Torrefaction, also known as mild pyrolysis, is often carried out between temperature ranges of 200 and 300oC in anoxic conditions. It is a type of thermo-chemical pre-treatment process applicable to biomass in order to convert it into compatible energy fuels. Torrefaction has favorable effects on biomass, which includes increasing its energy density and eliminating problems commonly associated with raw biomass such as high moisture content, hygroscopic behavior and low calorific value. In this study, torrefaction of agricultural residue, oil palm frond (non-woody biomass) and short rotation energy crop, Leucaena Leucocephala (woody biomass) were conducted in a horizontal tube furnace at five temperatures and holding time of 60min. High heating values, elemental and proximate analyses results, thermal degradation profiles of torrefied fibrous products were compared to its raw forms. It was concluded that as torrefaction conditions became more severe, this led to a more qualified and energy-dense solid fuel with higher fixed carbon content, increased calorific values and reduced hydrogen and oxygen contents. The results gained from this study may provide basic information for torrefied products application in combustor and/or gasifier design

Turning the food waste into a fuel source such as charcoal briquette was one of the alternatives in managing the food wastes disposal. In this present work, food waste was converted into charcoal by microwave irradiation technique. Application of binders such as potato starch and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) at ratios of 5%,10% and 15% for briquetting purpose were investigated in terms of its chemical and physical characteristics. Result showed that the briquette formed using the starch as the binder performed better in combustion quality than that of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). A good quality of charcoal briquette has capability to withstand impact during packaging, handling, and transportation. Standard physical characteristic that was tested for briquette includes moisture content, compressive strength, and impact resistance. Calorific value of briquette was studied to analyse energy content in the briquette. The study showed that food waste charcoal has calorific value comparable to that of the commercial charcoal. However, the addition of binders showed some reduction in the energy content, with more reduction when CMC is added. In terms of combustion characteristic, the addition of binders does not alter the combustion profile in comparison to the raw food waste charcoal’s profile. The ignition and burnout temperatures of the food waste charcoal briquette showed a better performance with and without binders as compared to the commercial charcoal. In terms of physical characteristics, CMC has showed as an excellent binder with highest shatter index value. Overall, in terms of chemical properties, addition of 10% starch showed a better performance, while addition of 10% CMC showed a better performance in terms of physical characteristics. This finding is beneficial for briquette industry in the development of green product using biomass, but further research is essential before production of briquette take place.

The aim of this study is to evaluate microwave-assisted extraction at several microwave power and extraction time in extracting oil palm products, such as crude palm oil (CPO) and palm fatty acid (PFA) composition. The exposure time was shortened and overheating was avoided when sterilized mesocarp exposed to microwave prior to Soxhlet extraction in order to obtain good quality oil. The effects of CPO extraction and PFA composition on the distillate produced were investigated. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for the determination and quantification of PFA composition in the distilled products. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals that the microwave-assisted extraction technique had efficiently assisted in the release of oil by breaking down the mesocarp cell structure. To fill the research gap of microwave-assisted sterilization in the previous research, microwave-assisted extraction was introduced, in which two processes (i.e., extraction and drying) were conducted in one equipment. Oil yield and color, free fatty acids (FFA), Deterioration of Bleachability Index (DOBI), and carotene contents of the CPO were quantified. At 100 W, the extraction of CPO demonstrated 64% yield produced, with chemical properties of 0.301% FFA, 3.53 DOBI and 1132 ppm carotene with final temperature of 76.2°C during microwave-assisted extraction. The optimum condition for extracting PFA distillate was 300 W for 30 min of exposure time. Additionally, distillate obtained at the optimum condition using microwave-assisted extraction consisted of high palmitic acid (C16:0), caramel-like aroma, and possessed a sweet fragrance.