Oil palm waste: An abundant and promising feedstock for microwave pyrolysis conversion into good quality biochar with potential multi-applications

Oil palm waste (OPW), comprising mainly of empty fruit bunch, mesocarp fiber, frond, trunk, and palm kernel shell generated from palm oil industry, was collected, characterized, and then pyrolyzed to evaluate their potential to be converted into biochar with desirable properties for use in multi-applications. The OPW was detected to have considerable amounts of carbon (43–51 wt%) and fixed carbon (30–39 wt%), showing potential to be converted into carbon-rich biochar. Microwave pyrolysis of palm kernel shell as the selected OPW produced a biochar with zero sulphur content and high heating value (23–26 MJ/kg) that is nearly comparable to conventional coal, thus indicating its potential as an eco-friendly solid fuel. The biochar obtained was also showed low moisture (<3 wt%) and ash (3 wt%), and a highly porous structure with high BET surface area (210 m2/g), indicating the presence of many adsorption sites and thus showing desirable characteristics for potential use as pollutant adsorbent in wastewater treatment, or bio-fertilizer to absorb nutrient and promote plant growth. Our results demonstrate that OPW is a biowaste that shows exceptional promise to be transformed into high-grade biochar rather than simply disposed by landfilling or burned as low-grade fuel in boiler

Design of Malaysian fishing vessel for minimum resistance

Due to the economic and operational reasons, there is a need to reduce resistance of fishing boats. One of the ways to reduce resistance is to modify the boat hull form to reduce its drag in water. However, designers normally have problems in choosing which hull form parameter to change, in which direction, and the degree of changes required. This paper describes a methodology of incorporating resistance optimization in the design of fishing boats. By producing easily understood design charts, the designer is guided in making his choice. An example of application of this method on the design of a Malaysian fishing boat is given. It is shown that by using this method, the hull can be modified without changing the principal dimensions and displacement and this slight modification of the hull form can produce up to 12% saving in fuel consumption

Design of malaysian fishing vessel for minimum resistance

Due to the economic and operational reasons, there is a need to reduce resistance of fishing boats. One of the ways to reduce resistance is to modify the boat hull form to reduce its drag in water. However, designers normally have problems in choosing which hull form parameter to change, in which direction, and the degree of changes required. This paper describes a methodology of incorporating resistance optimization in the design of fishing boats. By producing easily understood design charts, the designer is guided in making his choice. An example of application of this method on the design of a Malaysian fishing boat is given. It is shown that by using this method, the hull can be modified without changing the principal dimensions and displacement and this slight modification of the hull form can produce up to 12% saving in fuel consumption

Oil palm waste: An abundant and promising feedstock for microwave pyrolysis conversion into good quality biochar with potential multi-applications

Oil palm waste (OPW), comprising mainly of empty fruit bunch, mesocarp fiber, frond, trunk, and palm kernel shell generated from palm oil industry, was collected, characterized, and then pyrolyzed to evaluate their potential to be converted into biochar with desirable properties for use in multi-applications. The OPW was detected to have considerable amounts of carbon (43–51 wt%) and fixed carbon (30–39 wt%), showing potential to be converted into carbon-rich biochar. Microwave pyrolysis of palm kernel shell as the selected OPW produced a biochar with zero sulphur content and high heating value (23–26 MJ/kg) that is nearly comparable to conventional coal, thus indicating its potential as an eco-friendly solid fuel. The biochar obtained was also showed low moisture (<3 wt%) and ash (3 wt%), and a highly porous structure with high BET surface area (210 m2/g), indicating the presence of many adsorption sites and thus showing desirable characteristics for potential use as pollutant adsorbent in wastewater treatment, or bio-fertilizer to absorb nutrient and promote plant growth. Our results demonstrate that OPW is a biowaste that shows exceptional promise to be transformed into high-grade biochar rather than simply disposed by landfilling or burned as low-grade fuel in boiler