Dr. Tan Jian Ping & Team Publish in Industrial Crops and Products
The Research and Postgraduate Centre congratulates Yeow Teck Ann, Asst. Prof. Dr. Tan Jian Ping, Asst. Prof. Dr. Ngan Cheng Loong, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tan Swee Tiam from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Dr. Erik Hui Yew Woh, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Norazira Abdu Rahman from the China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences (CAMS), XMUM, for publishing in Industrial Crops and Products.
Industrial Crops and Products is a leading international journal devoted to publishing high-quality research articles primarily on cultivated plants (crops) of industrial interest (non-food, non-feed). It is an SCI Q1 journal with an impact factor of 5.6.
This journal manuscript, titled “Upcycling lignocellulosic palm biomass via Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) composting incorporated with ex-situ fermentation by Bacillus subtilis,” highlighted oil palm frond (OPF), an abundant palm biomass waste in Malaysia, as a potential substrate for BSFL composting. To provide some context, OPF is being generated at an alarming rate — three times more than the production of palm oil itself. Due to its high moisture content, OPF has seen limited applications other than being mulched as a soil conditioner, which is inefficient and has been shown to release greenhouse gases. While BSFL is known for its ability to degrade a wide range of organic waste, the poor nutritional profile of OPF is highly recalcitrant and unpalatable for BSFL. Hence, in this study, delignification via bacterial ex-situ fermentation and nutrient enhancement via blending were proposed as pre-treatments before BSFL feeding.
This study aims to shed light on the possibility of utilising delignified OPF as a substrate for BSFL composting, allowing subsequent bioconversion into insect proteins, lipids, as well as fertile compost for crops.
This research was conducted in collaboration with Kelip-kelip! Center of Excellence for Light Enabling Technologies and Malaysia Government-Linked Company Sime Darby Plantation Research (SDPR), which provided necessary laboratory space for BSFL cultivation and materials.
The research was primarily supported by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) via the Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group (POPSIG) Research Bursary 2022 and 2023, sponsored by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), Desmet Malaysia Sdn Bhd, and KL-Kepong Industrial Holdings Sdn Bhd. This research is also supported by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia through the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2024/WAS04/XMU/02/1), and Xiamen University Research Fund (XMUMRF/2024-C14/IENG/0075 & XMUMRF/2020-C5/ILAB/0004).
This article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.119764
