Title:
Waste Oil Palm Trees as a Potential Source for Biofuels in Malaysia
Author(s):
Wan Asma, I., Mohd Nor, M.Y., Rafidah, J., Azmalisa, T., Mori, Y.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Malaysia produces about 17.6 million tons of palm oil in 2010, has become one of the world’s largest producer of palm oil. This accounts for 51% of the world palm oil production. There are about 4.5 million hectares of oil palm trees planted in Malaysia. Oil palm trees (Elaeis guineenis) have an average productive life of about 25-30 years after which it is being felled for replanting. There are about 135-145 trees planted in one hectare of land. The biomass generated from these felled trees accounts to about 90% of the tree. The oil is only about 10% of the biomass. After felling, the current methods of disposal of this biomass is shredding and leaving it to decay naturally. It has about 80% moisture and is very susceptible to decay organisms. Decayed biomass serves as mulch to the newly planted trees and adds nutrients to the soil. The waste palm trees comprise of the leaves, fronds, trunk and roots. These are all woody lignocellulosic materials comprising of 34.5% cellulose, 31.8% hemicellulose and 25.7 % lignin. The stem or trunk that is the major part of the tree weighs about 1-1.2 tons comprises of lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses and some amounts of carbohydrates. At the moment this woody biomass is yet to be exploited fully into valuable products. The woody material could serve as a source for cellulosic ethanol. In addition the sap could be squeezed out and the 8-10% sugar content could be also fermented to produce bioethanol. This paper will highlight the availability of waste oil palm trees and the potential of producing bioethanol from the oil palm trunk as biofuel in Malaysia. The challenges faced in this potential venture in Malaysia such as logistics and policies will be discussed. Other ongoing activities utilizing this material as potential feedstock for the wood based industries in Malaysia will also be highlighted.
Keywords:
bioethanol, availability, oil palm trunk (OPT), oil palm sap
Topic:
Biomass Resources
Subtopic:
Biomass resources and potentials
Event:
19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
OC7.5
Pages:
213 - 216
ISBN-13:
978-88-89407-55-4
ISBN-10:
88-89407-55-7
Paper DOI:
10.5071/19thEUBCE2011-OC7.5
Price:
FREE
