September 2022 - Pentas Flora | Re-Refined Fuel Oil Provider Malaysia

The circular economy’s newest innovation has been unveiled by Pentas Flora Group, a company that has been managing scheduled waste management for the past ten years. The recently announced Re-refined Eco-Base Oil (EBO) by Pentas Flora created an eye-opening moment for everyone at this distinguished event, which was held at the EQ Hotel in Kuala Lumpur with a variety of attendees from the automotive, oil & gas, and banking industries.

Re-refined oil is used motor oil that has undergone a protracted re-refining process to eliminate impurities and provide a base oil that is as good as new. After being sold to blenders, this base oil is used to create lubricants like motor oil, transmission fluid, and grease by adding additive packages.

Re-refined oil undergoes rigorous processing, filtering, distillation, and dehydration to remove both soluble and insoluble contaminants, in contrast to recycled oil, which only has its soluble impurities like dirt and heavy metals removed. In summary, re-refined oil is cost-effective compared to conventional motor oil and isn’t harmful to the environment.

Mr. Oon Kin Seng, the executive director of Pentas Flora Group, proudly acknowledged in his opening remarks that Pentas Flora has successfully developed this Eco-Base Oil (EBO) SN150 for the benefit of consumers, the environment, and the industry as a whole after a decade of research and development.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle are the three R’s that Pentas Flora Sabah Director Datuk Mohammad Pintaz Badar emphasised further. “Purity is Good” is a catchphrase that we are very proud of, not merely a trendy catchphrase. We think waste needs to be managed carefully, and making something of this calibre out of the waste that would have otherwise been discarded deserves vigorous applause,” he said.

Dr. Ernest H. Henderson, Technical Director (Base Oil and Lube Products) of Pentas Flora Group, provided a more detailed explanation of the various advantages of re-refined base oil and that of Pentas Flora during his keynote address. “This Pentas Flora Eco-Base Oil checks all the criteria for a sustainable contribution to the economy. Re-refined base stock yield lowers the carbon footprint and unintended CO2 emission output. It benefits sustainability and the environment”, explained Henderson.

He went on to say that restrictions on industrial and vehicular activity during the Covid-19 period clearly reduced pollutants and enhanced air quality. This demonstrates unequivocally the harmful substances that were regularly released into the environment during the Covid period as a result of these actions. From its re-refining operation, Pentas Flora creates a high-quality base stock that can be used to create medium and top-tier engine oils, as well as driveline and industrial oils.

Ybhg Datin Zameema Banu, Head, Group Sustainability of AmBank Group, supported the event and gave a speech recognising the sustainable impact of the EBO. She stated in her remarks that AmBank, a steadfast backer of Pentas Flora, is indeed happy and excited that this product is made with re-refined lubricants.

“It is very satisfying to see successes like this, as AmBank was the first bank to support Pentas Flora and has remained the company’s primary banker to this day, continuing to support their growth, aspirations, and passion in producing solutions from waste that can be purified and reused,” she continued.

The function was further honoured with the presents of Mr. Lim Aik Fu – Group Managing Director of Pentas Flora Group, Mr. Sashi Ambi – Head of Communications & Sustainability (BMW Group Malaysia), Yvonne Chan – Executive Vice President of Wholesale Banking Coverage of AmBank, Ms. Tan Bee Yan –Senior Vice President of Wholesale Banking Coverage of AmBank, as well as Mr. Lim Aik Hoe and Mr. Lim Aik Kiat, Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director of EXSIM Group – the holding company of Pentas Flora Group.

For further information or to reach Pentas Flora Group, please visit https://pentasflora.com

There are significant impacts of climate change already occurring in Malaysia. In recent years especially, we have experienced increased frequency of droughts and floods as well as a rise in sea levels in coastal areas.

These extreme weather changes are expected to have numerous environmental and socioeconomic effects which not only worsen existing environmental issues but also reduces quality of life.

Existing environmental pressures on natural resources are expected to intensify as we progress into the future. Agriculture will be further threatened by droughts and floods while rice yields are expected to decline by 60%. Other potentially impacted products include rubber, palm oil, and cocoa. Annual drought probability which currently lies at 4%, may increase to 9%.¹

Major contributors of climate change

One of the major contributors of climate change is the increasing need for electricity. Demand for electricity grew 64% in the decade prior to 2017 while fossil fuels remain the primary fuel for electricity generation. In 2017, over 44% of electricity was produced from burning coal and 38% from natural gas. Besides that, deforestation, particularly for palm oil and natural rubber production, is also a major contributor to the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. ²

Temperatures are rising rapidly

Greenhouse gases, or GHGs, are compound gases that trap heat or longwave radiation in the atmosphere. Their presence in the atmosphere makes the Earth’s surface warmer. This gives rise to more storms and extreme weather events which are closely related to temperature, such as heatwaves and extremely hot days.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. Scientific studies indicate that rising temperatures are likely to increase the annual occurrences and intensity of heatwaves with human-induced climate change. Climate warming also increases evaporation on land, which can worsen drought and create conditions more prone to wildfire and a longer wildfire season.³

Hot weather affects waste management

In countries like Malaysia with specifically hot weather, there are adverse effects on the biological processes of solid waste and the physical operation of landfills as well as the health and well-being of solid waste facility workers and populations exposed to solid waste.

The biggest problems are foul odours, pests and overflowing trash that wreak havoc on routine waste collection activities. Heat and humidity allow bacteria to grow faster and smells to travel further. The bad odour attracts pests which become a sanitary nuisance and property hazard for businesses.

Besides that, the hot weather can turn landfills into a real dumpster fire. During the COVID-19 pandemic, large-scale cleanouts of hazardous and flammable materials surged; and with that dumpster fires and explosions. ⁴

The high-speed, machine-heavy process of sorting trash from treasured recyclables is a known fire risk. Under high heat conditions, items such as aerosol cans, propane tanks, batteries, e-waste, fertilizers, liquid chemicals and other fluids can spontaneously combust. All it takes is a little heat and friction and in the driest conditions, a single cinder from a cigarette butt can ignite a blaze.

Between January 2019 to January 2022, the Malaysian Department of Environment (DOE) received over 19,000 complaints on open burning, as reported by The Star. ⁵

According to the DOE, the increased incidence of fires is associated with hot and dry weather. Some key initiatives by the DOE include:

Stepping up enforcement on open burning by increasing compounds and investigations on offences under Section 29A of the Environmental Quality Act 1974
Adopting smart enforcement by using technologies such as thermal drone monitoring to detect hotspot areas even at night
Using technology for sampling of toxic gases using multi-gas analysers, mobile automated continuous air quality monitoring stations to detect air quality
Fire Prevention Program – increased ground patrol and drone activities for monitoring and enforcement

What can we do as consumers to reduce our carbon footprint?

There are many ways we can be more conscious of our environmental footprint as consumers. A few simple ways as shared by The Grantham Institute ⁶ include:

Cut back on air travel where possible. Consider video-conferencing options for work and trains for same country travels
Walk or cycle. Car sharing options are also a good way to reduce GHG footprint
Turn off appliances or lights when not in use. Replace light bulbs with LEDs or low energy lights. Ensure our homes are energy efficient
Help to conserve green spaces like local parks especially in urban areas
Avoid single-use items and fast fashion
Repair and re-use where possible. Give unwanted items to charity or sell them.

Let us know what are some other ways we can consider to reduce our carbon footprint in the comments.

Month: September 2022

Pentas Flora Eco Base Oil Launch

How Heat Waves Affect Waste Management