the highest improvements of PDIVs are 34%, 39.3% and 27%. The PD amplitude and repetition rate of RBDPO improve by 38% and 81% while for CO, it can increase up to 65% and 80% respectively. The improvement of PD amplitude and repetition rate for MO are 18% and 95%, regardless with and without SDS. Without SDS, the presence of Al₂O₃ could cause 26%, 75% and 65% reductions of the average emission of light signals for RBDPOA, RBDPOB and CO with the improvement of PD characteristics but both events do not correlate at the same volume concentration of Al₂O₃. On the other hand, the average emission of light signal levels of the oils increases with the introduction of SDS. The emission of light signal in MO does not correlate with the PD characteristics improvement either with or without SDS. Full article

Process-based contaminants in food—particularly in vegetable oils—have been a topic of interest due to their potential health risk on humans. Oral consumption above the tolerable daily intake might result in health risks. Therefore, it is critical to correctly address the food contaminant issues with a proper mitigation plan, in order to reduce and subsequently remove the occurrence of the contaminant. 3-monochloropropane-1,3-diol (3-MCPD), an organic chemical compound, is one of the heat- and process-induced food contaminants, belonging to a group called chloropropanols. This review paper discusses the occurrence of the 3-MCPD food contaminant in different types of vegetable oils, possible 3-MCPD formation routes, and also methods of reduction or removal of 3-MCPD in its free and bound esterified forms in vegetable oils, mostly in palm oil due to its highest 3-MCPD content. Full article

The stability of refined, bleached, and deodorized palm olein (RBDPO) was studied under controlled heating conditions. RBDPO was heated continuously for 24 h at 160, 170, and 180 °C, with oil sampled at four hour intervals. Thermo-oxidative alterations were measured through various parameters, such as monomeric oxidized triacylglycerols (oxTAG), total polar compounds (TPC), polymerized triacylglycerols (PTG), oxidative stability, and fatty acid composition. After 24 h of heating, the TPC and triacylglycerol oligomers showed a linear increase with heating time at all heating temperatures. At the end of the heating study, more epoxy acids were formed than keto and hydroxy acids. Moreover, caprylic acid, which was not present in fresh oil, was formed in significant amounts. The increase in oxTAG was strongly correlated with the increase in the p-anisidine value and total oxidation value. The decreases in diacylglycerol and free fatty acids were strongly correlated with an increase in PTG. Full article

In this work, hydro-processing was used as an alternative route for producing bio-hydrogenated kerosene (BHK) from refined bleached deodorized palm oil (RPO) in the presence of a 0.5 wt% Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The Box-Behnken Design was used to determine the effects of reaction temperature, H₂ pressure, and reaction time in terms of liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) on BHK production. The kerosene selectivity was used as the response for staticial interpretation. The results show that both temperature and LHSV produced significant effects, whereas H₂ pressure did not. The optimal conditions were found to be 483 °C, 5.0 MPa, and 1.4 h⁻¹ LHSV; these conditions provided approximately 57.30% kerosene selectivity and a 47.46% yield. The BHK product had a good heating value and flash point. However, the mass percentage of carbon and hydrogen was 99.1%, which is just below the minimum standard (99.5%), according to the carbon loss by the reaction pathway to form as CO and CO₂. Water can be produced from the reaction induced by oxygen removal, which results in a high freezing point. Full article

This paper presents an experimental study on the AC breakdown voltages of Refined, Bleached and Deodorized Palm Oil (RBDPO) Olein and Coconut Oil (CO) in the presence of conductive (Iron (II,III) Oxide, Fe₃O₄), semi-conductive (Copper (II) Oxide, CuO) and insulative (Aluminium Oxide, Al₂O₃) nanoparticles without and with surfactant. The type of surfactant used in this study was Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB). The volume concentrations range of Fe₃O₄, CuO and Al₂O₃ was varied from 0.001% to 0.05%. Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) was used to characterize the nanoparticles in RBDPO and CO. AC breakdown voltage tests were carried out for RBDPO and CO of which the AC breakdown voltage at 1% probability was determined based on Weibull distribution. It is found that only Al₂O₃ can improve the average AC breakdown voltage of RBDPO and CO. The AC breakdown voltages at 1% probability for RBDPO and CO can be improved through introduction of Fe₃O₄, CuO and Al₂O₃ at certain volume concentrations. Al₂O₃ provides the highest enhancement of AC breakdown voltages at 1% probability for RBDPO and CO with the highest percentage of improvement can be up to 52%. CTAB has no clear effect on the improvement of AC breakdown voltages of RBDPO and CO based Fe₃O₄, CuO and Al₂O₃ nanofluids. Full article

This paper presents lightning (1.2/50 µs) breakdown voltages of palm oil (PO), coconut oil (CO) and mineral oil (MO) in a quasi-uniform sphere to sphere electric field at two gap distances. The type of PO used in this study is Refined Bleached Deodorized Palm Oil (RBDPO) Olein type. The effect of voltage polarities (positive and negative) and testing methods (rising voltage, up and down and multiple level) on the lightning breakdown performance were investigated. The results indicated that lightning breakdown voltages of CO and RBDPO are comparable to those of MO under various test conditions. The results indicated that there is no polarity effect for lightning impulse breakdown tests in a quasi-uniform field. The testing methods, including rising voltage method, up and down method and multiple level method have a notable influence on the breakdown voltages. The effect of the 50% breakdown voltage on rising voltage method, up and down method and multiple level method for RBDPO and CO is comparable to MO. The withstand voltage at 1% and 50% breakdown probabilities were obtained using the Normal distribution fitting on the cumulative probability plot of impulse shots. Based on a normal distribution fitting, withstand voltages 1% breakdown probability of POA were close to the MO. Finally, based on statistical studies and simulation using ANSYS software, the prediction formulas for breakdown voltage for larger gap distances for all samples were derived. Full article

This paper presents a high temperature ageing study of refined, bleached, and deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) olein at 170 °C in the presence of air. In total, two types of RBDPO were examined. The physiochemical and dielectric properties of RBDPO were measured and analysed. We found that the moisture and viscosities for both RBDPO increased as the ageing progressed, whereas the acidities fluctuated at very low levels at less than 0.005 mg KOH/g. The ageing on the AC breakdown voltages of both RBDPO were not affected throughout the ageing processes. The dielectric dissipation factors and relative permittivities for both RBDPO increased as the resistivities decreased with the ageing time. Full article

This paper presents a sealed ageing study of palm oil (PO) and coconut oil (CO) in the presence of insulation paper. The type of PO under study is refined, bleached, and deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) olein. Three different variations of RBDPO and one sample of CO are aged at temperatures of 90 °C, 110 °C, and 130 °C. The properties of RBDPO and CO as well as paper under ageing are then analysed through dielectric and physicochemical measurements. It is found that the effect of ageing is not significant on the alternating current (AC) breakdown voltages and relative permittivities of RBDPO and CO. There is a slight increment trend of the resistivity for CO, while for all of the RBDPO, the resistivity slightly decreases as the ageing progresses. Only CO shows an apparent reduction of the dielectric dissipation factor. Throughout the ageing time, the acidities of all of the RBDPO and CO remain at low level, while the moisture in oils decreases. The tensile index (TI) of the papers for all of the RBDPO and CO retain more than 50% of the TI. A significant increment of the paper ageing rates of all of the RBDPO and CO is observed at an ageing temperature of 130 °C. Full article

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), which has received much interest in its use and further development for industrial applications, is a method that offers some advantages over conventional methods, especially for the palm oil industry. SC-CO₂ refers to supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) that uses carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a solvent which is a nontoxic, inexpensive, nonflammable, and nonpolluting supercritical fluid solvent for the extraction of natural products. Almost 100% oil can be extracted and it is regarded as safe, with organic solvent-free extracts having superior organoleptic profiles. The palm oil industry is one of the major industries in Malaysia that provides a major contribution to the national income. Malaysia is the second largest palm oil and palm kernel oil producer in the World. This paper reviews advances in applications of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) extraction of oils from natural sources, in particular palm oil, minor constituents in palm oil, producing fractionated, refined, bleached, and deodorized palm oil, palm kernel oil and purified fatty acid fractions commendable for downstream uses as in toiletries and confectionaries. Full article