A team of researchers at the Center of Excellence for Wood and Biological Materials, Walailak University discovered the process. Pre-treatment For drying palm oil quickly without cracking and not collapsing Helped solve the problem of oil palm drying that has been in the industry for more than 20 years successfully for the first time in the world. Ready to file intellectual property registration in 3 countries
Associate Professor Dr. Nirundorn Matan, Head of the Center of Excellence for Wood and Biomaterials, Walailak University (Mass.) revealed that palm oil is one of Thailand’s economic crops. Most of the land is cultivated in the southern region, which accounts for 4% of the world’s planted area. Each year in Thailand, there are old oil palm trees that need to be disposed of. in large quantities up to 4 million cubic meters The preliminary value of dried sawn timber is approximately 30,000 million baht/year, not including the large amount of palm oil left over in Malaysia and Indonesia. With the wood drying processing methods that are commonly used in industrial plants. Oil palm wood will be damaged due to severe collapse during baking. with only 20-30% of the processing ratio, and the high baking time and energy required, making it not cost-effective.
He, along with a team of researchers at the Center of Excellence in Mass Wood. Therefore, it has studied the method of baking and utilization of palm oil in a new and comprehensive way. and discovered the process Pre-treatment That can turn oil palm wood, which is the hardest of all woods, into the wood that is easiest to bake. where the various properties of wood are not lost It is an innovative solution to a problem that has been going on for more than 20 years. This technique can be used with other palm tree trunks and can be integrated into the rubberwood production process in factories that are common in the area. The research has been filed for intellectual property registration in 3 countries, namely Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. along with the expansion Transfer knowledge and technology derived from research to the company general interest including government support agencies In order to expand the results as the beginning of the birth of a new industry from a wide range of palm oil biomass waste
“For the process Pre-treatment It consists of compressing water into oil palm wood. This was followed by freeze-drying at temperatures below 10 °C, which would cause micro-cracks at the level of one millionth of a meter in the oil palm structure. As a result, palm oil can be baked quickly. with intense baking process Can bake very thick wood can do process Heat-treatment with heat from the start at temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius,” said Associate Professor Dr. Nirandorn.
“Thank you for the research development project and research for industry (Por. Wor.) under the action of the Office of Science Promotion Board. Research and Innovation (OSMEP) and Timber Engineering of Krabi and an innovative research and development plan on natural resources and the environment waste and waste management Reducing the amount of agricultural waste under the action of The National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) has supported research funding for the discovery and development of innovations to the industry this time. The students who received scholarships in the project consisted of Mr. Chusak Rittipetch, Ms. Peeraya Setthapong and Ms. Kamonwan. Dam Young and his team of advisors Under the petrochemical and polymers course School of Engineering and Technology mass.” Associate Professor Dr. Nirandorn Matan said at the end.
Interested parties can ask for more information at Center of Excellence for Wood and Biomaterials, Walailak University Tel.075-673-671/075-672-304, Facebook: Center of Excellence for Wood and Biomaterials
Email-wood@wu.ac.th