Oil Palm Fibre
Oil palm fibre is equivalent to coconut fiber at a competitive price.
Oil palm fiber is non-hazardous biodegradable material extracted from oil palm's
empty fruit bunch (EFB) through decortation process. The fibers are clean,
non-carcinogenic, free from pesticides and soft parenchyma cells.
Palm fibres are versatile and stable and can be processed into various
dimensional grades to suit specific applications such as mattress cushion
production, erosion control, soil stabilization/compaction, landscaping and
horticulture, ceramic and brick manufacturing, thermoplastic filler, flat board
manufacturing, paper production, acoustics control, livestock care, compost,
fertilizer, animal feed, etc...
Malaysia's new markets for palm oil by-products:
1 - By transforming fronds into pulp and paper
2 - Turning trunks into furniture
3 - Use of Oil Palm Trunk Fiber as Concrete Reinforcement.
4 - Turning EFB to Bio-Organic Compost
5 - Utilizing palm oil as fuel
6 - Using EFB fiber for block board production
Malaysia government hopes that the oil palm sub-sector will become a lucrative
export industry.
Malaysian Palm Oil industry now strives for
a) better oil quality of palm oil
b) discovery and utilization of oleochemicals (secondary plant products) of the
palm oil into consumer products.
POFS (palm oil fuel ash) is a waste material in the form of ash from burning
palm oil fibre.
Malaysia was the former largest palm oil producer in the world. One of the major
waste products is the Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB). The EFB fibre can be used for
Wood plastic, Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), Erosion control and Landscaping.
As the leading producer of palm oil in the world, oil palm fiber is abundantly
available in Malaysia. Oil palm fiber is used in several different areas. A
common usage is in asphalt mixes.
Oil Palm Fiber is extracted from palm oil vascular bundles in the empty fruit
bunch (EFB). In the manufacturing process of Palm Fiber, EFB are shredded,
separated, refined and dried.
The manufacturing process does not involve any chemical reaction or exposure.
Hence the Material is clean and non-toxic. Packing: In bale,
Weigth:80kg/bale,40'Container:23tonnes. We sell two grade of fiber as below:
1st Grade Palm oil fiber
Length:5-6 inches
Moisture: <10%
Oil content: <3%
Impurity: <5%
2nd Grade Palm oil fiber
Length:5-6 inches
Moisture: <30%
Oil content: <5%
Impurity: <30%
Oil palm mats for Beijing Olympics
Published in December 2002 by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Effects Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches on Oil Palm Nutrition and Yield, and
Soil Chemical Properties
by Lim Kim Chiew and Zaharah A Rahman Full text [PDF 124KB]
Effects of physical and Chemical Pre-treatments on Xylose and Glucose Production
from Oil Palm Press Fibre
by Astimar Abdul Aziz; Kumudeswar Das; Mohamad Husin and Anis Mokhtar Full text
[PDF 122KB]
Variability in Fatty Acid Composition, Iodine Value and Carotene Content in the
MPOB Oil Palm Germplasm Collection from Angola
by Noh, A; Rajanaidu, N; Kushairi, A; Mohd Rafii, Y; Mohd Din, A; Mohd Isa, Z A
and Saleh, G Full text [PDF 110KB]
Properties of Medium Density Fibreboard from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fibre
by Ridzuan Ramli; Stephen Shaler and Mohd Ariff Jamaludin Full text [PDF 181KB]
Oil palm trunk fiber is very light and can absorb a lot of water without
congealing. It can withstand extremes temperature and moisture conditions during
food processing.
This natural fiber have a wide range of applications in foods where fiber
usually be added, such as yogurts, breads, pastries and other products using
wheat.
A cereal made using oil palm trunk fiber has been introduced in Malaysia through
Sukhe International, the Selangor Daru Ehsan-based company which extracts oil
palm trunk fiber using a patented process.
The success of oil palm trunk fiber in the functional foods market mean Malaysia
can generate revenue out of a waste product that has, until now, proved
problematic.
Malaysia produces 50 percent of the world's palm oil and has 3 million hectares
of the trees under cultivation. Every year, 9 million trees become nascent and
must be cut down, with saplings planted in their stead.
Oil Palm Fibres can be used by manufactures to make various fibre composites
such as furnitures, infrastructures, mattress.
The oil palm fibre is produced from empty fruit bunch that are considered as
waste after the extraction oil palm fruits.
To become the useable fiber, the empty fruit bunches goes through process which
involve empty fruit bunches to be shredded , separated , refined and dried.
No chemicals were involved in the production of oil palm fibres.
High quality oil palm fibre are clean and toxic free.
After the process, the end product of high quality oil palm fibre can be used by
manufactures to make various fibre composites such as furnitures,
infrastructures, matteress, erosion control, paper production and also
landscaping.
Economic and environmental benefits can be tapped from the oil palm industry
waste :
1- Energy,
2- Green Technology
With the right innovative technologies, the potentials in generating electricity
along with other economic and environmental benefits from biogas and biomass are
huge.
Palm Oil Mills can earn money by converting ignored biomass such as the EFB into
higher-value renewable fuels and chemicals, while reducing greenhouse gas
emissions.
This also contribute to Malaysia's aim of reducing carbon emissions intensity to
the GDP by up to 40% by the year 2020 compared with the 2005 level
There were challenges to exploiting palm oil mill biomass that needed to be
addressed :
1- the need for mills to familiarize with the technologies required to generate
wealth from their biomass,
2- banks and investors' willingness to provide loans for green fuel and power
ventures,
3- connectivity to the grid to export the electricity generated and
4- coming up with the most cost-effective technologies.
Teck Guan Sungai Burung Palm Oil Mill has a bio ethanol producing facility that
uses empty fruit bunches (EFB). Teck Guan, as an international oil palm
plantation, palm oil mill and oleochemical company, wants to demonstrate that
technologies for profiting from biomass are now available.
Palm oil mill effluent from biomass would often be left stagnant in ponds with
massive amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 23
times greater than carbon dioxide when released into the atmosphere.
In view of that Teck Guan exploited the effluents by using anaerobic digesters
(AD) in tanks and harness the methane generated to fuel kilns at their brick
factory.
Teck Guan is exploiting palm oil mill biomass for financial and environmental
benefits. A 60 tone/hour mill could theoretically produce about 10 million
liters of bio-ethanol from EFB per year.
Typically a similar mill can generate 3 MW of electricity. When all 450 mills in
Malaysia produce the same amount, this become a tremendous economic potential to
the palm oil industry.
Generation of renewable 'clean and green' fuels and energy also reduces
greenhouse gas emissions, while replacing many million liters of diesel, which
can be exported to earn foreign exchange.
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