Kok Tat Tan

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman | utar · Department of Petrochemical Engineering

Large scale palm oil production will inevitably generate a vast amount of liquid waste, particularly palm oil mill effluent (POME), that has adverse environmental impacts. While most studies concentrate on the organic removal from POME, the recovery of valuable resources from the effluent is infrequently described. The rising awareness of sustainab...

Residual oil from palm oil mill effluent (POME) can be recovered and valorized into value-added products such as biofuel. However, the complex structure in POME limits the full recovery of intracellular lipids. To address this challenge, low-frequency ultrasonication was used as a pre-treatment prior to oil recovery to improve the yield by liberati...

Palm oil is the planet’s most exploited vegetable oil. However, its extensive commercialization has resulted in massive waste, particularly palm oil mill effluent (POME), contributing to severe environmental pollution. POME has a high concentration of oil and grease (O&G) with the mean value of 4,340 mg/L, exceeding the standard discharge limit of...

Malaysia produces on average 30,000 tonnes municipal solid waste (MSW) daily to these saturated disposal landfill. Therefore, Malaysia has initiated a Waste-to-Energy (WtE) treatment system project to be implemented near to sanitary landfills. But, pre-treatment of the MSW plays an important role before incineration. Unfortunately, MSW in its natur...

Current waste management is not able to handle the disposal rates due to the growing global population and economic expansion are increasing in Malaysia. The waste is expected to rise to 41,035 tonnes per day by the year 2026. The responsibility for the separating waste is critically lacking. The solid waste composition of Malaysia is made up of 45...

A semi-auto pyrolysis system was fabricated and experimental results on fast pyrolysis of biomass residues; empty fruit bunch (EFB) process was investigated. The vertical fluidized bed reactor with the dimensions of 1000mm length and diameter ID 25mm was used in carrying out the pyrolysis experiments. Three main products were obtained from the fast...

Cerbera Odollam (sea mango) is a proven promising feedstock for the production of biodiesel due to its high oil content. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) were produced as the final reaction product in the transesterification reflux condensation reaction of sea mango oil and methyl acetate (MA). Potassium methoxide was used as catalyst to study its r...

In this study, sea mango (Cerbera odollam) oil which is rich in free fatty acid was utilised as the feedstock in one-step superheated methanol vapour (SMV) transesterification reaction without going through pre-treatment step. SMV transesterification reaction was initiated by injecting superheated methanol vapour into sea mango oil phase. Effect of...

Sea mango (Cerbera odollam) oil, which is rich in free fatty acids, was utilized to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) via supercritical transesterification reaction. Sea mango oil was extracted from seeds and was subsequently reacted with methanol in a batch-type supercritical reactor. Response surface methodology (RSM) analysis was used to o...

In the present study, a kinetics study of non-catalytic supercritical transesterification reaction for biodiesel production was conducted. The kinetics model was developed by employing a three-step reversible reaction in supercritical transesterification reaction. Important kinetics parameters, such as pre-exponential factors and activation energy,...

In this high demand of renewable energy market, biodiesel was extensively produced via various catalytic and non-catalytic technologies. Conventional catalytic transesterification for biodiesel production has been shown to have limitation in terms of sensitivity to high water and free fatty acid, complicated separation and purification of biodiesel...

In this review, recent development of glycerol-free supercritical fluid transesterification for biodiesel production was discussed. Glycerol-free supercritical fluid processes including single-step and two-step transesterification for biodiesel production were reviewed and subsequently the advantages and limitations were highlighted. Value-added by...

For the past few decades, palm oil has gone through a revolution that few would have predicted. From a humble source of edible oil that was heavily criticized as being un-healthy and un-fit for human consumption, it has proven itself based on scientific findings that it is indeed one of the most nutritious edible oils in the world. Besides, palm oi...

Generally, water and free fatty acid (FFA) content in oils could cause a serious problem during conventional transesterification such as saponification. Thus, without any pre-treatment, vegetable oil, especially with high FFA content, will be affected. In this study, a non-catalytic supercritical methyl acetate (SCMA) process was utilized to produc...

Biodiesel production by non-catalytic supercritical methyl acetate (SCMA) reaction has been developed and optimized in previous study using Jatropha oil as oil feedstock. The reaction produces fatty methyl acid esters (FAME) as well as triacetin as the co-product. Due to the requirement of high reaction temperatures in SCMA treatment, thus the ther...

Due to limitations and weaknesses of catalytic reactions in biodiesel production, there are numerous alternative technologies that have been proposed which could overcome these issues. One of them widely reported is by employing non-catalytic supercritical fluid technology. In this method, the reactants are subjected to supercritical conditions of...

Biodiesel is currently considered as the most promising substitute for diesel fuel because of its similar properties to diesel. This study presents the use of the supercritical methanol method in the production of biodiesel from Croton megalocarpus oil. The reaction parameters such as methanol-to-oil ratio, reaction temperature and reaction time we...

In this study, biodiesel has been successfully produced by transesterification using non-catalytic supercritical methanol and methyl acetate. The variables studied, such as reaction time, reaction temperature and molar ratio of methanol or methyl acetate to oil, were optimised to obtain the optimum yield of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). Subsequen...

Conventional biodiesel production methods utilize alcohol as acyl acceptor and produces glycerol as side product. Hence, with escalating production of biodiesel throughout the world, it leads to oversupply of glycerol and subsequently causes devaluation in the market. In this study, methyl acetate was employed as acyl acceptor in non-catalytic supe...

In this review, the potential of supercritical fluids (SCF) as a sustainable route for biodiesel production was discussed and compared with conventional catalytic reactions. Although the advantages of catalyst-free SCF process are apparent, there are concerns regarding the huge energy required to conduct supercritical reaction at elevated temperatu...

Disposal of waste palm cooking oil (WPCO) via an environmental-friendly route is of major importance in the quest for sustainable development. In this study, WPCO was utilized instead of refined vegetable oils as the source of triglycerides for biodiesel production. WPCO contains several impurities, such as water and free fatty acids, which limit i...

A system for non-catalytic supercritical alcohol technology was developed using a batch-type tube reactor. In the present study, methanol and ethanol were used as the source of alcohol and a comparative study on the yields of supercritical methanol and supercritical ethanol was carried out. The effects of temperature, reaction time, and molar ratio...

Palm oil is known as a versatile vegetable oil with numerous applications ranging from food ingredients to nonedible products. At present, with the price of fossil fuels remains volatile in the world market, palm oil has emerged as a potential energy crop which can provide a renewable and sustainable energy source owing to its high productivity and...

In the present study, biodiesel has been successfully produced from triglycerides and dimethyl carbonate, instead of the conventional alcohol. In this non-catalytic supercritical dimethyl carbonate (SCDMC) technology, valuable compound of glycerol carbonate is obtained as side product, rather than the undesirable glycerol. Glycerol carbonate has hi...

In the present study, non-catalytic supercritical methanol (SCM) reaction was utilized to produce biodiesel from palm oil. The effects of free fatty acids and water content on the yield of biodiesel were investigated and subsequently compared with conventional catalytic reaction. In addition, the feasibility of utilizing co-solvents to reduce the o...

In this study, optimization of non-catalytic supercritical methanol reaction via response surface methodology analysis was carried out. Subsequently, the results obtained were compared with reported results of supercritical ethanol in order to investigate the effect of alcohol in supercritical alcohol reaction. Important variables such as reaction...

The world has been relying on fossil fuels as its primary source of energy. This unsustainable energy source is not going to last long and thus, gradual shift towards green renewable energy should be practiced. In Malaysia, even though fossil fuel dominates the energy production, renewable energies such as hydropower and biomass are gaining popular...

Global warming and the associated changes in the world climate pattern have been accepted world wide as the gravest threat to humanity in the 20th century. To mitigate the impacts of global warming, the Kyoto Protocol was established in 1997 with the objective of reducing global greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2),...

Similarity between the properties of biodiesel and petroleum-derived diesel has made the former one of the most promising alternatives to a renewable and sustainable fuel for the transportation sector. In Malaysia, palm oil can be a suitable feedstock for the production of biodiesel due to its abundant availability and low production cost. However,...

It has been widely accepted worldwide that global warming is by far the greatest threat and challenge in the new millennium. In order to stop global warming and to promote sustainable development, renewable energy is a perfect solution to achieve both targets. Presently million hectares of land in Malaysia is occupied with oil palm plantation gener...

In this study, fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) have been successfully produced from transesterification reaction between triglycerides and methyl acetate, instead of alcohol. In this non-catalytic supercritical methyl acetate (SCMA) technology, triacetin which is a valuable biodiesel additive is produced as side product rather than glycerol, which...

The present study employed non-catalytic supercritical methanol technology to produce biodiesel from palm oil. The research was carried out in a batch-type tube reactor and heated beyond supercritical temperature and pressure of methanol, which are at 239 °C and 8.1 MPa respectively. The effects of temperature, reaction time and molar ratio of meth...

The quest for renewable energy has intensified since the escalating price of crude petroleum in the recent years. Renewable energy such as biodiesel has the potential to replace petroleum-derived transportation fuel in the future. Biodiesel is defined as the mono-alkyl esters of long-chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils such palm oil, rape...

Renewable energy has been in the limelight ever since the price of crude petroleum oil increases to the unprecedented height of US$96 per barrel recently. This is due to the diminishing oil reserves in the world and political instabilities in some oil-exporting countries. The advantages of renewable energy compared to fossil fuels are enormous in t...