Oil Palm Bulletin No. 56 (May 2008) p23-28

Availability and potential of biomass resources from the Malaysian palm oil industry for generating renewable energy

CHOW Mee Chin , MOHD BASRI Wahid , CHAN Kook Weng

Malaysia in 2006 produced 15.88 million tonnes of crude palm oil and 1.95 million tonnes of palm kernel oil. In the process of extracting these oils, a voluminous amount of biomass is simultaneously produced from the mills and also from the field. The biomass from the mills include empty fruit bunches, mesocarp fibre, palm kernel shell and liquid effluent. In the estates, fronds are regularly trimmed, while during felling for replanting the whole oil palm tree including trunk and fronds are available. These various forms of biomass have high calorific value and characteristics which make them amiable as commercial solid fuels. These biomass are also potential feedstocks for production of alternative liquid or gaseous form of renewable energy such as bioethanol, bioils and producer gas. Their abundance and availability throughout the year, mostly in partially treated form make them even more attractive as resources for renewable energy.

ABSTRAK
Malaysia menghasilkan 15.88 juta tan minyak sawit mentah dan 1.95 juta tan minyak isirung mentah pada tahun 2006. Selain itu, industri sawit negara turut menghasilkan biojisim sawit sama ada dari kilang pemprosesan atau aktiviti perladangan. Biojisim sawit dari aktiviti pengilangan seperti tandan buah kosong, gentian mesokarpa, tempurung isirung dan efluen. Di ladang, pelepah dipangkas selalu manakala pelepah dan batang didapati semasa proses penanaman. Kesemua biojisim sawit ini mempunyai kandungan kalori yang tinggi dan berpotensi untuk dijadikan bahan api komersial. Biojisim juga berpotensi sebagai bahan mentah dalam penghasilan sumber bahan api yang boleh diperbaharui seperti bioetanol, biogas dan biominyak. Dengan kapasiti yang besar serta separa terawet, biojisim sawit merupakan alternatif bagi sumber tenaga yang diperbaharui.

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