Hybrid Approach for Optimisation and Analysis of Palm Oil Mill

Physical, Chemical and Thermal Properties of Palm Oil Boiler Ash/Rediset-Modified Asphalt Binder

The growth of the palm oil industry has resulted in an increase in the production of solid waste, created from the extraction of fresh fruit bunches, which can take the form of palm oil boiler ash (POBA). POBA can be used to modify asphalt binder and asphalt mixtures to reduce the harmful effect of this waste on the environment. The objective of each modification is to increase the strength, stiffness, durability, workability and constructability of asphalt mixtures while reducing the environmental effects. This study examines the physical and chemical properties of 60/70 penetration-grade asphalt binder, modified using POBA and warm mix asphalt (WMA) additive. Ranges of modified binder were prepared by adding 2% of the warm additive Rediset with different POBA contents (3%, 5%, 7% and 9%) throughout the wet mixing process. Physical properties of modified binder were obtained from penetration, softening point, ductility and rotational viscosity tests. Molecular components and structures of the modified binder were identified using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to determine the thermal properties of modified asphalt binder. The addition of 7% POBA in WMA binder showed the best characteristics in the tested consistency of its physical properties. As a modifier, POBA showed no chemical interaction with the molecules and structures of the asphalt binder and did not significantly change the physicochemical transitions. From the results, it can be concluded that using POBA in WMA binder for pavement construction is a viable option.

Integrated Biorefinery of Empty Fruit Bunch from Palm Oil Industries to Produce Valuable Biochemicals

Empty fruit bunch (EFB) utilization to produce valuable bio-chemicals is seen as an economical and sustainable alternative to waste management in palm oil industries. This work proposed an integrated biorefinery configuration of EFB valorization considering sustainability pillars—namely, economic, environmental, and safety criteria. Techno-economic analysis, life cycle assessment, and hazard identification ranking methods were used to estimate annual profit, global warming potential (GWP), fire explosion damage index (FEDI), and toxicity damage index (TDI) of the proposed integrated biorefinery. A multi-objective optimization problem was then formulated and solved for simultaneous maximization of profit and minimization of GWP, FEDI and TDI. The resulting Pareto-optimal solutions convey the trade-off among the economic, environmental, and safety performances. To choose one of these optimal solutions for implementation, a combined approach of fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and a technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution was applied. For this selection, the economic criterion was more preferred, followed by the safety and environmental criterion; thus, the optimal solution selected for integrated biorefinery configuration had the highest annual profit, which was at the maximum capacity of 100 ton/h of EFB. It can fulfill the global demand of xylitol (by 55%), levulinic acid (by 98%), succinic acid (by 25%), guaiacol (by 90%), and vanillin (by 12%), and has annual profit, GWP, FEDI, and TDI of 932 M USD/year, 284 tonCO2-eq, 595, and 957, respectively.

Special Issue on “Process Design, Integration, and Intensification”

With the growing emphasis on enhancing the sustainability and efficiency of industrial plants, process integration and intensification are gaining additional interest throughout the chemical engineering community [...]