BUKU ABSTRAK - Universiti Putra Malaysia

Variation of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) Progenies Responses to High
Aluminium Concentrations in Solution Culture
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Hanafi Musa
Syed Omar Syed Rastan, Mohd. Rafii Yusof and Jose Alvaro Cristancho Rodriguez
Institute of Tropical Agriculture, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8946 7842; mmhanafi@agri.upm.edu.my
Keywords: Elaeis guineensis, oil palm, aluminium, photosynthesis, oxalic acid SPAD chlorophyll value
Pilot Scale Recovery of Organic Acids from Treated Palm Oil Mill Effleunt (POME)
Prof. Dr. Mohd. Ali Hassan
Tabassum Mumtaz, Suraini Abd-Aziz, Nor’Aini Abdul Rahman, Phang Lai Yee and Yoshihito Shirai
Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8946 7514; phaglaiyee@biotech.upm.edu.my
Keyword: Acidogenesis, anaerobic treatment, organic acid, palm oil mill effluent, recovery.
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Agriculture
Aluminium (Al) phytotoxicity is one of the important soil constraints that limits crop yields. The objectives
of this study were to investigate how growth, physiology, nutrient content and organic acid concentration were
affected by Al, and to assess the degree of Al-tolerance in different oil palm progenies (OPPs). Four progenies
[‘A’ (Angola dura × Angola dura), ‘B’ (Nigerian dura × Nigerian dura), ‘C’ (Deli dura × AVROS pisifera), and
‘D’ (Deli dura × Dumpy AVROS pisifera)] were subjected to different Al concentrations (0, 100 and 200 µM)
in aerated Hoagland’s solution at pH 4.4 for 80 days. We observed a severe reduction (57.5%) in shoot dry
weight. Root-tips were reduced by 46.5% at 200 µM Al. In ‘B’ and ‘C’ progenies, the majority of macro- and
micronutrients were reduced significantly in different proportions by 200 µM Al, with Mg being lowered at more
than 50% in roots and shoots. The concentration of 200 µM Al resulted in 56.50% reduction in the total leaf
area followed by net photosynthetic rate (20%) and SPAD chlorophyll value in the third leaf (17%). Root-tips
(0-5 mm) showed a significant increase of oxalic acid content with increasing Al concentrations (~5.86-fold).
Progeny ‘A’ had the highest concentration of oxalic acid. There was a significant interaction of Al concentrations
× progenies on total leaf numbers, root volume, lateral root length, Mg and K in both tissues, and Ca and N in
shoot. The OPPs could be ranked in their tolerance to Al as: ‘A’ > ‘D’ > ‘B’ > ‘C’.
In this study, low molecular weight organic acids such as acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acids
generated from partial anaerobic treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) were recovered using pilot scale
filtration and evaporation system. Mechanical filter press (14 L) was used for removing solid fractions and
fraction distillation unit (40 L) for evaporation and clarification of concentrated acid from POME. Clarification
using rotary evaporator was found to be more suitable than distillation column. Due to the presence of more
than 90% of water in POME, the final clarified roduct comprises only 7% of the total volume. The material
balance for the overall process was estimated and integrated system for the bioconversion of organic acids into
olyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) was proposed. The recovery of organic acids has a significant and economical
impact, since around 50% cost of PHA production is believed to be associated with the substrate itself.