GREENING THE WOOD PELLETS PRODUCTION FROM EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES TO BIO-COAL: CASE RESEARCH FOR BIO-ENERGY PELLET MANUFACTURER
Abstract
Bio Energy Pellet Manufacture Company (BEPM) has been in this business of manufacturing and exporting pellets converted from the Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) waste of Palm oil mills for the last three years. These EFB are available in almost unlimited quantity. While Malaysia will continue to produce and export palm oil (crude, refined and processed downstream products) in increasing quantity, the EFB waste will correspondingly increase too, Efforts towards handling such wastes from the “green” concept platform has been unfortunately slow and disheartening. The available technology is still relatively new (torrefaction) bur efforts towards making it available economically is still not yet given the urgency that it deserves. The efforts of BEPM is noble but is still unchartered and require the support of many other agencies in the country to make it a really sustainable environmental friendly option for the sake of the health of the industry as well as the environment that it operates.