Overview

IChemE's Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group (POPSIG) is pleased to present a seminar that will share the latest industrial advancements in the palm oil industry. The panellists will present their views to lead palm oil industry towards the achievements of sustainability and circular economy at global stage.

Theme: Sustainable and Circular Economy in Palm Oil Global Outlook

The global palm oil industry has been historically beset by sustainability issues. A sustainable and circular economy approach in the palm oil global outlook aims to tackle these problems, laying a foundation for ethical, environmental, and economic viability.

This seminar aims to address the pressing challenges that have long plagued palm oil production. Through a series of expert-led discussions and technology showcases, we will explore innovative ways to integrate sustainable and circular economic principles into the palm oil supply chain. The integration of sustainability and circular economy into the palm oil supply chain, can transform this contentious industry into a paragon of sustainability.

Objectives

1. To share the latest development and best practices on the sustainability of the global palm oil industry.
2. To provide a platform to exchange ideas and technology for advancing the industry.

Topics

By-products from the palm oil Industry – Experiences with sustainable solutions for the circular economy

Mr Jacobsen will give examples of how MBP Solutions has worked with sustainability working with standards as UN Global Compact, ISO 14001 and Ecovadis, an external sustainability rating organisation and how this connects to financial ESG ratings.

Mr Jacobsen will provide an overview of by-products from the palm oil industry and will go through some of the national policy, legal and sustainable standards that are driving the application and value. A framework for sustainable management of by-products will be provided and examples will be given of circular practices across different industries.

From POME (Palm Oil Mill Effluent) to clean portable grade water: the FRG (Free Radical Generation) method

A new paradigm shift in treatment of POME (Palm Oil Mill Effluent) from a biological perspective to using a new concept of treatment called FRG (Free Radical Generation). This presentation will be delivered by Dr Simon Koh, Enviroclean Technology Pte Ltd, Singapore.

Greening the palm oil industry through GHG accounting and sustainability assessment

Over the past decades, the palm oil industry has proven to be a profit-making industry. The rapid advancement of this industry poses many challenges to ensure that the operation and production of the palm oil industry remain sustainable. The palm oil industry is one of the most highly regulated with legislation and regulations in place and currently committing to adhere to sustainable development goals (SDG) and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Malaysia as the second-largest producer of palm oil with a total of more than 18,400 tonnes of palm oil produced last year contributed to the total GHG emission from the palm oil sector. Numerous efforts are in place for conservation and green initiatives including GHG emission accounting and monitoring using IPCC methodology under the category of Agriculture Forestry and Land Use Change (AFOLU). This methodology enables the industry to continuously measure and keep track of GHG emissions performance. The assessments give the impetus for every palm oil industry to compete towards better improvement and to learn from each other, besides working to improve industry performance as a whole.

This methodology will be presented by Dr Muhammad Afiq Zubir, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Biorefinery approaches towards circular economy for oil palm biomass valorisation

Focus is shifting towards a more environmentally friendly approach in the circular economy, aiming to boost sustainability within the palm oil industry. The biorefinery concept underscores the importance of resource efficiency and waste minimisation, with the goal of achieving lower production costs, mitigating adverse environmental impacts, and preserving valuable resources. This paper discusses the palm oil supply chain from plantation to milling operations, current practices of palm oil industry in biomass reuse and recycling, and production of various bioproducts including bioenergy. The potential bioproducts development i.e., succinic acid and bioethanol are highlighted for valorisation of oil palm biomass. The status of biogas implementation at palm oil mills for bioenergy generation is also discussed. This serves as a reference for industrial stakeholders, researchers, engineers, and government officials in decision making, planning for future investments, and driving the innovation forward.

This presentation will be delivered by Dr Nurul Adela Bukhari, Malaysian Palm Oil Board.

Speakers

Mr Jens Søgaard Jacobsen, Chief Sales Officer, Senior Leadership Team and Partner, MBP Solutions Limited, Switzerland

Mr Jacobsen is the Chief Sales Officer, Investment Director and Partner in MBP Solutions, a Swiss privately owned company with a focus on trading and managing by-products from industries that process biogenic raw material like the oleochemical and the biodiesel industry. He has been working in the company for more than 20 years and is doing business on all continents in many industries. He has been coming to Malaysia and Indonesia to work with palm oil by-products since 2009. He has a M.Sc. in Forestry and an MBA and is combining the technical understanding of products and potential applications with the commercial aspects.

Mr Jacobsen has been instrumental in developing the sustainability policy and strategy of MBP Solutions, as well as driven MBP’s implementation of a range of product sustainability certifications including: ISCC, RSB and GMP+.

Dr Simon Koh, Chief Executive, Enviroclean Technology Pte Ltd, Singapore

Dr Koh is the founder of Enviroclean Technology, who invented & developed the EFP Technology for commercial application in COD type wastewater treatment using Concept of Free Radicals. He was also a Senior Research Fellow, Nanyang Technology University Environmental Technology Institute (ETI) Singapore, specializing in decontamination research wastewater stream in oil & gas industries, solutions initiation and solvation. Previously he was also engaged as a Staff Scientist at Pall Corporation, a New York based company, who is a leader in filtration technology solutions for all types of industries globally. He was engaged as Technical Director by a Malaysian environmental company specializing in POME (Palm Oil Mill Effluent) which formulated a solution for de-oiling the oil from the waste water. His experience as a station chemist at PUB Pulau Seraya power station contributed to the purification of clean portable water from waste water.

Dr Muhammad Afiq Zubir, Senior Lecturer, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Dr Muhammad Afiq Zubir is a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. His areas of expertise lie in modelling and optimization, energy-efficient processes, sustainability, carbon capture, and accounting. Dr Afiq has a prolific research output, having published over 20 technical papers and holding five copyrights, indicating his involvement in developing innovative solutions. Dr Afiq has secured more than RM 500,000 in grants related to sustainability and energy fields. Beyond academia, Dr Afiq is a certified energy manager under the ASEAN Energy Management Schemes (AEMAS) and certified ISO 14064 on GHG management. Recently, he was appointed as one of the advisors for delegates to COP28 in Dubai. He has provided GHG accounting and thermal energy training and technical consultancy services to industries and the government. One of Dr Afiq's notable contributions is the publication of the Hydrogen Roadmap for Malaysia, which outlines a strategic plan for implementing hydrogen as an energy source in Malaysia.

Dr Nurul Adela Bukhari, Research Officer, Energy and Environment Unit, Engineering and Processing Research Division, Malaysian Palm Oil Board

Dr Nurul Adela Bukhari is a Research Officer at Energy & Environment Unit, Engineering & Processing Research Division, Malaysia Palm Oil Board (MPOB). She holds a MSc in Molecular Biology and PhD in Biochemical Engineering from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Her research interests focus on the development of biological conversion process from biomass into biofuel, biochemical and bioproducts. She joined MPOB since 2011 and authored more than 40 peer-reviewed papers.

Chair of Forum

Professor DDr Lam Hon Loong, Professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Director in the Centre of Excellent for Green Technology, University of Nottingham Malaysia

Professor Dr Lam received his first PhD in Chemical Engineering, 2010 from University of Maribor, Slovenia and the second PhD in Information Technology, 2011 from University of Pannonia, Hungary. He is a full professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus and appointed as Director for Centre of Excellence for Green Technologies. Professor Lam's research focused on Process Integration, biomass utilisation and green supply chain synthesis. His work is highly recognised and being invited for book chapters, plenary session and keynote presentation at international level. He appointed as Editor for international journals, namely ENERGY (Elsevier), Energy, Sustainability and Society (Elsevier), Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy (Springer), Process Integration and Optimisation for Sustainability (Springer). Professor Lam is selected by Stanford List as World Top 2% Scientist for year 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The material presented in this webinar has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group (POPSIG). The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

16:00–18:00 MYT.

Programme

• 16:00–16:05 
  Opening remark
  
  
• 16:05–16:20
  Presentation 1: Mr Jens Søgaard Jacobsen, Chief Sales Officer, Senior Leadership Team and Partner, MBP Solutions Limited
  
  
• 16:20–16:35
  Presentation 2: Dr Simon Koh, Chief Executive, Enviroclean Technology Pte Ltd, Singapore
  
  
• 16:35–16:50
  Presentation 3: Dr Nurul Adela Bukhari, Research Officer, Energy and Environment Unit, Engineering and Processing Research Division, Malaysian Palm Oil Board
  
  
• 16:50–17:05
  Presentation 4: Dr Muhammad Afiq Zubir, Senior Lecturer, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
• 17:05–17:55 
  Discussion forum
  
  
• 17:55—18:00 
  Closing remark

Acknowledgement

POPSIG gratefully appreciates the support provided by

• Desmet Malaysia Sdn Bhd
• Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC)
• Kuala Lumpur-Kepong Oleomas Sdn Bhd (KLK OLEO)
• Malaysian Oleochemical Manufacturers Group (MOMG)
• Sime Darby Oils (SDO)

View the brochure >>

Software

The presentation will be delivered via Zoom.

You are advised to join the event at least ten minutes before the scheduled start time, to allow for your computer to connect.

Stay connected

Please email to popsigmalaysia@gmail.com for any queries.

Disclaimer: IChemE will not be storing or controlling any data linked to this event.