https://poeb.mpob.gov.my Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/palm-oil-mill-innovation-for-improved-efficiency-based-on-creativity-and-profitability/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:23 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/palm-oil-mill-innovation-for-improved-efficiency-based-on-creativity-and-profitability/ Can life for palm oil mill managers and engineers be (ever) made ‘easy’? Actually, yes with a solution that is both easy and simple. Just picture this managers and engineers focusing on mill processes and production matters rather than tending to persistent mill utility issues. This will lead to enriching their daily working life and enhancing the core business of their company.

]]> 1036 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/diesel-power-plant/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:23 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/diesel-power-plant/ Almost all palm oil mills have stand by diesel electricity generator sets (DGS). There are alternating views by mill managers on what criteria to adopt when choosing the capacities of these DGS. It is quite obvious that the mill managers did not spend enough time to analyse the requirements in more details when requesting for diesel sets for their mills. The selection of a steam power plant is relatively simple compared to DGS. Let us look at the mill requirements when the mill is not in operation. In the daytime, electricity is needed for the operation of office equipment, office and mill lighting. In the night time, the security lighting and domestic load will add on to the load. After midnight, the domestic load will drop until early morning.

]]> 1037 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/an-introduction-to-water-footprints-for-millers/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:29 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/an-introduction-to-water-footprints-for-millers/ This article was extracted from a dialogue session between the public and Ruth Mathews and Arjen Y Hoekstra that appeared in the Wikipedia and summarised to disseminate the important message it contains to the millers. The views expressed in this article are mainly from Ruth Mathews, Executive Director and Arjen Y Hoekstra, Scientific Director of Water Footprint Network (WFN). As the original report is very lengthy, thus only selected sections were extracted for this article. The millers may have to contribute what they can to implement some of the suggestions given in this article. All of us are aware of the fact that many countries are facing water shortage but no one would have thought that Malaysia also would be one of them. People in Selangor faced the worst water shortage quite recently and that should not have happened in a country blessed with abundant rain water that recently caused the worst floods in the east coast, making thousands of people homeless.

]]> 1039 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/palm-oil-mills-and-oil-extraction-ratio/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:29 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/palm-oil-mills-and-oil-extraction-ratio/ This article that appeared in the Engineering Bulletin No. 70 has summarised the gist of the dilemma faced by palm oil millers from day one the modern palm oil mills made their debut in Malaysia or for that matter anywhere in the world. The refusal of some planters to accept the reality of where the mill oil is coming from, the national oil extraction rate (OER) will remain low. It is absolutely pointless to expect the fruit bunches to create more oil than what it contains. As far as oil synthesis is concerned, the moment a bunch is harvested, it cannot produce any more oil. Despite the oil palm planters having this knowledge, they still continue to point their fingers at the mill and put the blame on them when the mill OER drops. If we are sincere in our efforts under the National Key Economic Area (NKEA) to increase our national OER, the focus has to shift from the mill to the estate. This article is republished so that the industry can use the information to increase the national OER. The millers are kindly requested to convey the information to all the contributing estates.

]]> 1040 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/a-critical-look-at-the-palm-oil-operations/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:29 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/a-critical-look-at-the-palm-oil-operations/ This article is a repeat of the article previously published. As I felt that it contains some important points that will not get dated anytime in the near future, the millers are requested to read it through to improve the milling activity in their mills. The fabricating industry should also be well versed with what the millers seek so that they can fabricate machinery to fulfil the requirements of the industry.

]]> 1042 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/malaysias-entry-to-ultra-supercritical-boiler-technology-club/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:29 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/malaysias-entry-to-ultra-supercritical-boiler-technology-club/ This write-up will be of interest to our steam engineers working in all palm oil mills in Malaysia as well as in Indonesia. Perhaps this will inspire the mill owners to consider improving their current dated technology they are holding tight to high-tech boiler technology for their mill boilers. This technology is not new as it is a common knowledge for mechanical engineers that at high superheat temperatures the specific steam consumption will be low resulting in high boiler efficiency. At high boiler pressures and the corresponding steam temperatures, the boiler tubes will have to be made of costly alloy steel as the normal steel has its limitations to withstand the high gas temperatures prevailing in the boiler furnace. This is equally true for high altitude jet propelled fighter aircraft gas turbines whose ability to withstand the gas temperature of the hot gases determines its performance during combat operations.

]]> 1043 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/investigations-into-process-improvements/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:29 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/investigations-into-process-improvements/ As we all know, improvement in process technology is not an one-off activity but a recurring one even though its frequency will not match that of the present day smart phones. However, we do not seem to have a special body wholly dedicated to the design, fabrication and conduction of field trials of new machinery. Whatever system we do have now is sadly inadequate for venturing into new territories with the result that much of talent is wasted due to lack of opportunities. This reminds me of Thomas Gray, an Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.

]]> 1045 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/workshop-basics-part-1-engineering-materials/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:29 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/workshop-basics-part-1-engineering-materials/ Metallurgy and its application to produce new engineering materials play a very important role in workshop practice. One of the most important metallurgical application is the development of jet engines for aircrafts where the need for alloys that can withstand high temperatures is critical. In palm oil mills, the main requirement are confined to materials often in the form of alloys possessing the properties of corrosion resistance, erosion, strength and other requirements. There are continuously being manufactured to suit the different engineering requirements. It will therefore be useful for the workshop crew to gain some insight into the properties of such materials. This article was originally prepared and published in the Engineering New Issue No. 32 by the late Ir Jack Maycock to improve the technical knowledge of the workshop foreman, artisans and fitters. It will also serve the maintenance engineers as a reference material. The maintenance engineers are encouraged to use the material contained in this article to give lectures to their maintenance team in a simple language so that they understand the fundamental principles. They can be tested orally to gauge the knowledge they have gained and certificates issued by the manager or the authorised person.

]]> 1046 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/carbon-footprints/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:29 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/carbon-footprints/ It will be of academic interest to know how this terminology gained entry into the complex world of confusing terminology jargons. Sometimes I wonder whether these words were coined for the specific purpose of confusing the public rather than to disseminate knowledge. The aim should be to educate the public on the harmful effect of some gases that find their way to the atmosphere through human (inhuman?) activities. I purposely did not use the term ‘greenhouse’ gas here as even the word ‘greenhouse’ gas is not a commonly used word by the general public although they might have read about it in newspapers without really understanding its multi facet components.

]]> 1047 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/achieving-a-bod-below-20-mg-litre-1-for-pome-is-it-a-myth-or-a-reality/ Sun, 29 Mar 2020 17:13:36 +0000 https://poeb.mpob.gov.my/index.php/2020/03/29/achieving-a-bod-below-20-mg-litre-1-for-pome-is-it-a-myth-or-a-reality/ There are a number of effluent treatment systems available now in the market claiming to give excellent results. This could be a valid claim because in most cases it would have performed satisfactorily with other types of effluents. But the problem often overlooked is the dissimilar characteristics of different types of effluents. Each treatment system has to be separately evolved and custom made to be effective. It could be a costly mistake if we blindly adopt a system with a proven track record of effluent treatment when dealing with another industry. One of the critical characteristics of palm oil mill effluent is its extraordinarily high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), that can be as high as 30 000 mg litre^-1. Currently, most mills are struggling to keep it below the existing Department of Environment (DOE) limit of 100 mg litres^-1. Soon this will have to be lowered to 20 mg litres^-1 to keep pace with the rest of the world. Recently, a new method called the biological chemical mechanical and membrane (BCMM) technology has been tried out under R&amp,D in MPOB Palm Oil Mill Technology Centre (August 2010 – February 2011) and in FELDA’s Kilang Sawit Neram (January – August 2012), that seemed to deliver consistent results under the normal mill operating conditions.

]]> 1074