The Fabrication and Performance of Plantable Bio-Pots from Thick Sheets of Oil Palm Trunk

Abstract

The oil palm trunk contains great nutrients for plant growth, and its supporting cells are mostly parallel to the centerline. This study investigated the fabrication of a plantable bio-pot from 5 mm thick sheets of oil palm trunk. The effects of the three zones in the trunk (outer, middle, and inner) and the pressing mold temperature in the range from 160 °C to 200 °C on characteristics of a bio-pot were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the outer zone of an oil palm trunk with 200 °C molding temperature had the highest ultimate compression load, and the pot shape appeared stable after soaking in water for 24 h, showing 105% water absorption. The changes to oil palm trunk chemistry caused by elevated temperature contributed to the mechanical properties and improved durability. The oil palm trunk plantable bio-pots facilitated germination of chili and eggplant seeds. The leaf number, leaf greenness, plant height, and total dry biomass had no significant difference between using the oil palm trunk bio-pot and a plastic pot for a seedling of either of these plants.