Determination of process contaminants 2- and 3-MCPD esters and glycidyl esters in palm-based glycerol by indirect analysis using GC-MS.

Esters of 2- and 3-monochloropropanediol (2-MCPDE, 3-MCPDE) and glycidol (GE) are regarded as process contaminants that are found in refined vegetable oils and oil-based foods. Since glycerol is produced during fat splitting, saponification and biodiesel production, it is important to have methods for determining contaminants that might be formed during these processes. Due to the use of glycerol as a food additive, data on the presence of compounds of toxicological concern, including 3-MCPD, are of interest. This study focuses on modifying the indirect analysis of 2-MCPDE, 3-MCPDE and GE using GC-MS based on the AOCS Official Method Cd 29a-13, validating the modified method, and quantifying 2-MCPDE, 3-MCPDE and GE in glycerol. The AOCS Cd 29a-13 method was modified at the initial stage of sample preparation in which the targeted esters were extracted from glycerol by vortex-assisted extraction before sample analysis. This modification was performed based on the polarity of all compounds involved. The calibration functions for all analytes were fitted to linear regression with R2 above 0.99. Limits of detection (LOD) 0.02, 0.01 and 0.02 mg kg-1 were obtained for 2-MCPDE, 3-MCPDE and GE, respectively. Spiked glycerol with 3-MCPDE and 2-MCPDE (0.25, 0.51 and 1.01 mg kg-1) and GE (0.58, 1.16 and 2.32 mg kg-1) were used for recovery and precision measurements. Recoveries of 100-108%, 101-103%, and 93-99% were obtained for 2-MCPDE, 3-MCPDE and GE, respectively. Acceptable precision levels with relative standard deviations ranged from 3.3% to 8.3% were obtained for repeatability and intermediate precision. The validated method was successfully applied for the analysis of the target compounds in refined glycerol from commercial plants, which showed that 2-MCPDE, 3-MCPDE and GE levels in the analysed samples were below the detection limit.

Growth of Marine Microalgae in Landfill Leachate and Their Ability as Pollutants Removal.

Leachate from landfill contains concentrated nutrients that may enter the terrestrial and aquatic environment, including nearby coastal areas. The nutrient contaminants eventually bring harm to marine organisms, including microalgae. This study was performed to investigate the growth of two green microalgal species, i.e. Chlorella sp. and Nannochloropsis sp. in diluted landfill leachate. Besides, the ability of nutrient removal by these microalgal was also explored from the changes of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nutrients content. The initial and final concentrations of COD, NH3-N, and PO4 3- in the diluted leachate (5%, 10% and 15%) were measured and the growth patterns of these species were determined by counting the cell numbers for 12 days. Comparison of these microalgae showed that the growth rate of Nannochloropsis was significantly higher compared to Chlorella in all leachate concentrations. Leachate at 5% enhanced the growth of both microalgae, while leachates at 10% and 15% decreased their growth as early as at the beginning of the test. It is apparent that the less concentrated leachate discharged into seawater would not pose any toxicity to the environment and would not bear adverse effect to microalgae yet could promote their growth. This study also revealed that the microalgae could remediate leachate pollution by its ability of nutrient removal; thus, leading to the potential application in wastewater bioremediation, including industrial waste and palm oil mill effluent.

Larut lesapan dari tapak pelupusan mengandungi bahan pencemar atau nutrien berkepekatan tinggi yang boleh mencemarkan persekitaran daratan dan akuatik, termasuk kawasan pantai berdekatan. Pada masa ini, pencemaran larut lesapan di kawasan pantai membawa satu kebimbangan yang serius. Bahan pencemar ini boleh membahayakan organisma marin termasuk mikroalga. Kajian ini melaporkan pertumbuhan dua spesis mikroalgal hijau, iaitu Chlorella sp. dan Nannochloropsis sp. di dalam larut lesapan yang telah dicairkan. Perubahan permintaan oksigen kimia (COD) dan kandungan nutrien, iaitu amonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) dan fosfat (PO4 3−) juga dipantau. Corak pertumbuhan mikroalga telah dikenal pasti selepas dikultur di dalam larut lesapan yang telah dicairkan dengan kepekatan 5%, 10% dan 15% selama 12 hari. Bacaan awal COD, NH3-N, dan PO4 3− sebelum kajian dan bacaan akhir COD selepas kajian diukur. Dari segi kepekatan, larut lesapan pada 5% meningkatkan pertumbuhan, sementara larut lesapan pada 10% dan 15% menurunkan pertumbuhan kedua-dua spesis mikroalga seawal permulaan ujian. Perbandingan dari segi spesis mikroalga pula menunjukkan bahawa kadar pertumbuhan Nannochloropsis jauh lebih tinggi berbanding Chlorella dalam semua kepekatan larut lesapan yang diuji. Walau bagaimanapun, dalam larut lesapan berkepekatan 5%, Chlorella menunjukkan keupayaan untuk menyah nutrien berlebihan dengan lebih cekap berbanding Nannochloropsis. Secara keseluruhan, kajian ini memberi gambaran bahawa larut lesapan yang berkepekatan rendah di dalam air laut tidak akan menimbulkan kesan buruk kepada alam sekitar dan mikroalga, tetapi sebaliknya dapat meningkatkan pertumbuhan mikroalga tersebut. Kajian ini juga mendedahkan bahawa mikroalga boleh membantu dalam mengurangkan pencemaran oleh larut lesapan disebabkan keupayaannya dalam menyingkirkan lebihan nutrien. Oleh itu, kajian ini merintis kepada potensi penggunaan mikroalga di dalam bidang bioremediasi air sisa, termasuklah untuk sisa industri dan air kumbahan dari kilang minyak sawit.

Stability evaluation of quality parameters for palm oil products at low temperature storage.

BACKGROUND: Palm oil is one of the major oils and fats produced and traded worldwide. The value of palm oil products is mainly influenced by their quality. According to ISO 17025:2005, accredited laboratories require a quality control procedure with respect to monitoring the validity of tests for determination of quality parameters. This includes the regular use of internal quality control using secondary reference materials. Unfortunately, palm oil reference materials are not currently available. To establish internal quality control samples, the stability of quality parameters needs to be evaluated. RESULTS: In the present study, the stability of quality parameters for palm oil products was examined over 10 months at low temperature storage (6 ± 2 °C). The palm oil products tested included crude palm oil (CPO); refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm oil (RBDPO); RBD palm olein (RBDPOo); and RBD palm stearin (RBDPS). The quality parameters of the oils [i.e. moisture content, free fatty acid content (FFA), iodine value (IV), fatty acids composition (FAC) and slip melting point (SMP)] were determined prior to and throughout the storage period. The moisture, FFA, IV, FAC and SMP for palm oil products changed significantly (P < 0.05), whereas the moisture content for CPO, IV for RBDPO and RBDPOo, stearic acid composition for CPO and linolenic acid composition for CPO, RBDPO, RBDPOo and RBDPS did not (P > 0.05). The stability study indicated that the quality of the palm oil products was stable within the specified limits throughout the storage period at low temperature. CONCLUSION: The storage conditions preserved the quality of palm oil products throughout the storage period. These findings qualify the use of the palm oil products CPO, RBDPO, RBDPOo and RBDPS as control samples in the validation of test results. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Performance of Palm-Based C16/18 Methyl Ester Sulphonate (MES) in Liquid Detergent Formulation.

Liquid detergents are more convenient than powdered detergents as they dissolve readily in water, generate less dust and dosing is easy. However, the stability of liquid detergents is an issue of concern. Therefore, the objective of this research is to study the formulation requirement to produce heavy-duty liquid detergents based on palm-based methyl esters sulphonate (MES) with desirable properties and performance. MES is produced from renewable and sustainable feedstock suitable to replace the conventional fossil-based surfactant, linear alkyl benzene sulphonates (LAS). Five palm-based liquid detergents (PBLDs) were formulated using C16/18 MES as the primary surfactant. The physical properties, washing performance, stability and biodegradability of PBLDs were evaluated. Performance of the PBLDs was evaluated against two commercial liquid detergents which use LAS and alcohol glucoside as surfactant (benchmark product) and it was found that the PBLDs exhibited excellent performance. PBLDs can be formulated with or without phosphates and still demonstrate good detergency. The stability study of PBLDs indicated that no appreciable hydrolysis occurred. PBLDs exhibited better biodegradability profiles compared to commercial detergent containing LAS. PBLDs passed the 60% biodegradability level within 3 to 8 d, while commercial detergent took 24 d. It was shown that palm-based C16/18 MES could be potentially formulated into liquid detergents and gave better performance than LAS based liquid detergent. Attributes of C16/18 MES should not be overlooked, which include an abundant and naturally derived palm stearin as raw material and environmental safety profiles that are superior to most synthetic surfactants.