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The large availability and cheap price of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) trunk makes it an attractive raw material for value-added applications, but its low density and high carbohydrate content are highly undesirable. In this work, oil palm trunk (OPT) was steam-pretreated and compressed at high temperature. The compressed OPT was laminated using polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) using either 250 or 500 g/m2 adhesive spread rate (ASR). Soil burial testing was performed for three months on two different samples to study the deterioration and weight loss by bio-organisms. The laminated, compressed OPT formed with high PVAc ASR was found to be more durable against bio-organisms. The thermal stability of the compressed OPT was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and it was observed that the weight loss was lower for steam-pretreated samples compared to those without steam pretreatment. Moisture absorption-desorption testing of compressed OPT was performed, and a hysteresis curve was generated. It was found that laminated, compressed OPTs with 500 g/m2 ASR had lower moisture absorption than those with 250 g/m2 ASR.

In the last two decades, laccases have received much attention from researchers because of their specific ability to oxidize lignin. This function of laccase is very useful for applications in several biotechnological processes, including delignification in the pulp and paper industry and the detoxification of industrial effluents from the textile and petrochemical industries. This review focuses on laccase-mediated fiberboard synthesis. Growing concerns regarding the emission of formaldehyde from wood composites has prompted industrialists to consider the fabrication of green composites. Laccase-mediated fiber treatments oxidize the lignin component without affecting the cellulose structure. As a result, free radicals are generated on the fiber surface, and these can act as potential reactive sites for further cross-linking reactions in board manufacturing. Binderless fiberboards prepared using such methods can be considered as green composites because the manufacturing process involves no additional resin.

A biocomposite was successfully prepared by blending montmorillonite (MMT)/hemicellulose from oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) through solution casting. The composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results displayed good compatibility between the mixtures of the blended MMT/hemicellulose and CMC due to the hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction. There was an improvement in the thermal analysis through their thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), mechanical properties (tensile strength and tensile modulus), and water vapor permeability (WVP). The best values of tensile strength and tensile modulus of 47.5 MPa and 2.62 MPa, respectively, were obtained from 60H-40CMC-MMT nanocomposite films. The results showed that the mixture of the blended MMT/hemicelluloses and CMC produced a robust nanocomposite film with improved physical and mechanical properties, demonstrating that it is a promising candidate for green packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]