5. Oil palm wastes
Another route to obtain more energy from oil palm plantations
is the more efficient use of oil palm biomass other than
the palm oil. There are no detailed statistics for oil palm dry
matter production. Such statistics are only compiled for palm
oil, palm kernel and fresh fruit bunches (FFB). Rough extrapolations,
however, can be made based on estimates of the
for Malaysia.
Palm oil and related products represent the second largest export of Malaysia. The total
oil palm planted area in Malaysia has increased significantly in recent years. This paper
gives a detailed representation of oil palm planted and produced together with its yield
from the year 1976 onwards. The large amounts of available forest and palm oil residues
resulting from the harvest can be utilized for energy generation and other by-products in
a manner that also addresses environmental concerns related to current waste disposal
methods.