Adsorption separation of condensate oil from produced water using ACTF prepared of oil palm leaves by batch and fixed bed techniques

A novel method is applied to produce amorphous carbon thin film (ACTF) from oil palm leaves. The novel prepared ACTF is in the form of thin films like graphene sheets having winding surface. ACTF was characterized by different methods of characterization: FTIR, BET, SEM, EDX, TEM, and Raman. ACTF employed as an adsorbent to separate emulsified condensate oil from synthetic produced water as a treatment process before reinjection in oil reservoirs. The adsorption performance of batch and fixed bed adsorption systems were investigated. Contact time, initial concentration of condensate oil ($C_o$ = 100–2500 mg/l) and temperature were studied by batch experiments. The obtained results indicated that the adsorption capacity and the removal efficiency increased with time up to 132.77 mg condensate/g adsorbent and 66.38% respectively, within 6 h equilibrium time at 308 K. The thermodynamic adsorption experiments conducted at 288, 308 and 318 K, referring exothermic nature of the adsorption process.The performance study of fixed bed adsorption described through the breakthrough curves concept with two parameters: column bed heights (5, 10 and 15 mm) and flow rate (2.2, 5 and 8.4 ml/min). Two models (Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models) were applied to expect different parameters of fixed bed as adsorption capacity and time need for 50% breakthrough. The results exhibited that 2.2 ml /min feed flowrate and 5 mm bed height at 1000 mg/l initial oil condensate concentration were the optimum conditions for the ACTF column. The experimental breakthrough curves showed acceptable fit with the calculated breakthrough profiles obtained by Thomas model.     

A study of the kinetics of nucleation in a palm oil melt

Nucleation from a supercooled melt of palm oil was studied by optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Despite being a multicomponent system, palm oil exhibits a rather simple cooling thermogram with its high- and low-T exotherms exclusively related to the “hard” and “soft” components of the oil. As the “hard” components are being removed, the position of the high-T peak shifts down toward the low-T peak with diminishing peak intensity, while the position of the latter remains virtually unchanged. At 288°K, nucleation in a palm oil melt is instantaneous. Its induction time-temperature curve shows an abrupt discontinuity at 297°K, which demarcates the occurrence of one polymorph from another. Nucleation data fit very well into the Fisher-Turnbull equation. Its larger activation free energy of nucleation is accompanied by lowering of the melting point and an increase in the crystal/melt interfacial free energy as compared to palm stearin. The slow rate of nucleation in palm oil is attributed to intermolecular interaction between its “hard” and “soft” components. Partly presented at the 1989 PORIM International Palm Oil Development Conference, September 5–9, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.     

The effects of physical refining on the formation of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters in relation to palm oil minor components

The formation of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters in refined palm oil during deodorisation is attributed to the intrinsic composition of crude palm oil. Utilising D-optimal design, the effects of the degumming and bleaching processes on the reduction in 3-MCPD ester formation in refined palm oil from poor-quality crude palm oil were studied relative to the palm oil minor components that are likely to be their precursors. Water degumming remarkably reduced 3-MCPD ester formation by up to 84%, from 9.79 mg/kg to 1.55 mg/kg. Bleaching with synthetic magnesium silicate caused a further 10% reduction, to 0.487 mg/kg. The reduction in 3-MCPD ester formation could be due to the removal of related precursors prior to the deodorisation step. The phosphorus content of bleached palm oil showed a significant correlation with 3-MCPD ester formation.     

Supercritical fluid extraction of β-carotene from crude palm oil using CO2

The aim of this study was to ascertain the influence of pressure, temperature and time on the supercritical fluid extraction of β-carotene from the crude palm oil. The operating conditions were shown as follows: pressures of 75, 125 and 175 bar, temperatures of 80, 100 and 120 °C and extraction time of 1, 3 and 5 h. The extracts were analyzed using UV spectroscopy at a wavelength of 450 nm. Then the experimental data was compared with the data obtained using a statistical method. The results from the model showed a good agreement with the experimental data. The results (obtained from the statistical model) demonstrate that a pressure of 140 bar, temperature of 102 °C and extraction time of 3.14 h are required to obtain optimum yield of β-carotene (1.028 × 10⁻²%) from the extraction process, however the maximum yield of the β-carotene (1.741 × 10⁻²%) was experimentally obtained at a pressure of 75 bar, temperature of 120 °C and extraction time of 1 h.     

Juice from king palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) leaf sheathes: chemical characterisation and use in soft drink formulation

The heart of palm is a food extracted from several species of palm trees. Only 10–20% of the raw material is transformed into canned hearts of palm, therefore this agro‐industry generates a large quantity of solid residue. The aim of this work was to extract and characterise a juice produced from this solid residue. This extract is compared with the traditional fruit juices (orange and pineapple juices), obtaining higher contents of minerals, such as magnesium (22.80 mg/100 g) and potassium (276.90 mg/100 g), phenolic compounds (gallic, 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic, chlorogenic, syringic and caffeic acids) and high free radical scavenging capacity (expressed as 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl), which suggest high antioxidant activity. Additionally, a new soft drink was formulated using this king palm juice as its main ingredient. The soft drink samples formulated with this juice had high sensory acceptability and high intention of consumption, which suggests an important and low‐cost application for this industrial residue.     

Study of Non-linear Mechanical Behavior of Oil Palm Mesocarp Fibers

This work investigates the non-linear mechanical behavior of oil palm mesocarp fibers (OPMF) using tensile tests, microstructure observation, and finite element models. The micrograph images showed the fiber’s surface with partly embedded silica bodies, while the cross section contained cell wall structures. Viscoelastic behavior was observed when the fibers were relaxed over time after being stretched, whereas the stress--strain curves from the cyclic tests indicated permanent set (plastic strain) due to the fibers’ deformation. Finite element models were developed comprising single particles (2D and 3D) and 2D multi-particle geometries representing silica bodies embedded in a matrix representing the fiber. The modeling results suggested that silica bodies do not contribute much to the integrity of OPMF, highlighting the need to have a more complex model that considers cellular structures of the fibers and a constitutive relationship of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin.     

Use of Palm Mid-Fraction in White Chocolate Formulation

Samples of two types of palm mid-fraction (PMF I, a commercial sample and PMF II, from a laboratory-scale acetone fractionation of PMF I) and a Malaysian deodorised cocoa butter sample were used as the main components in the fat phase for white chocolate formulation. The monounsaturatedtriacylglycerol contents of these fats were 853, 899 and 903 g kg⁻¹, respectively.All the fats had free fatty acid contents of less than 10 g kg⁻¹ and melting points in the range of 34·0–34·5°C. The solid fat content profiles for the three fats were very steep. Differential scanning calorimeter analyses showed that all the fats had two melting peaks, T1 and T2. Results of the study showed that the tempering time to produce a well-tempered chocolate using PMF I was longer than that using PMF II, whereas, the time to produce a well-tempered cocoa butter chocolate increased with increase in the tempering temperature. Chocolates made with PMF I and II were well tempered between 17 and 19°C and with cocoa butter at 23°C. Thermal analyses, carried out on the chocolate showed that PMF I and II produced three melting peaks, T1, T2′ and T2 whereas most of the cocoa butter chocolates exhibited only one melting peak, T2. Storage studies showed that most of the chocolates had good bloom resistance for up to 12 weeks storage.     

棕榈油和大豆油在油条煎炸过程中品质变化研究

以不同熔点棕榈油和棕榈油―大豆油混合油为原料,以大豆油作对照,通过比较油条外观、口感,筛选出适于煎炸油条的棕榈油,再进一步通过测定油条煎炸过程中油脂样品游离脂肪酸(FFA)、过氧化值(PV)、色泽、极性值(PC)、羰基价(COV)等指标,研究两种油在油条煎炸过程中品质变化情况。研究结果表明,熔点14℃棕榈液油和大豆油都适于煎炸油条,且棕榈液油在煎炸过程中具有比大豆油更好氧化稳定性,仅是其游离脂肪酸(FFA)和色泽上升速率快于大豆油。总的来说,两种油在满足煎炸油质量要求前提下,同等数量棕榈油可比大豆油煎炸更多油条。     

Compositional characteristics and aromatic profile of date palm seeds from seven varieties grown in Tunisia

This paper reports a discrimination study based on the physico‐chemical characteristics, fatty acids and profile of volatile compounds of the seeds from seven date palm varieties (Phoenix dactylifera L.) grown in Tunisia. Date seeds contained 10.49–14.76% moisture; 6.28–11.2% fat (on a dry weight basis); 2.67–12.85% protein; 0.91–6.06% reducing sugar; 0.61–2.98% sucrose and 0.97–1.17% ash. Gas liquid chromatography revealed that the oil fraction of the date palm seeds contained eighteen fatty acids, with oleic acid (30.77–42.50%) and lauric acid (18.51–27.48%) as the main unsaturated and saturated ones. Volatile profile showed differences among varieties. In total, forty‐five compounds were identified, mainly alcohols, aldehydes and unsaturated hydrocarbons ones. This study provides evidence that the seeds of date may be a potential source of valuable nutrients with interesting functionality.     

Physicochemical properties and application of micronized cornstarch in low fat cream

With normal cornstarch (CS) as material, micronized starch was prepared first by acid hydrolyzed pretreatment and then ball-milling (HMS). A control sample (MS) was prepared by ball-milling without pretreatment. Particle size and shape of micronized starch were investigated, and its application in low fat cream was studied. The Maltase cross of HMS granules almost disappeared and the particle size clearly decreased. It was evident that acid-lintnerised starch granules were more susceptible to break down upon milling. However, the granules would aggregate with an increase in milling time. Compared with full-fat cream, the apparent viscosity of low-fat cream increased, while fat globules partial coalescence rate, overrun and textural properties decreased with the increasing of the fat replacement rate. The average particle size of whipped cream increased with the increase of whipping time. Results indicate that a 15% fat replacement rate would produce cream with good foaming and storage stability.