抄録
In Asia, an abundance of wastes are generated from the crude palm oil production. Some of them are being utilized, like the fiber and shell. For empty fruit bunches (EFB), most of them are being disposed of in an inadequate manner, causing environmental problems. Lately, EFB has been viewed as a renewable resource because of its high calorific values. However, in order for these EFB to be used effectively for power generation, production costs have to be lowered and major changes in palm oil industry and fuel production capabilities have to be made. In this study, we quantify the amount of excess energy in a typical palm oil mill. Application of excess energy for EFB pretreatment is discussed. Five scenarios that use EFB as the main fuel for combined heat and power (CHP) plants in Malaysia are considered. The aim of the study is to develop an optimization model to find the optimal locations of power plants, optimal CHP plant size, and optimal distribution of EFB by analyzing the cost, net energy savings, and net avoided greenhouse gas emission. This study establishes a method for optimizing within a local area the use of EFB as fuel for CHP plants.
