Production and Characterization of Low-ash Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) Pellets as a Solid Biofuel

Abstract Fuel quality is among the major issues encountered for commercial production and utilisation of oil palm-based biomass pellets from empty fruit bunches (EFB). In this study, a physical treatment, namely sieving and water washing, was applied to EFB prior to densification using an industrial-scale plant. The physiochemical properties of the produced EFB pellets were compared with those without physical treatment as the control. The results showed that the physical treatment process had significantly enhanced the fuel properties of EFB pellets, particularly in reducing ash content. Both the treatments; sieving alone and a combined sieving and water washing of the feedstock managed to reduce the ash content of EFB pellets to < 4 wt.% and < 2 wt.%, respectively compared to > 5 wt.% of typical commercial EFB pellets. The reduction in ash content improved the calorific value of pellets to > 17.5 MJ kg-1 which signified achieving a milestone for oil palm biomass-based heat and power generation from technical, operational, economic and environmental points of view. The findings also indicated that the combined sieving and water washing treatment method could potentially reduce further the unwanted ash-inducing elementals in EFB pellets, in particular chlorine and potassium. This study demonstrated that the employed physical treatment is an immediate and cost-effective practical commercial approach to improve the fuel properties of EFB pellets.

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Quality Improvement on Briquettes Made of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB) Using of Brown Algae Adhesive

Jurnal Rekayasa Kimia & Lingkungan ◽

10.23955/rkl.v15i1.15429 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 38-44

Author(s):

Ana Dewita ◽

M. Faisal ◽

Asri Gani

Keyword(s):

Oil Palm ◽

Brown Algae ◽

Thermal Characteristics ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Volatile Matter ◽

Proximate Analysis ◽

Ash Content ◽

Fixed Carbon ◽

Empty Fruit Bunches

The charcoal produced from oil palm empty fruit bunches pyrolysis can be utilized as environmentally friendly alternative fuel briquettes. This research aimed at improving the quality of these EFB briquettes using brown algae adhesive (alginate). The adhesive was added at 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%. Proximate analysis was then performed on EFB and the brown algae. The best quality briquettes were obtained by adding brown algae adhesive at 2.5% concentrate, which resulted in a calorific value of 21,405 J/g. Other characteristics such as moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, and fixed carbon were found to be 7.4%, 4.9%, 79%, and 8.7%, respectively. In addition, the thermal characteristics such as density, flash point, and burning time were found at 0.96 g/cm3, 5.1 second, and 300 minutes, respectively.

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Energy Evaluation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Reed Plant Pelletizing and Utilization as Solid Biofuel

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13061516 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1516 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Algirdas Jasinskas ◽

Dionizas Streikus ◽

Egidijus Šarauskis ◽

Mečys Palšauskas ◽

Kęstutis Venslauskas

Keyword(s):

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Ash Content ◽

Reed Canary Grass ◽

Gas Emissions ◽

Energy Evaluation ◽

Solid Biofuel ◽

Ash Melting ◽

Canary Grass

This paper presents the results of research on the preparation and use for energy purposes of three reed herbaceous energy plants: reed (Phragmites australis) and bulrush (Typha); both grown in local vicinities on lakes and riverbanks and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.). The physical-mechanical characteristics (density, moisture, and ash content) of chopped and milled reeds were investigated. The investigation of mill fractional compositions determined the largest amount of mill—reed mill, collected on the sieves of 0.63 mm (40.0%). The pellet moisture ranged from 10.79% to 6.32%, while the density was 1178.9 kg m−3 for dry matter (DM) of reed. The ash content of reed, bulrush and reed canary grass pellets was 3.17%, 5.88%, and 7.99%, respectively. The ash melting temperature ranged from 865 to 1411 °C; these temperatures were high enough for ash melting. The determined pellet calorific value varied from 17.4 to 17.9 MJ kg−1 DM. The disintegration force, indicating pellet strength, ranged from 324.25 N for reed canary grass to 549.24 N for reed. The determined emissions of harmful pollutants—CO2, CO, NOx, and unburnt hydrocarbons (CxHy)—did not exceed the maximum permissible levels. The assessment of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from technology showed that the CO2 equivalents ranged from 7.3 to 10.1 kg CO2-eq. GJ−1 for reed and reed canary grass, respectively.

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High Quality Solid Biofuel Briquette Production From Palm Oil Milling Solid Wastes

ASME 2009 3rd International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Volume 1 ◽

10.1115/es2009-90122 ◽

2009 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Abd Halim Shamsuddin ◽

Mohd Shahir Liew

Keyword(s):

Moisture Content ◽

Palm Oil ◽

Palm Kernel ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Solid Wastes ◽

Biomass Fuels ◽

High Quality ◽

Palm Kernel Shell ◽

Empty Fruit Bunches ◽

Solid Biofuel

Malaysia has about 4.2 million hectares of oil palm plantation. The palm oil milling industry has over 400 mills throughout the country with total milling capacity of 82 million tonnes fresh fruit bunches, FFB, per year. In 2003, the amount of FFB processed was 67 million tonnes, which generated solid wastes in the forms of empty fruit bunches, EFB (19.43 million tonnes), mesocarp fibres (12.07 million tonnes) and palm kernel shell (4.89 million tonnes). These wastes has moisture content of 60–70% for EFB and mesocarp fibre, and 34–40% for palm kernel shell, and calorific value of 5.0 – 18.0 Mj/kg. A processing technology was developed to process these low quality biomass fuels into high quality solid biofuel briquettes with moisture content in the range 8–12%. Depending on the formulations and the sources of the raw biomass, the final solid biofuel briquettes can have calorific values in the range of 18–25 Mj/kg. The production of the solid biofuel briquettes would be an attractive financial advantage for full exploitation of biomass fuels. Logistic problems due to the disperse nature of the biomass resources would significantly be addressed.

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Influence of Fuel Moisture Content and Reactor Temperature on the Calorific Value of Syngas Resulted from Gasification of Oil Palm Fronds

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2014/121908 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Samson Mekbib Atnaw ◽

Shaharin Anwar Sulaiman ◽

Suzana Yusup

Keyword(s):

Moisture Content ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Fuel Gas ◽

Empty Fruit Bunches ◽

Oil Palm Fronds ◽

Reactor Temperature ◽

Palm Fronds ◽

Fuel Moisture Content ◽

Zone Temperature

Biomass wastes produced from oil palm mills and plantations include empty fruit bunches (EFBs), shells, fibers, trunks, and oil palm fronds (OPF). EFBs and shells are partially utilized as boiler fuel while the rest of the biomass materials like OPF have not been utilized for energy generation. No previous study has been reported on gasification of oil palm fronds (OPF) biomass for the production of fuel gas. In this paper, the effect of moisture content of fuel and reactor temperature on downdraft gasification of OPF was experimentally investigated using a lab scale gasifier of capacity 50 kW. In addition, results obtained from equilibrium model of gasification that was developed for facilitating the prediction of syngas composition are compared with experimental data. Comparison of simulation results for predicting calorific value of syngas with the experimental results showed a satisfactory agreement with a mean error of 0.1 MJ/Nm3. For a biomass moisture content of 29%, the resulting calorific value for the syngas was found to be only 2.63 MJ/Nm3, as compared to nearly double (4.95 MJ/Nm3) for biomass moisture content of 22%. A calorific value as high as 5.57 MJ/Nm3was recorded for higher oxidation zone temperature values.

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PENGARUH SUHU DAN KONSENTRASI PEREKAT TERHADAP KARAKTERISTIK BRIKET BIOARANG BERBAHAN BAKU TANDAN KOSONG KELAPA SAWIT DENGAN PROSES PIROLISIS

Konversi ◽

10.20527/k.v4i2.266 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 16

Author(s):

Yuli Ristianingsih ◽

Ayuning Ulfa ◽

Rachmi Syafitri K.S

Keyword(s):

Solid Waste ◽

Palm Oil ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Volatile Matter ◽

Ash Content ◽

Crude Palm Oil ◽

Fixed Carbon ◽

Heating Value ◽

Empty Fruit Bunches ◽

Rate Of Combustion

Abstrak-Tandan Kosong Kelapa Sawit merupakan limbah padat hasil produksi Crude Palm Oil (CPO). Setiap 1(satu) ton tandan buah segar dihasilkan 23% limbah padat. Limbah padat ini dapat di konversi menjadi bahan bakar pengganti minyak yaitu briket. Briket bioarang adalah bahan bakar padat yang dapat digunakan sebagai bahan bakar alternatif pengganti bahan bakar yang berasal dari fosil seperti minyak dan gas. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh suhu pirolisis terhadap yield bioarang yang dihasilkan dan mengetahui pengaruh konsentrasi perekat kanji (5% w/w, 10% w/w, 15% w/w) terhadap karakteristik briket hasil penelitian (kadar air, volatile matter, kadar abu, fixed carbon, nilai kalor dan laju pembakaran). Penelitian dilakukan dengan metode pirolisis yaitu proses pembakaran bahan baku dalam reaktor pirolisis dengan menggunakan suhu yang tinggi dan tanpa atau dengan sedikit oksigen. Pirolisis dilakukan selama 2,5 jam dengan variasi suhu yaitu 350°C, 400°C, 450°C dan 500°C. Arang yang dihasilkan dicampur dengan perekat sesuai variasi dan dicetak menjadi briket. Briket kemudian dianalisa kadar air, kadar abu, kadar karbon, kadar zat terbang, nilai kalor dan laju pembakaran. Briket dengan yield tertinggi terdapat pada suhu 350°C sebesar 51,53% dan yield terendah pada suhu 500°C sebesar 26,03%. Briket hasil penelitian ini telah memenuhi standar mutu briket sebagai bahan bakar dilihat dari nilai kalor. Komposisi optimal antara perekat kanji dan arang TKKS hasil pirolisis yaitu pada 5%:95% yang menghasilkan nilai kalor terbesar yaitu 6748,15kal/g. Kata kunci : Briket Bioarang, Pirolisis, Tandan Kosong Kelapa Sawit Abstract-Palm Oil Empty Fruit Bunches are solid waste from Crude Palm Oil (CPO industry). For 1 ton of fresh fruit bunches produced 23% of solid waste. This solid waste can be converted into alternative energy that called briquettes. Briquettes are solid fuel that can be used as an alternative fuel replacement for fossil fuels such as oil and gas. This study aims to determine the effect of temperature on the yield generated briquettes and the effect of stach adhesive concentration (5, 10 and 15% wt) to briquettes characteristics (moisture content, volatile matter, ash content, fixed carbon, calorific value and the rate of combustion). In this reseacrh, two kilograms of palm oil empty fruit bunches was burned using pyrolisis reactor at different temperatur (350, 400, 450 and 5000C) for 2.5 hour. Charcoal produced was mixed with an adhesive in accordance variations and molded into briquettes. Briquettes then analyzed the water content, ash content, carbon content, volatile matter content, heating value and rate of combustion. The maximum yield of briquettes which was obtained in this research is 51.53% at temperature 3500C and the lowest yield at temperature of 500 ° C by 26.03%. Briquettes results of this study have met the quality standards of fuel briquettes as seen from the heating value. Optimal adhesive composition between starch and charcoal TKKS is 5%: 95% that generates highest calorific value about 6748.15kal/ g. Keywords: Briquette Bioarang, Pyrolysis, oil palm empty bunches

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Torrefaction Treatment on Fuel Properties of Bambusa Vulgaris and Gigantochloa Scorthecinii

International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering - 2 ◽

10.35940/ijrte.b1096.0782s419 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2S4) ◽

pp. 492-494

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Reaction Time ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Fuel Properties ◽

Fuel Quality ◽

Heating Value ◽

Bambusa Vulgaris ◽

The Impact ◽

Fast Growth Rate

There is a great potential for bamboo to be applied as a biofuel for the future due to its good fuel properties with low alkali index and fast growth rate. Torrefaction treatment can increase the fuel quality of biomass in terms of the calorific value, energy density and storability. The aim of this research was to explore the effect of torrefaction temperature and reaction time on the fuel properties of B. vulgaris and G. scorthecinii. The bamboos were treated at various torrefaction temperatures (200, 250 and 300˚C) and reaction time (15, 30, 45 mins). In overall, the highest higher heating value was obtained from bamboos torrefied at 300ºC for 45 mins. In general, the temperature used in torrefaction has a relatively stronger effect on the higher heating value while the impact of the residence time was considerably lesser.

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Biomass Pellets from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OP-EFB)

ICONIET PROCEEDING ◽

10.33555/iconiet.v2i1.12 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 65-68

Author(s):

Rahman Farhan Aditya

Keyword(s):

Oil Palm ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Volatile Matter ◽

Proximate Analysis ◽

Raw Material ◽

Empty Fruit Bunches ◽

Binder Ratio ◽

Binder Concentration

Oil Palm growths in Indonesia are getting higher every year. Oil palm plantationproduced various waste, including oil palm empty fruit bunches (OP-EFB). 95 % Indonesia energy demand still provided by the fossil fuel and only 5 % provided by renewable energy, which provide opportunity of OP-EFB biomass pellets to be utilized as alternative resource. The research of biomass still low, especially research of OP-EFB biomass pellets. Therefore, the research objectives were to determine the production process of OP-EFB and to define the most effective binder and binder ratio for the biomass pellets. This research experiments consist of shredding, chopping, drying, grinding, and sieving as raw material pretreatment. Also, varying the binder and binder concentration of the mixture between raw materials was the part of this thesis research. The binders used in this thesis research are PVAC paste and tapioca based paste with 4 variations of concentration. The analyses of the biomass pellets characteristic are density,compressive strength, proximate analysis (moisture, ash, volatile matter, and fixed carbon), calorific value, combustion rate, and gas chromatographic & mass spectroscopy (GCMS). The result shows that OP-EFB biomass pellets are qualified to be considered as biomass pellets. The most effective OP-EFB biomass pellets is biomass pellets with 10% tapioca binder concentration.

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Catalytic and Thermal Cracking of Bio-Oil from Oil-Palm Empty Fruit Bunches, in Batch Reactor

Indonesian Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.22146/ijc.44076 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 1000

Author(s):

Santiyo Wibowo ◽

Lisna Efiyanti ◽

Gustan Pari

Keyword(s):

Specific Gravity ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Batch Reactor ◽

Liquid Product ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Product Yield ◽

Catalyst Characterization ◽

Impregnation Method ◽

Empty Fruit Bunches ◽

Bio Oil

The world’s potency of fossil-derived petroleum fuels has declined steadily, while its consumption continues to rise ominously. Therefore, several countries have started to develop renewable fuels like bio-oil from biomass. Relevantly, the aim of this research was to explore the technical feasibility of upgrading the qualities of crude bio-oil (CBO) produced from the pyrolysis on oil-palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) using Ni/NZA catalyst in a batch reactor. The natural zeolite (NZ) was activated by HCL 6 N and NH4Cl (obtained sample NZA). Supporting Ni onto NZA was conducted with an impregnation method using a salt precursor of Ni(NO3)2·6H2O followed by calcination with a temperature of 500 °C. Catalyst characterization includes determining the site of TO4 (T = Si or Al) in zeolites, acidity, crystallinity, and catalyst morphology. Cracking reaction of CBO was carried out in batch reactor in varied temperatures of 250 and 300 °C with the variation of catalyst weight of 0, 4, 6, and 8% toward CBO. Several analyses of the liquid product such as product yield, specific gravity, pH, viscosity, calorific value, and chemical compound were conducted. The results showed that acidification and Ni loading on zeolite samples increased their acidity. The optimum CBO’s cracking condition was judged to be the temperature of 300 °C with 6% Ni/NZA catalyst use, whereby the fuel yield reached 26.42% and dominated by particular compounds comprising phenol, octanoic acid, and alkane hydrocarbons. Under such conditions, the characteristics of fuel were pH 3.54, specific gravity 0.995, viscosity 14.3 cSt, and calorific value 30.85 MJ/kg.

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PEMBUATAN BIOBRIKET TANDAN KOSONG KELAPA SAWIT DAN TEMPURUNG KELAPA SEBAGAI SUMBER ENERGI ALTERNATIF RAMAH LINGKUNGAN

Jurnal Agro Fabrica ◽

10.47199/jaf.v1i1.23 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 14-20

Author(s):

Herlina Anggriani Marbun ◽

Giyanto . ◽

Hardiansyah Sinaga

Keyword(s):

Compressive Strength ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Alternative Energy ◽

Calorific Value ◽

Quality Standard ◽

Ash Content ◽

Empty Fruit Bunch ◽

Heating Value ◽

Fuel Prices ◽

Fresh Fruit Bunches

Fluctuations in fuel prices stimulate efforts to find alternative energy that is environmentally friendly. The processing of oil palm plantations produces waste or quite a lot of products ± 23% of the weight of fresh fruit bunches. Utilization of Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (PEFB) as biobriquettes was chosen in this study by mixing other ingredients, namely coconut shell. The treatment in the study was the composition of the mixture of PEFB and shell PEFB-1, PEFB-2, PEFB-3, PEFB-4 and PEFB-5 with a ratio of weight (100% -0%), (75% -25%), (50% -50%), (25% -75%) and (0% -100%). The research was carried out in Medan STIPAP, ITM Laboratory and PTKI Alboratorium in April - September 2018. Observation parameters were heating value, water content, ash content, density, compressive strength and combustion rate. The results showed that briquettes with dominant PEFB material, PEFB-1 and PEFB-2, produced less quality biobriquettes, especially low calorific value. The best treatment is PEFB-4 (25% EFB and 75% shell) with characters that appropriate to the specifications of the quality standard of charcoal briquettes.

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