Palm Oil Empty Fruit Bunches, Fuel for Household Use

Palm Oil Empty Fruit Bunches, Fuel for Household Use

PALM oil industry produces vast amount of biomass, mainly from milling sector, including empty fruit bunches (EFBs). Those are what remains of the fresh fruit bunches after the fruit has been removed for oil pressing.

EFBs are a type of mill waste which is very valuable for farmers because they provide nutrients and increase the soil organic matter content of the soil. Currently, most of the EFBs that come out of the mill as waste are used as an organic fertilizer for oil palms.

Today, EFBs can be converted into briquettes. EFBs that used to be disposed of as waste have recently been used as fuel as quantities have increased. Palm biomass briquettes can become an important renewable energy fuel source to replace LPG or coal briquettes. Briquettes generated from EFBs also offer bigger commercialization opportunities and competitiveness in the international markets.

Converting oil palm biomass into a uniform solid fuel through briquetting process appears to be potentially an attractive solution in upgrading its properties and to add value as renewable energy fuels.

In trying to promote palm oil briquettes, the Indonesia Oil Palm Plantations Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS) collaborated with Asosiasi Sawitku Masa Depanku (Palm Oil Our Future) organized a training for farmers in Pekanbaru Riau, (8/2/2020).  Around 100 farmers from some provinces in Sumatera joined the training. They came from Riau, North Sumatera, Jambi, West Sumatera, and South Sumatera. ***