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Walailak researchers discover a method to eliminate collapse in oil palm wood during drying, a revolutionary chapter in the wood processing industry


     

    Walailak University, led by the research team from the Center of Excellence in Wood and Biomaterials, has recently made a scientific breakthrough - the method to eliminate the collapse of oil palm wood during extremely severe drying. The technique comes out as a key to addressing the issue in the wood processing industry for over 30 years. The finding has been published in Drying Technology.


     The research team led by Associate Prof. Dr. Nirundorn Matan, Head of the Center of Excellence in Wood and Biomaterials, Walailak University together with Mr. Choosak Rittiphet and Ms. Peeraya Settapong, doctoral degree students from the Materials Science and Innovation program, and Ms. Kamolwun Dumyang, Master’s degree student, all from School of Engineering and Technology, has officially launched the unprecedented Pre-treatment method helping to reduce collapse in oil palm wood and others of identical properties during drying in the seminar “the 1st Inception of Oil Palm Wood: the method to eliminate collapse of oil palm wood during drying” at the Meeting Room 4, the Innovation Building, Walailak University on July 26th, 2022. 

 

      The seminar is organized as part of the project by the Research and Researchers for Industries program (RRI), the Thailand Science, Research and Innovation and Timber Engineering of Krabi Co., Ltd., Thailand. Prof. Dr. Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, President of Walailak University, presided over the event and gave a briefing on research works both from the Center of Excellence in Wood and Biomaterials and other excellence centers of Walailak University and the impacts each of them has contributed to the research community. Following the opening remark, Associate Prof. Dr. Nirundorn gave an elaborate walkthrough of the process covering theoretical concepts, laboratory practices, and applications of the method in the wood processing industry setting to attendees from both public and private sectors. The event was also joined by Mr. Watcharin Chaiyanupong, Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Industry Office, Mr. Pracha Ngamrattanakul, Honorary President of Trang Industrial Council, and Mr. Jesada Angwitthayathorn, Managing Director of Nakhon Si Parawood Company Limited Company.  

 


   

    Essentially, the newly discovered method is built upon the existing rubberwood processing process, however with the freezing technique at - 10 Celsius. Cells of the oil palm wood, characterized by high content moisture, will be first filled with fluid in the intercellular space before freezing to create microcracks at the pit cavities to relieve capillary pressure during drying. Therefore, the final dry wood products are taken out with no collapses - the typical damage common when the conventional drying process is employed. 
 

    With this method in place, oil palm biomass, oil palm trunks in particular, which used to be categorized as agricultural waste and cannot be left on the field will be converted into novel commercial returns for oil palm agriculturists because instead of being cleared out using chemical injection or chopping, old and unproductive oil palm trees can be transitioned further into the processing process. 


     “While the global statistic of oil palm waste trunk is at 100 million cubic meters/year potentially translating into over 777,000 million THB worth of successfully processed lumber, Thailand, stacking an astounding 4 million cubic meters/year is looking at 31,000 million THB each year. Both wood processing entrepreneurs and oil palm farmers can venture into a new territory of a sustainable, eco-friendly and holistic cycle of income,” said Associate Prof. Dr. Nirundorn.,” said Associate Prof. Dr. Nirundorn. 

 


    Currently, this innovation has been registered for a petty patent in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and the university is now disseminating this new dataset to the local communities.  

    For more information, please visit https://engineer.wu.ac.th/?p=23526&lang=en to contact the Center of Excellence in Wood and Biomaterials, School of Engineering, Walailak University 

 

 

News by Nootchanat Sukkaew 

Division of Corporate Communication, Walailak University 


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