Thermochemical valorization of oil palm biomass to value-added products: A biorefinery concept

• Main Authors: Ayodele B.V., Mustapa S.I., Alsaffar M.A., Cheng C.K., Patinvoh R.J.
• Other Authors: 56862160400
• Format: Book Chapter
• Published: Elsevier Inc. 2023

Several tons of biomass waste are often generated from oil palm plantations as well as during the processes. These biomasses range from empty fruit bunches, mesocarp fibers, palm kernel shells, and palm oil mill effluent. If left unutilized, these waste biomasses could constitute a health risk to the environment. The thermochemical process is a technological process of valorizing the various oil palm biomass (OPB) to value-added products. The applications of different thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis, gasification, reforming, and hydrothermal liquefaction that has been used for converting OPB waste to valuable products were examined. Products in form of solid, liquid, and gas were obtained from the various processes. To effectively optimized resource utilization from each of the standalone thermochemical valorization processes, a biorefinery concept is proposed. The biorefinery concepts offer the advantages of overcoming the economic constraints associated with the technological processes from the standalone processes. The individual technological pathway can be optimized by combining various process streams, thereby preventing environmental pollution, resource wastage, and high cost. � 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.