Torrefaction of oil palm fronds (OPF) as a potential feedstock for energy production processes
Abstract
Oil palm fronds (OPF) and trunks contribute the highest biomass availability compared with other oil palm wastes. At the moment, they are usually left on the ground around the plantation area to decompose naturally and fertilize the soil. Previous researchers have focused on torrefaction of wood residues and other agricultural biomass with less attention has been paid to the utilization of Malaysia’s biomass such as OPF. Therefore, in this study, torrefaction of OPF was conducted in a tubular reactor at temperatures between 200 and 300 °C and residence time of 30 min. The results reveal an improved heating value as the temperature was increased, from 16.81 to 20.32 MJ/kg after the torrefaction process. The van Krevelen diagram also proved that torrefaction OPF could be classified as an intermediate, between raw OPF and coal. This proves the potential of OPF as one of the alternative feedstocks for energy production process through torrefaction.
Keyword : torrefaction, biomass, oil palm frond (OPF), waste management technology, renewable energy
How to Cite
Thaim, T., Rasid, R. A., & Wan Ismail, W. M. S. (2019). Torrefaction of oil palm fronds (OPF) as a potential feedstock for energy production processes. Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management, 27(2), 64-71. https://doi.org/10.3846/jeelm.2019.9315
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
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Cai, W., Fivga, A., Kaario, O., & Liu, R. (2017). Effects of torrefaction on the physicochemical characteristics of sawdust and rice husk and their pyrolysis behaviour by thermogravimetric analysis and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Energy Fuels, 31(2), 1544-1554. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b01846
Cellatoglu, N., & Ilkan, M. (2015). Torrefaction of solid olive mill residues. Bioresources, 10, 5876-5889. https://doi.org/10.15376/biores.10.3.5876-5889
Chen, W.-H., Chua, Y.-S., & Lee, W.-J. (2017). Influence of biosolution pretreatment on the structure, reactivity and torrefaction of bamboo. Energy Conversion and Management, 141, 244-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2016.08.043
Conag, A. T., Villahermosa, J. E. R., Cabatingan, L. K., & Go, A. W. (2018). Energy densification of sugarcane leaves through torrefaction under minimized oxidative torrefaction. Energy for Sustainable Development, 42, 160-169.
Doddapaneni, T. R., Praveenkumar, R., Tolvanen, H., Palmroth, M. R., Konttinen, J., & Rintala, J. (2017). Anaerobic batch conversion of pine wood torrefaction condensate. Bioresource Technology, 225, 299-307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.11.073
Fahmi, R., Bridgwater, A. V., Donnison, I., & Yates, N. (2008). The effect of lignin and inorganic species in biomass on pyrolysis oil yields, quality and stability. Fuel, 87(7), 1230-1240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2007.07.026
Guangul, F. M., Sulaiman, S. A., & Ramli, A. (2012). Gasifier selection, design and gasification of oil palm fronds with preheated and unheated gasifying air. Bioresource Technology, 126, 224-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.09.018
Huang, Y. F., Suang, H. T., Chiueh, P. T., & Lo, S. L. (2017). Microwave torrefaction of sewage sludge and leucaena. Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, 70, 236-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtice.2016.10.056
Irawan, A., Latifah Upe, S., & Meity Dwi, I. P. (2017). Effect of torrefaction process on the coconut shell energy content for solid fuel. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1826, 020010. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4979226
Iroba, K. L., Baik, O. D., & Tabil, L. G. (2017). Torrefaction of biomass from municipal solid waste fractions I: Temperature profiles, moisture content, energy consumption, mass yield and thermochemical properties. Biomass and Bioenergy, 105, 320-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.07.009
Kamalrudin, M. S., & Abdullah, R. (2014). Malaysian palm oil – moving ahead to sustainable production growth. Oil Palm Industry Economic Journal, 14, 24-33.
Li, M. F., Li, X., Bian, J., & Chen, C. Z. (2015). Effect of temperature and holding time on bamboo torrefaction. Biomass and Bioenergy, 83, 366-372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.10.016
Louwes, A., Basile, L., Yukananto, R., Bhagwandas, J., Bramer, E. A., & Brem, G. (2017). Torrefied biomass as feed for fast pyrolysis: An experimental study and chain analysis. Biomass and Bioenergy, 105, 116-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.06.009
Macedo, L. A., Commandré, J.-M., Rousset, P., Valette, J., & Pétrissans, M. (2018). Influence of potassium carbonate addition on the condensable species released during wood torrefaction. Fuel Processing Technology, 168, 248-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2017.10.012
Mohd Faizal, H., Shamsuddin, H. S., Heiree, M. H. M., Hanaffi, M. F. M. A., Abdul Rahman, M. R., Mizanur Rahman, Md., & Latiff, Z. A. (2018). Torrefaction of densified mesocarp fiber and palm kernel shell. Renewable Energy, 122, 419-428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.01.118
MPOB. (2018). Retrieved August 17, 2018 from https://bepi.mpob.gov.my/index.php/en/
Prins, M. J., Ptasinski, K. J., & Janssen, F. J. J. G. (2006). More efficient biomass gasification via torrefaction. Energy, 31, 3458-3470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2006.03.008
Rousset, P., Macedo, L., Commandré, J. M., & Moreira, A. (2012). Biomass torrefaction under different oxygen concentrations and its effect on the composition of the solid by-product. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 96, 86-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2012.03.009
Recari, J., Berrueco, C., Puy, N., Alier, S., Bartroli, J., & Farriol, X. (2017). Torrefaction of a solid recoverd fuel (SRF) to improve the fuel properties for gasification processes. Applied Energy, 203, 177-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.06.014
Rodriguez, I. I., Martin-Lara, M. A., Blazquez, G., & Perez, A. (2017). Effects of torrefaction conditions on greenhouse crop residue: Optimization of conditions to upgrade solid characteristics. Bioresource Technology, 244, 741-749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.08.031
Sabil, K. M., Aziz, M. A., Lal, B., & Uemura, Y. (2013). Effects of torrefaction on the physiochemical properties of oil palm empty fruit bunches, mesocarp fiber and kernel shell. Biomass and Bioenergy, 56, 351-360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2013.05.015
Samad, N. A. F. A., Jamin, N. A., & Saleh, S. (2017). Torrefaction of municipal solid waste in Malaysia. Energy Procedia, 138, 313-318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.10.106
Shinoj, S., Visvanathan, R., Panigrahi, S., & Kochubabu, M. (2011). Oil palm fiber (OPF) and its composites: A review. Industrial Crops and Products, 33(1), 7-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.09.009
Sukiran, M. A., Abnisa, F., Daud, W. M., Bakar, N. A., & Loh, S. K. (2017). A review of torrefaction of oil palm solid wastes for biofuel production. Energy Conversion and Management, 149, 101-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.07.011
Tan, J. P., Jahim, J., Harun, S., Wu, T. Y., & Mumtaz, T. (2016). Utilization of oil palm fronds as a sustainable carbon source in biorefineries. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 41(8), 4896-4906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2015.08.034
Tumulu, J. S., Sokhansanj, S., Wright, C. T., & Boardman, R. D. (2011). A review on biomass torrefaction process and product properties for energy applications. Industrial Biotechnology, 7(5), 384-401. https://doi.org/10.1089/ind.2011.7.384
Uemura, Y., Omar, W., Tsutsui, T., & Yusup, S. (2011). Torrefaction of oil palm wastes. Fuel, 90, 2585-2591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2011.03.021
Umar, M. S., Jennings, P., & Umee, T. (2014). Generating renewable energy from oil palm biomass in Malaysia: The Feed-in Tariff policy framework. Biomass and Bioenergy, 62, 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2014.01.020
Van der Stelt, M. J. C., Gerhauser, H., Kiel, J. H. A., & Ptasinski, K. J. (2011). Biomass upgrading by torrefaction for the production of Biofuels: A Review. Biomass and Bioenergy, 35, 3748-3762.
Wahid, F. R., Saleh, S., & Samad, N. A. (2017). Estimation of higher heating value of torrefied palm oil wastes from proximate analysis. Energy Procedia, 138, 307-312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.10.102
Wahid, M. W., & Simeh, M. A. (2010). Accelerated oil palm replanting: the way forward for a sustainable and competitive industry. Oil Palm Industry Economic Journal, 10, 29-38.
Zahari, M. W., Abu Hassan, O., Wong, H. K., & Liang, J. B. (2003). Utilization of oil palm frond - based diets for beef and dairy production in Malaysia. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 16(4), 625-634.
Zhang, C., Ho, S.-H., Chen, W.-H., Xie, Y., Liu, Z., & Chang, J.-S. (2018). Torrefaction performance and energy usage of biomass wastes and their correlations with torrefaction severity index. Applied Energy, 220, 598-604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.03.129
Barta-Rajnai, E., Jakab, E., Sebestyén, Z., May, Z., Barta, Z., Wang, L., Skreiberg, Ø., Grønli, M., & Czegeny, Z. (2016). Comprehensive compositional study of torrefied wood and herbaceous materials by chemical analysis and thermoanalytical methods. Energy Fuels, 30(10), 8019-8030. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b01030
Bridgwater, A. V., Toft, A. J., & Brammer, J. G. (2002). A technoeconomic comparison of power production by biomass fast pyrolysis with gasification and combustion. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 6(3), 181-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-0321(01)00010-7
Cai, W., Fivga, A., Kaario, O., & Liu, R. (2017). Effects of torrefaction on the physicochemical characteristics of sawdust and rice husk and their pyrolysis behaviour by thermogravimetric analysis and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Energy Fuels, 31(2), 1544-1554. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b01846
Cellatoglu, N., & Ilkan, M. (2015). Torrefaction of solid olive mill residues. Bioresources, 10, 5876-5889. https://doi.org/10.15376/biores.10.3.5876-5889
Chen, W.-H., Chua, Y.-S., & Lee, W.-J. (2017). Influence of biosolution pretreatment on the structure, reactivity and torrefaction of bamboo. Energy Conversion and Management, 141, 244-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2016.08.043
Conag, A. T., Villahermosa, J. E. R., Cabatingan, L. K., & Go, A. W. (2018). Energy densification of sugarcane leaves through torrefaction under minimized oxidative torrefaction. Energy for Sustainable Development, 42, 160-169.
Doddapaneni, T. R., Praveenkumar, R., Tolvanen, H., Palmroth, M. R., Konttinen, J., & Rintala, J. (2017). Anaerobic batch conversion of pine wood torrefaction condensate. Bioresource Technology, 225, 299-307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.11.073
Fahmi, R., Bridgwater, A. V., Donnison, I., & Yates, N. (2008). The effect of lignin and inorganic species in biomass on pyrolysis oil yields, quality and stability. Fuel, 87(7), 1230-1240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2007.07.026
Guangul, F. M., Sulaiman, S. A., & Ramli, A. (2012). Gasifier selection, design and gasification of oil palm fronds with preheated and unheated gasifying air. Bioresource Technology, 126, 224-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.09.018
Huang, Y. F., Suang, H. T., Chiueh, P. T., & Lo, S. L. (2017). Microwave torrefaction of sewage sludge and leucaena. Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, 70, 236-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtice.2016.10.056
Irawan, A., Latifah Upe, S., & Meity Dwi, I. P. (2017). Effect of torrefaction process on the coconut shell energy content for solid fuel. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1826, 020010. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4979226
Iroba, K. L., Baik, O. D., & Tabil, L. G. (2017). Torrefaction of biomass from municipal solid waste fractions I: Temperature profiles, moisture content, energy consumption, mass yield and thermochemical properties. Biomass and Bioenergy, 105, 320-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.07.009
Kamalrudin, M. S., & Abdullah, R. (2014). Malaysian palm oil – moving ahead to sustainable production growth. Oil Palm Industry Economic Journal, 14, 24-33.
Li, M. F., Li, X., Bian, J., & Chen, C. Z. (2015). Effect of temperature and holding time on bamboo torrefaction. Biomass and Bioenergy, 83, 366-372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.10.016
Louwes, A., Basile, L., Yukananto, R., Bhagwandas, J., Bramer, E. A., & Brem, G. (2017). Torrefied biomass as feed for fast pyrolysis: An experimental study and chain analysis. Biomass and Bioenergy, 105, 116-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.06.009
Macedo, L. A., Commandré, J.-M., Rousset, P., Valette, J., & Pétrissans, M. (2018). Influence of potassium carbonate addition on the condensable species released during wood torrefaction. Fuel Processing Technology, 168, 248-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2017.10.012
Mohd Faizal, H., Shamsuddin, H. S., Heiree, M. H. M., Hanaffi, M. F. M. A., Abdul Rahman, M. R., Mizanur Rahman, Md., & Latiff, Z. A. (2018). Torrefaction of densified mesocarp fiber and palm kernel shell. Renewable Energy, 122, 419-428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.01.118
MPOB. (2018). Retrieved August 17, 2018 from https://bepi.mpob.gov.my/index.php/en/
Prins, M. J., Ptasinski, K. J., & Janssen, F. J. J. G. (2006). More efficient biomass gasification via torrefaction. Energy, 31, 3458-3470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2006.03.008
Rousset, P., Macedo, L., Commandré, J. M., & Moreira, A. (2012). Biomass torrefaction under different oxygen concentrations and its effect on the composition of the solid by-product. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 96, 86-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2012.03.009
Recari, J., Berrueco, C., Puy, N., Alier, S., Bartroli, J., & Farriol, X. (2017). Torrefaction of a solid recoverd fuel (SRF) to improve the fuel properties for gasification processes. Applied Energy, 203, 177-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.06.014
Rodriguez, I. I., Martin-Lara, M. A., Blazquez, G., & Perez, A. (2017). Effects of torrefaction conditions on greenhouse crop residue: Optimization of conditions to upgrade solid characteristics. Bioresource Technology, 244, 741-749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.08.031
Sabil, K. M., Aziz, M. A., Lal, B., & Uemura, Y. (2013). Effects of torrefaction on the physiochemical properties of oil palm empty fruit bunches, mesocarp fiber and kernel shell. Biomass and Bioenergy, 56, 351-360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2013.05.015
Samad, N. A. F. A., Jamin, N. A., & Saleh, S. (2017). Torrefaction of municipal solid waste in Malaysia. Energy Procedia, 138, 313-318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.10.106
Shinoj, S., Visvanathan, R., Panigrahi, S., & Kochubabu, M. (2011). Oil palm fiber (OPF) and its composites: A review. Industrial Crops and Products, 33(1), 7-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.09.009
Sukiran, M. A., Abnisa, F., Daud, W. M., Bakar, N. A., & Loh, S. K. (2017). A review of torrefaction of oil palm solid wastes for biofuel production. Energy Conversion and Management, 149, 101-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.07.011
Tan, J. P., Jahim, J., Harun, S., Wu, T. Y., & Mumtaz, T. (2016). Utilization of oil palm fronds as a sustainable carbon source in biorefineries. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 41(8), 4896-4906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2015.08.034
Tumulu, J. S., Sokhansanj, S., Wright, C. T., & Boardman, R. D. (2011). A review on biomass torrefaction process and product properties for energy applications. Industrial Biotechnology, 7(5), 384-401. https://doi.org/10.1089/ind.2011.7.384
Uemura, Y., Omar, W., Tsutsui, T., & Yusup, S. (2011). Torrefaction of oil palm wastes. Fuel, 90, 2585-2591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2011.03.021
Umar, M. S., Jennings, P., & Umee, T. (2014). Generating renewable energy from oil palm biomass in Malaysia: The Feed-in Tariff policy framework. Biomass and Bioenergy, 62, 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2014.01.020
Van der Stelt, M. J. C., Gerhauser, H., Kiel, J. H. A., & Ptasinski, K. J. (2011). Biomass upgrading by torrefaction for the production of Biofuels: A Review. Biomass and Bioenergy, 35, 3748-3762.
Wahid, F. R., Saleh, S., & Samad, N. A. (2017). Estimation of higher heating value of torrefied palm oil wastes from proximate analysis. Energy Procedia, 138, 307-312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.10.102
Wahid, M. W., & Simeh, M. A. (2010). Accelerated oil palm replanting: the way forward for a sustainable and competitive industry. Oil Palm Industry Economic Journal, 10, 29-38.
Zahari, M. W., Abu Hassan, O., Wong, H. K., & Liang, J. B. (2003). Utilization of oil palm frond - based diets for beef and dairy production in Malaysia. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 16(4), 625-634.
Zhang, C., Ho, S.-H., Chen, W.-H., Xie, Y., Liu, Z., & Chang, J.-S. (2018). Torrefaction performance and energy usage of biomass wastes and their correlations with torrefaction severity index. Applied Energy, 220, 598-604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.03.129