USM RESEARCHERS DISCOVER METHOD OF REDUCING COST OF PRODUCING PETROL

GEORGE TOWN (Penang, Malaysia), Feb 10 (Bernama) -- New findings from a study
conducted by a group of researchers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) will be
able to conserve energy by distilling and purifying petroleum, resulting in
reduced costs in producing the fuel.

Head researcher from USM's School of Biological Sciences, Dr Ahmad Ramli Mohd
Yahya, said the innovation, known as USM-AR2, could be widely used by
oil-producing countries including Malaysia.

"The natural biosynthetic product is obtained by adding local microbes to
petroleum before the distillation process. The USM-AR2 is added to raw oil to
help with its emulsification process.

"It will also help reduce surface tension and thickness of the oil which will in
turn expedite the distillation process," he told a news conference on the new
finding here Wednesday.

He said existing conventional methods of distilling raw oil into usable oil such
as petrol, diesel, kerosene and more, takes a long time and uses a lot of
energy.

With the USM-AR2, he said, time and energy can be saved by up to 50 per cent
without compromising the quality and quantity of oil produced, whereby
conventional distillation takes up to 103 minutes and between 160 and 200
degrees celcius.

Ahmad Ramli said the USM-AR2, developed using a short-term grant from USM, worth
RM20,000, would reduce the time to 38 minutes to complete the distillation
process at lower temperatures of between 110 and 160 degrees celcius.

He said the product, which has been locally and internationally patented, could
directly impact the cost of producing petroleum products and determine the cost
of local petroleum.

Also present at the news conference were three researchers including Assoc Prof
Mohamad Nasir Mohamad Ibrahim from the School of Chemical Sciences, Nur Asshifa
Md Noh and Salwa Mohd Salleh.
-- BERNAMA