Palm Oil Mill Redesign for IVO Production: Using Pyrolysis, Gasification or Biogas?

The production of biodiesel / green diesel using raw material of RBD PO is too good (overspec) and too expensive, so it needs to be replaced with a cheaper raw material, namely IVO (industrial vegetable oil). For this purpose, it is necessary to redesign the palm oil mill so that a number of FFB extraction production into CPO carried out at the palm oil mill need to modify the process flow. The sterilization process can be eliminated so that there is no need for water for steam production as well as boilers and steam turbines for electricity production. Water treatment units may also be no longer needed or may still be needed but for different processes.

Another important thing is the supply of energy, especially electricity, for this new type of palm oil mill. This is because most of the equipments used in the palm oil mill are mechanical equipments that work by consuming electricity. As the mill that has a lot of biomass waste, it's certainly not a difficult thing to do, even so far, palm oil mills produce their own electricity by burning palm mesocarp fiber and palm kernel shell in the boiler. But in a new type of palm oil mill with a different configuration, the boiler may not be needed or it is still needed but there are differences from before. Basically, of course, how to achieve the highest level of efficiency with the new process.

Another factor is how the new production process also provides greater benefits for the palm oil industry, for example biochar products are also produced. The biochar product will later be used in palm oil plantations to improve soil fertility and also as a carbon sink and absorb N2O gas, which is a greenhouse gas. Carbon credits from the application of biochar as a carbon sink will also provide additional income for the palm oil industry, which is also not a small amount. Currently, many palm oil plantations are located on acid soils or with low pH, which results in low productivity of palm oil yield, so it needs to be increased. Also, in the operation of palm oil plantations, the cost of fertilizer is the highest cost component, and for this reason, biochar is the solution to this problem. With the high productivity of FFB with this treatment, the clearing of palm oil land is no longer needed, so that the focus on palm oil plantations which causes deforestation is also reduced, more info read here.

For electricity production, apart from burning palm nesocarp fiber and palm kernel shell in the boiler, then the resulting steam drives a steam turbine, another way is pyrolysis and gasification of biomass. With pyrolysis (slow pyrolysis) more biochar production or as the main product. Whereas with gasification the product of biochar is less with more main gas product. Biogas from liquid waste (POME) is another energy source that can be used. Basically it depends on the goals and needs, how much electricity is needed, how much biochar is needed and so on. But with the area of palm oil plantations reaching tens of thousands of hectares, the need for biochar will be very large, so pyrolysis will be more suitable to be applied. And if the demand for electricity is large enough, then electricity from biogas can also be used as an addition to electricity from pyrolysis. 

Even with this pyrolysis, other useful products for palm oil plantations will also be produced, such as liquid smoke. This liquid smoke can be used as a biopesticide whose application can use agricultural drones at speeds of 16 hectares/hour or more. Biooil products from pyrolysis can also be used for direct fuel using a burner or further refined to become vehicle fuel. Burning gas or liquid fuels will give cleaner emissions to palm oil mills compared to burning solid fuel that has been done so far.

Digestate from biogas can be used together with biochar so that it can provide maximum results in palm oil plantations. With a porous biochar structure, digestate plus biochar will become a slow release organic fertilizer so that fertilizer use will be more efficient. Apart from that, with the large amount of potential for biomass waste in the palm oil industry, it also allows for a number of business developments, especially if there is an adequate supply of energy. An example is the production of activated carbon from palm kernel shells (PKS) or the processing of kernels into kernel oil (crude palm kernel oil). By optimizing all the potential, especially biomass waste so that it can provide economic and environmental benefits, the palm oil industry will be even more attractive.