Study area. The study area is comprised of the palm oil mills at Sabah, Malaysia. Availability of oil palm biomass (EFB, empty fruit bunch) at Sabah is 943,401 ton/ year (dry weight).

Sample collection. The study was conducted during the year 2011-2014, and the EFB is to be collected in round the year from the outlet of some selected palm oil industries located in Sabah industrial zone, Malaysia. During the research, the fol­lowing physical and chemical methods can be done to produce the desire ethanol production for palm oil.

Method. Thorough literature survey has revealed that the biomass(EFB) from palm can be transformed into bioethanol by three main methods: (1) chemical (2) semi­chemical, and (3) purely biochemical/enzymatic transformations (Fig. 7.1). In the literatures, it has already been proved that the adopted methods for bioethanol pro­duction are not free from restraints. Some methods are polluting the environment and the products, some are high cost and less productive, and some are proved to be inconvenient technologically. However, we have to search a newer method that can

Fig. 7.1 Flow chart of physical-chemical treatment process

minimize the production cost, keep the environment fresh, and above all make the yields of biofuels higher.

In order to do that, sample should be pretreated by some physical methods to remove the unwanted materials from the EFB. In this stage, care should be taken so that the cellulosic materials remain unaltered; its constituents and fungal deteriora­tion should be avoided. Breaking down the pure cellulosic materials into sugar chain could be done by the diluted H2SO4. This diluted H2SO4 could repeatedly be used by making its pH suitable after removal of water by evaporation. Biotransformation or enzymatic degradation will be costly and time consuming in this stage, so this process is not encouraging. Other known discrepancies to conduct the enzymatic method may make this step handicapped.

After treatment with dil. acid, sugar-containing mass could be treated by two methods into biofuels: (1) chemical treatment by non-pollutant and reuseable cata­lyst like Pd or Rh with some mild oxident or hydroforming agent. So, the catalyst could work in increasing the cetane number of the biofuels and at the same time convert the sugar unit successfully into biofuels. In this case, we have to keep sharp eyes on Pd catalyst that may contain some water-soluble ligands so that its activity in water will increase. Using of palladium metal to different chemical transforma­tions has already been proved effective in the era of cost, mildness toward the envi­ronment, and above all its reuseability with 100% efficacy. So, this method deserves a rigorous trial to make it standard for this valuable transformation.

Another important method could be implied on the sugar-containing mass by solid-supported enzymes/microorganisms. Although this method is very tough in selecting the microorganisms, it still deserves huge demand in making contaminant — free biofuels. Because immediate transformation of sugars into ethanol could be separated from the solid-containing microorganisms by modern equipped sieves. With rigorous trial and right choice of the microorganisms or enzymes/yeasts, the project could be successful. But selection of the best microorganisms or enzymes, preservation of the enzymes alive or effective throughout the reaction, is very diffi­cult task in this method. Owing to these drawbacks, this method still keeps huge demand in the research of renewable energy source from biomass.

7.2 Conclusion

Bioethanol can be obtained from different vegetable oils. The most common ones are soybean oil, rapeseed oil, and sunflower oil. Vegetable oil represents 95% of the raw material utilized in the process. This project is based on the production of bioethanol-used EFB of palm oil in Malaysia.

Malaysia can be a pioneer in lignocellulose-ethanol technology using EFB as a resource by integrating a bioethanol plant near palm oil mills. This new industry can generate various spin-offs beneficial to the country. Independent palm oil processing mills would be expected to be the main contributors of EFB as they do not have plan­tation to decompose the EFB residues generated from their mills. The development of a bioethanol demonstration plant has to overcome barriers related to the supply chain. This can be done through educational campaigns on the benefits of a renew­able energy industry.

There are two main advantages of locating the production plant in Malaysia. Firstly is that Malaysia is the world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil. This represents an enormous advantage in terms of availability or raw material. Malaysia’ neighbor, Indonesia, with growing plantation acreage, enhances the availability of feedstock. The second advantage is the palm oil price compared to other vegetable oil price, such as soybean and rapeseed oil, is historically and statistically lower by an average of 20%. Since 90% raw material utilized in the process is vegetable oil, a 20% advantage in the price translates directly into an advantage of the same pro­portion in the cost of production of the finished products. Moreover, overhead cost, in particular personnel cost, is substantially lower in Malaysia compared to Europe and USA, where the main production and consumption of bioethanol take place.

The utilization of palm oil (EFB) for bioethanol production is to be undoubtedly a sustainable and eco-friendly approach for renewable biofuel production. As the importance of bioethanol production is growing, an equal or more attention is needed for the efficient use of this easily cultivable feedstock to generate the green fuel bioethanol.

Advantages of Bioethanol

• The price of bioethanol-petrol fuels will be kept reasonably low due to govern­ment subsidies and lower taxes in order to encourage the use of a cleaner petrol alternative, assuming public interest is sufficient to create a significant market in the UK for bioethanol- and alcohol-fuelled cars.

• Bioethanol produces only carbon dioxide and water as the waste products on burning, and the carbon dioxide released during fermentation and combustion equals the amount removed from the atmosphere while the crop is growing.

• It is a renewable source.

• Can be used as an additive with petrol and water.

• Has a greater thermal efficiency due to a higher octane rating allowing greater compression ratios.

• The price of bioethanol should be kept relatively low as governments encourage the use of more eco-friendly fuels.