1. DRIVING NATIONAL BIOMASS AGENDA
DR. ASTIMAR ABDUL AZIZ
(Head Biomass Technology Center)
Thank you Mr Chairman,
Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen. A very good afternoon.
First of all, on behalf of Datuk Dr. Choo Yuen May and MPOB, I would like to thank the Academy Science of Malaysia for inviting her to present this paper. However, at the last moment, Datuk Dr. Choo is unable to present this paper as she is having a bilateral meeting with Indonesia in Jokjakarta for this week. I will try my best to convey her points and views on oil palm biomass development. As we are all aware, it has gained quite a lot of attention lately. The title of the presentation is “Adding Value to Biomass Utilization in the Oil Palm Industry”.

2. Presentation Outline:
Introductions: MPOB
Oil Palm Biomass Availability
Successful Commercialization
Future and Beyond Biomass
Issues and Challenges
Recommendations
Conclusions

3. Introduction: MPOB
Custodian of the well being of the Malaysia palm oil industry.
Research, Development and Commercialization
Three pronged strategies: Zero Waste, Value Addition and Higher Income
Till date MPOB introduced about 40 technologies on oil palm biomass. Commercialization still low.

4. BIOMASS R&D PROGRAM (MPOB)
Mulch*
BIO-FERTILIZER
Compost*
Heat & Power*
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Solid, liquid and gas
bio-fuels **
Oil Palm
Biomass
MDF**, Plywood, Fibremats , bio-char and activated carbon etc.
BIO COMPOSITE &
BIO-PRODUCTS
There are many potential applications of oil palm biomass. Some of these are already developed or widely practiced. Some others are still emerging and under various stages of R&D and commercialization.
For example, use of EFB as mulch and compost, and the use of shell and mesocarp fibre as boiler fuel in mills for heat and power are already well established and practiced.
Applications in biocomposite and agro-products and extraction of phyto-chemicals are generally still emerging.
BIO-BASED
CHEMICALS
Sugars/Cellulose, **
lignin, Vitamin E, Carotenes, Squalene. etc
* Developed
** Emerging 4

5. Not fully tapped for value added products
Generates RM 59 billion in gross national income
Types of oil palm biomass:
CPO and CPKO
Palm shell
Palm Fronds
Mesocarp fibers
Fresh Fruit Bunch
Not fully tapped for value added products
Oil palm generated RM53 billion is GNI. This is mainly from the oil, i.e. palm oil and palm kernel oil.
The oil is only about 10% of the total biomass produced by the oil palm.
The solid biomass consists of oil palm trunk, oil palm fronds, empty fruit bunches, mesocarp and palm kernel shells; and from the milling processing we also have the discharge from the mill that is the POME. All these biomass, particularly the EFB and POME has not been fully tapped for production of value added products.
Assuming, same value by weight, this means economic untapped potential could be 9 times of current GNI, BUT we know that the arithmetic is not that simple.
In any case we know there is some economic potential and we shall see this in the subsequent slides.
Empty fruit bunches
10% Oil
90% Biomass
POME
Palm Trunk

6. OIL PALM BIOMASS AVAILABILITY IN 2014
No.
Biomass
Amount (dry weight) 1.
OPF (from pruning activity)
OPF (from replanting activity)
47.06 million tonnes
3.66 million tonnes 2.
OPT (based on 5% replanting rate)
38.48 million trunks
million tonnes 3.
From the 434 palm oil mills operating at total capacity of million tonnes of FFB,
~ Estimated EFB = 22% x x 35% million tonnes
7.31 million tonnes 4.
Mesocarp fibres
7.69 million tonnes 5.
Palm kernel shells
5.22 million tonnes 6.
POME generated from per tone of FFB is about 67%.
63.60 million tonnes **
** (million M3)
Based on the formula, from the 5 million hectares of plantation recorded in 2011, the estimated availability is as shown in this slide. In total, it is estimated more than 80 million tonnes of biomass are available in dry weight.

7. SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIALIZATION

8. Commercial production Of sound dampening sheet
Comply: PROTON (ESX-62223/6), Hyundai (MS ) dan Nissan (NES M 9001 (2007)
Sound Dampening Sheet
Production
Cost
(RM/kg)
Differences
in Cost
Cost Saving (RM/year)
(Based on 1,650,000kg/year of palm based Sound Dampening Sheet)
Commercial
2.75 -
10% EFB Fibers
2.48
0.28
687,500
20% EFB Fibers
2.35
0.40
996,875
30% EFB Fibers
2.23
0.52
1,290,781

9. Medium Density Fiberboard
Oil Palm Biomass
Chipping
Refining
Glue blending
Drying
Forming
Cold & Hot pressing
Conditioning
Storage

10. Commercialization of MDF – Dongwha Fiberboard Malaysia
Splitting of over-diameter OPT (> 17 inch)
OPT chips – diverted outside reclaimer
Feeding of OPT chips via double screw

11. Palm Plywood There are about 3-5 palm Plywood plant in Malaysia
In general, one OPT bole of 18 feet long produces around 40 pieces of veneers (size: 2 by 8 feet) of 4 mm thick, which in turn, can make into 7 pieces of 12 mm
plywood.

12. Solid Fuels from Oil Palm Biomass (EFB Fibre, Briquettes & Pellets)
Palm biomass briquettes – piston press technology
Biomass Pellet
Charcoal briquettes
Palm Biomass Briquettes – Screw Extrusion Technology
Fibrous EFB & Bale
This slide shows the various solid fuels from oil palm biomass.
Read slide.
Torrefied Pellet

13. COMMERCIALIZATION OF CELLULOSE AND CMC
(Waris Nove Sdn. Bhd.)
Both cellulose and CMC plants were fully commissioned in early 2012
Commercialized the Technical grade CMC for detergent (TL55) – eg. To Pakistan (5MT/month)
Cellulose product obtained the ‘Free For Sale’ certification from MOH, complied with the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulation 1985
Product CMC was launched during the MPOB International Oil Palm Biomass Conference 2012.
Patent for CMC was granted.

14. FUTURE AND BEYOND BIOMASS
(GREEN CHEMICALS)
Hemicellulose
(30-35%)
rhamnose
xylose
galactose
arabinose
Cellulose
(35-42%)
Lignin
(17-21%)

15. Chemicals Obtainable from Biomass
Gas (CO, CO2, H, hydrocarbons)
Liquid (methanol, acetic acid, acetone,
phenol derivatives, charcoal/activated carbon
Pyrolysis
Gas (hydrocarbon)
Phenol and cyclohexane derivatives
Hydrogenation
Alcohols, polyols, ketones and acids
Hydroxymethylfurfural, levulinic acid
Polyols, Glucose
OIL PALM
BIOMASS
Hexoses
Yeast, furfural, alcohol, polyols (xylitol)
xylose
Pentoses
Hydrolysis
Cresol, phenol, catechols, vanillin,
Thermosetting resin, dispersant,
Antioxidant, rubber reinforcement
Lignin

16. a) Nutrient Re-cycling to the soil
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
a) Nutrient Re-cycling to the soil
The total biomass from the whole tree is about 85 t/ha dry matter above-ground and additional 16 t/ha below ground roots.
From this 101 t/ha dry biomass, a significant pool of nutrients equivalent to 642 kg N, 58 kg P, 1384 kg K, 156 kg Mg.
Source: Khalid et al., 1996.
Study also showed that by implementing the organic recycle from the OPT, it can reduce the fertilizer application up to 50%.

17. There are issues on the mobilization of the OPF, in which the agronomist
would not allow to take away the OPF…. Soil organic materials….
Probably agreeable on taking 50% or less of the OPF and leaving the
rachis part in the plantation.
4-5 ft
>5 ft
Example of Revised calculation:
Per petiole is about 6-7 kg; standard palm per hectare is 148
Harvesting / pruning activity is 2 times per tree per month
Therefore per hectare will be getting tones of OPF petiole per month
Note: Different areas give different weight sand lengths of petiole and rachis.
Depending on the age, location and species.

18. b) Difficulties in getting constant supply of biomass
Different entity and owners of plantation and mills
Smallholders are scattered and logistic will be a problem.
Industry reluctant to sign up long term contract for EFB supply
No formula or guidelines/regulations on mobilization of biomass, especially from plantation. Over pruning of fronds.

19. c) Selection of technology
Chemical, physical or microbial technology.
Cost and environmental impact of each technology
International or outside technology; or home-grown technology.
Technology has to be tested in pilot plant scale and demo plant scale.
Economic feasibility of the technology; to include risk analysis
d) Mobilization and pricing of biomass
High moisture and non-woody portions, transportation cost per fibers tonnage is higher.
No control of pricing, middle-man and logistic

20. MOBILIZATION OF PALM TRUNKS
Lists of machinery
Load loader
Log in-feed conveyor
Hydraulic chain saw
Technical Data
OPT bole length: 5.5 m to 6.0 m
Average diameter of OPT bole: 39 cm
Volume of OPT bole (18 feet long): 0.71 cubic meter
Cross-cutting operations: 34 OPT boles per hour
If transported by trailer, can accommodate OPT bole,
which is about tonnes per trailer.
Price to smallholder is RM 3-5 per trunk. Middle man selling RM40 per trunk

21. e) Competing with other applications
Mills with plantation would recycle the EFB for mulching and bio- compost.
Mill process the EFB into clean long for export
Bio-fuel: Briquettes and pellets.
Bio-composite: plywood, particleboard, MDF, plastic fiber- composite etc.

22. TIMBER BASED SECTOR
Timber based products contributed about RM22.5 billion in 2008, targeting for RM53 billion in (National Timber Policy 2008, NATIP).
The main contributors to this targeted growth will be furniture and panel products such as the MDF and plywood.
These industries are facing the issue of supply of wood and logs
One of the Policy Directions of the NATIP is to utilize the alternative raw materials such as biomass and Kenaf.
This is a matured sector and should include this in the National Biomass Policy / Strategy
Malaysia: Major Export Earning
(Source: NATIP 2008)

23. RECOMMENDATIONS (MPOB)
Quantification of actual biomass available. Mapping/remote sensing on the distribution of mills, replanting area and matured oil palm plantation.
Long term study of mobilization of biomass (OPT & OPF) towards the soil fertility.
Advanced study on fertilizer replacement to the plantation. Encouragement of compound or organic fertilizer. Utilization of POME sludge and EFB (value addition with effective microbes) as source of organic fertilizer.
Smart partnering on R&D for setting up pilot or demo plant to test the identified technology.
Facilitating the EPP 5 for biogas trapping from the POME. RE to self sustain the economics of the project.

24. BIOGAS FROM POME EFFLUENT
More than 80% of palm oil mill using pond system for treatment of POME
Methane generated at the anaerobic pond are not captured and escape into the atmosphere. No utilization of biogas.
Some attempt has been made to tap the methane gas by using blanket system
Mill capacity (mt/hr)
CH4 production
(mt/yr)
CO2 equivalent 30
820
17,220 50
1,370
28,770 90
2,460
51,660
120
3.280
68,880
(Golden Hope Plantations, Malaysia)

25. Covered lagoon digester
Status of Biogas Projects No of Mills : 439
Status
As of 10 June 2015
Completed Biogas Plants 75
Under Construction 12
Under Planning
145
Covered lagoon digester
Digester tanks

26. RECOMMENDATIONS (Government)
To formulate the Oil Palm Biomass Policy or Roadmap; distribution of biomass amongst sectors (wood based, bio-fuel, bio-fertilizer or bio-based chemicals).
Biomass consortium or Biomass Collection center.
Certification and controls on the quality of products, compliance with International standard (MPOB, SIRIM).
Financial mechanism. Example: Funding on the pilot or demo plants study.
Leveraging in engaging the stakeholders.

27. CONCLUSIONS
Huge potential to fully utilize the oil palm biomass in Malaysia
Successful efforts mainly in energy and fertilizer applications, complementing the wood-based industry.
Promising initiatives being pursued in higher value areas e.g. fine chemicals.
MPOB will try to support the agenda towards National Biomass Strategy/Policy or Roadmap.
The industry is on the way to achieving optimal value addition and zero waste by 2020.
Read slide
I believe just as for palm oil, the most promising economic uses of non-oil biomass will emerge and contribute to the economic wealth for the country. Other uses will follow as and when technically and economically feasible technologies become available on the future. 27 27 27

28. DRIVING NATIONAL BIOMASS AGENDA
Thank you