Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Empty fruit bunches (EFB) are waste products in the palm oil industry. Upon pressing of EFB, a liquor is produced which contains low grade fats, oils, and greases (FOG). These are the least valuable products of palm oil production, and are often discarded as waste. It is shown here that the EFB pressed liquor can be thermally transformed at or below 350 °C to produce a series of hydrocarbons in the range of kerosene and diesel fuel. This is distinctly different from other studies of biofuels from palm oil, which were based entirely on biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester (FAME)) and biogas production. Furthermore, this transformation takes place without addition of an external catalyst, as was shown by comparison to reactions with the potential Lewis acid catalysts, ferric sulfate, and molecular sieves. The product distribution is similar to that obtained from brown grease, another waste FOG stream obtained from the sewage treatment industry, although the products from palm oil waste are less sensitive to reaction conditions.
Source: Fuels
DOI: 10.3390/fuels1010002
Authors: Chai Kuan, Mark Neng, Yu-Bin Chan, Yoke-Leng Sim, Joel Strothers, Lawrence Pratt
Language: English
Subfield: Fuel Technology
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,056
OpenAlex ID: W3048847692