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Fractionation And Characterization Of Oil Palm (Elaeis Guineensis) As Treated By Supercritical Water, Mahendra Varman Munusamy M.Varman, H. Miyafuji, S. Saka

Mahendra Varman Munusamy (M. Varman)

In order to investigate the potential for efficient utilization of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), supercritical water treatment (at 380°C and 100 MPa for 8 s) was applied to fractionate extractives-free samples into water-soluble portion and water-insoluble portion. The water-insoluble portion was further fractionated into methanol-soluble portion and methanol-insoluble residue. Samples were prepared from various parts of oil palm, i.e., trunks, fronds, mesocarp fibers, shells, empty fruit bunches, and kernel cake. These fractionated products were then characterized analytically. The water-soluble and methanol-soluble portions were determined to be mainly composed of carbohydrate-derived products and lignin-derived products, respectively. The methanol-insoluble residue was mainly …