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News tagged with palm oil

Conventional fossil fuels sometimes 'greener' than biofuels: study

There’s a race afoot to give biofuel wings in the aviation industry, part of an effort to combat soaring fuel prices and cut greenhouse gas emissions. In 2008, Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 11, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Study reveals why our ancestors switched to bipedal power

(PhysOrg.com) -- Our earliest ancestors may have started walking on two limbs instead of four in a bid to monopolise resources and to carry as much food as possible in one go, researchers have found.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 20, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (15) | comments 12 | with audio podcast

Study finds logging of tropical forests needn't devastate environment

Harvesting tropical forests for timber may not be the arch-enemy of conservation that it was once assumed to be, according to a new study led by a University of Florida researcher.

Space & Earth / Environment

created May 10, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Leaked documents indicate EU looking to reclassify carbon emissions from biofuels

(PhysOrg.com) -- In order to wean themselves from their dependence on oil derived from fossil fuels, many countries, consortiums, and other groups have put incentives in place for the growing of plants that ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Jan 30, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 6 | with audio podcast weblog

Biodiversity could be casualty of Myanmar openness

(AP) -- As many as 40,000 gorgeously plumed birds known as the Gurney's pitta thrive in the lowland rainforests of economically backward Myanmar. Across the border, Thailand's last five pairs are guarded around ...

Biology / Ecology

created May 07, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New study suggests EU biofuels are as carbon intensive as petrol

A new study on greenhouse gas emissions from oil palm plantations has calculated a more than 50% increase in levels of CO2 emissions than previously thought – and warned that the demand for 'green' bi ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Nov 04, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (6) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Protecting wild species may require growing more food on less land: study

In parts of the world still rich in biodiversity, separating natural habitats from high-yielding farmland could be a more effective way to conserve wild species than trying to grow crops and conserve nature on the same land, ...

Biology / Ecology

created Sep 01, 2011 | popularity 2.3 / 5 (3) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Oil palm surging source of greenhouse gas emissions

Continued expansion of industrial-scale oil palm plantations on the island of Borneo will become a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 unless strong forest and peatland protections are enacted and enforced, ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Apr 26, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 7

New orangutan population found in Indonesia

(AP) -- Conservationists have discovered a new population of orangutans in a remote, mountainous corner of Indonesia - perhaps as many as 2,000 - giving a rare boost to one of the world's most critically ...

Biology / Ecology

created Apr 12, 2009 | popularity 3.2 / 5 (5) | comments 3

Indonesia releases orangutans into the wild

Four orangutans were released into the wild on Indonesia's Borneo island on Tuesday, an official said, as the country ramps up efforts to protect the animals from extinction.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Feb 28, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Exxon to make alternative fuel from algae: report

Oil giant Exxon Mobil plans to announce a 600-million-dollar investment to produce liquid transportation fuel from algae, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created Jul 14, 2009 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (11) | comments 9

Sumatran elephants could be extinct in 30 years

The Sumatran elephant could be extinct in the wild within three decades unless immediate steps are taken to slow the breakneck pace of deforestation, environmentalists warned Tuesday.

Biology / Ecology

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Predators key to sustainable farming

Barn owls have emerged as the unlikely heroes in the fight against climate change, saving Malaysian farmers more than money, UQ PhD Student Chong Leong Puan has found.

Biology / Ecology

created Aug 21, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Assessing protected area effectiveness

A new study published in Conservation Letters aims to measure whether parks and reserves in the tropics succeed in protecting forests.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Apr 02, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Indonesia land clearance 'wiping out' orangutans

Critically-endangered orangutans in a protected area of Indonesia will be wiped out by the end of the year if land clearing is not stopped, a coalition of environmental groups warned Wednesday.

Biology / Ecology

created Mar 28, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Palm oil

Palm oil is an edible plant oil derived from the fruit and kernels (seeds) of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis. Palm oil is naturally reddish because it contains a high amount of beta-carotene (though boiling it destroys the carotenoids and renders the oil colourless). Palm oil is one of the few vegetable oils relatively high in saturated fats (like coconut oil) and thus semi-solid at room temperature.

The oil is widely used as a cooking oil, as an ingredient in margarine, and is a component of many processed foods. It is also an important component of many soaps, washing powders and personal care products, is used to treat wounds, and also controversially as a feedstock for biofuel.

Palm oil was previously the second-most widely produced edible oil, after soybean oil,[citation needed]. However, in the 2004-2005 marketing year, 33.5 million metric tonnes were produced worldwide, compared to 32.6 million metric tonnes of soybean oil.

For more information about Palm oil, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.