Trends in Utilization of Palm Kernel Shells

palm-kernel-shell-uses

The palm kernel shells used to be initially dumped in the open thereby impacting the environment negatively without any economic benefit. However, over time, palm oil mills in Southeast Asia and elsewhere realized their brilliant properties as a fuel and that they can easily replace coal as an industrial fuel for generating heat and steam. […]

Energy Potential of Empty Fruit Bunches

EFB

A palm oil plantation yields huge amount of biomass wastes in the form of empty fruit bunches (EFB), palm oil mill effluent (POME) and palm kernel shell (PKS). In a typical palm oil mill, empty fruit bunches are available in abundance as fibrous material of purely biological origin. Energy potential of empty fruit bunches is attractive […]

Palm Kernel Shells: An Attractive Biomass Fuel for Europe

palm-kernel-shells

Europe is targeting an ambitious renewable energy program aimed at 20% renewable energy in the energy mix by 2020 with biomass energy being key renewable energy resource across the continent. However, the lack of locally-available biomass resources has hampered the progress of biomass energy industry in Europe as compared with solar and wind energy industries. […]

Torrified PKS: An Attractive Biomass Commodity in West Africa

palm-kernel-shells

Even though palm kernel shell has many similarities with wood pellets, it is not easy to reduce its size which makes it difficult for its optimum cofiring with coal in power plants and industries. Few years ago, Indonesia had exported PKS to Poland for cofiring purposes but because PKS was difficult to make powder (low […]

Salient Features of Sugar Industry in Mauritius

Sugarcane_Biomass

Sugar industry has always occupied a prominent position in the Mauritian economy since the introduction of sugarcane around three centuries ago. Mauritius has been a world pioneer in establishing sales of bagasse-based energy to the public grid, and is currently viewed as a model for other sugarcane producing countries, especially the developing ones.   Sugar […]

Biomass Market in Japan: Perspectives

Biomass-Power-Plant-Japan

Biomass is being increasingly used in power plants in Japan as a source of fuel, particularly after the tragic accident at Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011. Palm kernel shell (PKS) has emerged as a favorite choice of biomass-based power plants in the country. Most of these biomass power plants use PKS as their energy […]

Role of Gas Turbines in Power Plant Reliability

Gas turbines play a huge role in power plant reliability. In most cases—whether it be simple-cycle or combined-cycle applications for gas turbines—the gas turbine is the first major piece of equipment in the process that needs to start. So, without a reliable control system or a well-maintained and cared-for control system, your primary piece of […]