The Environment group under the Energy and Environment Unit conducts research that is related to sustainability of the oil palm industry. One of the core research conducted is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the oil palm industry. The Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Code of Practice defines LCA as

 

“… a process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process or activity by identifying and quantifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, to assess the impact of those energy and materials used and released to the environment, and to identify and evaluate opportunities to effect environmental improvements. The assessment includes the entire life cycle of the product, process or activity, encompassing extraction and processing raw materials, manufacturing, transportation and distribution, use, reuse, maintenance, recycling and final disposal.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Life Cycle Assessment

 

The group not only focuses on Environmental LCA but is also ventures into Social LCA and consequential LCA.  The group is also actively involved in research accounting for the carbon footprint or Greenhouse Gas emissions and savings for the oil palm industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Carbon Footprint

 

 

Recently the group also conducted research on water footprint for the oil palm industry accounting for the direct and indirect water used for the production of crude palm oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water Footprint

 

 

The group also conducted research under the waste to wealth program recovering the residual oil from the pressed mesocarp fibre. A technology was developed to recover the oil in the pressed mesocarp fibre at the palm oil mills. This invention even won a Gold Award at ITEX 2014.

 

Other than that the group is also starting work on investigating the Practice of Disposing Treated POME into Plantation and its Impact. On the whole the Group conducts research on oil palm that is related to the Environment.