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Sarawak POIC to Make Vitamins
Sarawak POIC to Make Vitamins
21/01/2015 (Daily Express) - Palm oil-based downstream activities in Palm Oil Integrated Complex (POIC) in Bintulu is gaining impetus with the help of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB – formerly known as Porim) to put Sarawak on the world's map.
This was revealed by Federal Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, when officiating at the opening ceremony of the Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad (SOPB) Biodiesel Plant here, last, Saturday.
The Integrated Palm Oil Downstream Complex by SOPB has been established at Kinda II with a palm oil refinery and palm kernel crushing plant.
"Sarawak Oil Palm Green Energy has ventured further downstream to produce palm phytonutrients such as carotenes (pro-vitamin A) and tocols concentrates (palm vitamin E) which are based on MPOB technology. An agreement with MPOB has been signed to commercialise palm phytonutrients. The plant is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2015," said Douglas.
Palm oil is a rich source of naturally occurring phytonutrients. The major phytonutrients found in crude palm oil are carotenes, tocols, sterols and squalene. Palm phytonutrients are a by-product produced during the conversion of palm oil to biodiesel.
Generally, palm oil also contain several saturated fatty acids (lauric, 0.1pc; myristic, 0.1pc; palmitic, 44pc; and stearic, 5pc) and unsaturated fatty acids (oleic, 39pc; linoleic, 10pc; and linolenic, 0.3pc).
Palm oil plays a major role in poverty alleviation in Malaysia.
There are more than 300,000 oil palm farmers cultivating oil palm on holdings ranging in size between 4 and 40 hectares, contributing to some 20 tonnes of palm oil exported every year which contributes some RM53 billion (US$16.57 billion) to the Gross National Income.
"I congratulate Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad on the successful completion of their biodiesel plant in Bintulu. It is indeed heartening to note that this is the first biodiesel plant to be completed and commissioned in Sarawak.
"It is also heartening to note that this biodiesel plant utilises MPOB-patented technology and is supporting our local invention.
"Besides this plant, there are currently six commercial normal grade palm biodiesel plants using MPOB technology that have been set up, including one plant in South Korea and another plant in Thailand.
"In addition, there are three commercial winter grade palm biodiesel plants using MPOB technology that have been built in Malaysia."
The biodiesel plant is developed by SOP Green Energy Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of SOPB, and it is one of the components of the SOP Integrated Palm Oil Downstream Complex which is an extension of the existing oil refinery and palm kernel crushing plant.
SOP Green Energy Sdn Bhd's biodiesel plant here is currently the only biodiesel supply source for the whole of Sarawak.
With an annual operating capacity of 100,000 tonnes, it is capable of supplying 72,000 tonnes of palm biodiesel annually for the implementation of the B7 (blending of 7 per cent of palm methyl ester with 93 per cent petroleum diesel) programme to all five petroleum depots in Sarawak.
The Director-General of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Datuk Dr Choo Yeun May said that MPOB (Porim) started research on producing biodiesel in early 1980 and set up its first biodiesel plant in Malaysia in 1985 which successfully commercialise the usage of biodiesel with the collaboration of Petronas and Mercedes Benz involving 36 buses which today led to the mandatory biodiesel fuel blend for Malaysia.
Studies have shown that the use of biodiesel which is a sustainable fuel can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from the transportation sector. Biodiesel has higher cetane number that improves engine performance and results in cleaner exhaust emission.
According to Alan Ting, the press secretary to the Minister, if the government did not mandate the use of biodiesel, the private sector would not have move on with the green biofuel initiative.
The Minister refused to comment on Sabah's POICs when asked. saying that the occasion was for Sarawak, and should wait until he visits Sabah. He called on Sabah businesses to invest in Sarawak's POIC.
This was revealed by Federal Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, when officiating at the opening ceremony of the Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad (SOPB) Biodiesel Plant here, last, Saturday.
The Integrated Palm Oil Downstream Complex by SOPB has been established at Kinda II with a palm oil refinery and palm kernel crushing plant.
"Sarawak Oil Palm Green Energy has ventured further downstream to produce palm phytonutrients such as carotenes (pro-vitamin A) and tocols concentrates (palm vitamin E) which are based on MPOB technology. An agreement with MPOB has been signed to commercialise palm phytonutrients. The plant is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2015," said Douglas.
Palm oil is a rich source of naturally occurring phytonutrients. The major phytonutrients found in crude palm oil are carotenes, tocols, sterols and squalene. Palm phytonutrients are a by-product produced during the conversion of palm oil to biodiesel.
Generally, palm oil also contain several saturated fatty acids (lauric, 0.1pc; myristic, 0.1pc; palmitic, 44pc; and stearic, 5pc) and unsaturated fatty acids (oleic, 39pc; linoleic, 10pc; and linolenic, 0.3pc).
Palm oil plays a major role in poverty alleviation in Malaysia.
There are more than 300,000 oil palm farmers cultivating oil palm on holdings ranging in size between 4 and 40 hectares, contributing to some 20 tonnes of palm oil exported every year which contributes some RM53 billion (US$16.57 billion) to the Gross National Income.
"I congratulate Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad on the successful completion of their biodiesel plant in Bintulu. It is indeed heartening to note that this is the first biodiesel plant to be completed and commissioned in Sarawak.
"It is also heartening to note that this biodiesel plant utilises MPOB-patented technology and is supporting our local invention.
"Besides this plant, there are currently six commercial normal grade palm biodiesel plants using MPOB technology that have been set up, including one plant in South Korea and another plant in Thailand.
"In addition, there are three commercial winter grade palm biodiesel plants using MPOB technology that have been built in Malaysia."
The biodiesel plant is developed by SOP Green Energy Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of SOPB, and it is one of the components of the SOP Integrated Palm Oil Downstream Complex which is an extension of the existing oil refinery and palm kernel crushing plant.
SOP Green Energy Sdn Bhd's biodiesel plant here is currently the only biodiesel supply source for the whole of Sarawak.
With an annual operating capacity of 100,000 tonnes, it is capable of supplying 72,000 tonnes of palm biodiesel annually for the implementation of the B7 (blending of 7 per cent of palm methyl ester with 93 per cent petroleum diesel) programme to all five petroleum depots in Sarawak.
The Director-General of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) Datuk Dr Choo Yeun May said that MPOB (Porim) started research on producing biodiesel in early 1980 and set up its first biodiesel plant in Malaysia in 1985 which successfully commercialise the usage of biodiesel with the collaboration of Petronas and Mercedes Benz involving 36 buses which today led to the mandatory biodiesel fuel blend for Malaysia.
Studies have shown that the use of biodiesel which is a sustainable fuel can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from the transportation sector. Biodiesel has higher cetane number that improves engine performance and results in cleaner exhaust emission.
According to Alan Ting, the press secretary to the Minister, if the government did not mandate the use of biodiesel, the private sector would not have move on with the green biofuel initiative.
The Minister refused to comment on Sabah's POICs when asked. saying that the occasion was for Sarawak, and should wait until he visits Sabah. He called on Sabah businesses to invest in Sarawak's POIC.