Greenhouse gas reductions through enhanced use of residues in the life cycle of Malaysian palm oil derived biodiesel

Abstract

This study identifies the potential greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, which can be achieved by optimizing the use of residues in the life cycle of palm oil derived biodiesel. This is done through compilation of data on existing and prospective treatment technologies as well as practical experiments on methane potentials from empty fruit bunches. Methane capture from the anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent was found to result in the highest GHG reductions. Among the solid residues, energy extraction from shells was found to constitute the biggest GHG savings per ton of residue, whereas energy extraction from empty fruit bunches was found to be the most significant in the biodiesel production life cycle. All the studied waste treatment technologies performed significantly better than the conventional practices and with dedicated efforts of optimized use in the palm oil industry, the production of palm oil derived biodiesel can be almost carbon neutral.

Non-CO2greenhouse gas emissions from palm oil production in Thailand

“…Many of the technical options (e.g. biogas, mulching) are widely applied in modern plantations and mills in Asia Poh & Chong 2009;Hansen et al 2012;Heriansyah 2012;Kaewmai et al 2013;Yoshizaki et al 2013) and have also been proven to be cost-effective, for instance because they lead to increased electricity production (biogas) or reduced need for fertilizers (e.g. mulching).…”

“…The type of mulching depends on plantations characteristics (in particular soil conditions and age of the palm). For instance, if there are immature palms (1-3 years) the EFB should be spread out 0.2-1.5 m away from the palm base (Hansen et al 2012;Heriansyah 2012). During the mill visits, no dumped EFB was observed in the C-RSPO mills.…”

Bioremediation of palm industry wastes using vermicomposting technology: its environmental application as green fertilizer

“…As per the global index, more than one-third of vegetable oil production is achieved by the processing of oil palm fruit together with other wastes including palm oil mill effluent (POME), empty fruit bunches (EFB), palm pressed fibre (PPF), as well as palm kernel shell (PKS) (Madaki and Seng 2013). In addition to it, disposal of these wastes without any proper treatment causes harmful impacts to the environment (Hansen et al 2012). It is also found that POME contains high organic content (80,000 mg/L COD) (Abdurahman et al 2011) along with water soluble and suspended materials (palm fibre and oil residues).…”

Modeling and Parametric Study for Maximizing Heating Value of Gasification Syngas

“…Malaysia and Indonesia are the two major palm oil producing countries, covering more than 85% of the world's total supply (Hansen et al 2011;Umar et al 2014). Hence, a tremendous amount of sustainable and renewable raw material exists in these two countries.…”

“…Malaysia alone was forecasted to have higher than 40% of the material in 2015 (Sumathi et al 2008). From 2005 to 2009, palm oil plantation coverage reached about 14% of the total land area in the country, with an average growth rate of 3.9% (Hansen et al 2011). Such an ample and sustainable resource for renewable energy could be used for bringing renewable energy to the mainstream energy supply in Malaysia (Mohammed et al 2010;Chang 2014).…”