Environmental manufacturing and engineering in palm oil of oil palm industry

Abstract

Palm oil is said to be nature's gift to the world. Consumed for more than 5,000 years, its nutritional value, health benefits and value as a natural resource continue to be discovered even today. Oil palm (Elaeis Guineensis) was first introduced to Malaysia in 1870 as an ornamental plant, is now a leading agricultural crop. Its specialty is that two types of oil can be extracted from the same fruit yet are chemically different. Palm oil is derived from the mesocarp and the lauric palm kernel oil from the kernel nut. Since its introduction, a wide range of activities has evolved ranging from land clearings, cultivations, increased plantings, crop protections, harvesting, processing, refining, waste treatments and refinements have led to the developments of an array of processed palm oil products. The processing of fresh fruits into various types of palm oil and palm kernel oil products through physical and chemical refinements yields useful products but it also generates different kinds of waste.