Oil Palm in Malaysia

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) was first introduced to Malaysia as an ornamental plant in 1870. Since 1960, planted area had increased at a rapid pace. In 1985, 1.5 million hectares were planted with palm tree, and it had increased to 4.3 million hectares in 2007. It has become the most important commodity crop in Malaysia. As of 2011, the total planted area was 4.917 million hectares.

The oil palm planted currently is the tenera hybrid which yields about 4.0 t of palm oil per hectare, together with 0.5 t palm kernel oil and 0.6 t palm kernel cake. Oil palm has an economic life of about 25 years. The harvesting of the palm could begin 30 months after field planting. 

The palm fruit is about the size of a small plum and is borne in large bunches weighing between 10 kg - 50 kg. A bunch can have up to 2000 fruits, each consisting of a hard kernel (seed) within a shell (endocarp) which in turn is surrounded by a fleshy mesocarp. The mesocarp is made up of about 49% oil and about 50% kernel.

The two oils (palm oil and palm kernel oil) have very different compositions. Palm oil (from the mesocarp) contains mainly palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:1); the two most common fatty acids in natural oils and fats, and is about 50% saturated. Palm kernel oil is more than 80% saturated and contains mainly lauric acid (C12:0)

Technical Specification of BioDiesel

1. Can palm biodiesel be used directly in diesel engines?

Yes. Neat palm biodiesel (straight non-mixed biodiesel) can be used as fuel in diesel engines without any engine modifications. It can also be blended in any proportion with petroleum diesel.

2. What is the quality of the palm biodiesel produced using our homegrown technology (MPOB technology)?

The quality of the palm biodiesel produced using MPOB biodiesel production technology meets the stringent specifications of international biodiesel specifications of ASTM D6751 and EN 14214.

3. What will happen to our car engines if we revert to petroleum diesel after using palm biodiesel?

The car engine should encounter no problem as studies have shown that palm biodiesel and petroleum diesel can be blended in any proportion.

Field Trials Using Mercedes Benz (OM352) Diesel Engines
Mounted on Passenger Buses

4. What is Mercedes-Benz AG view about palm biodiesel?

One of the most exhaustive field trials on the use of palm biodiesel as diesel fuel was conducted by Mercedes-Benz in collaboration with MPOB (then PORIM) and Cycle & Carriage. A fleet of 30 Mercedes-Benz buses with OF 1313 chasis and OM 352 engines were used for the trial. The buses covered mileages of up to 300,000 to 351,000 km each. The trial was conducted from June 1990 to July 1995. Followings were Mercedes-Benz’s conclusions:

‘The test showed that OF 1313 buses with OM 352 engines which have been actually designed for operation with diesel fuel can just as well be operated with palm biodiesel or a blend of palm biodiesel and petroleum diesel. This applies both to the engine performance and long-term operation. The results of the engine performance for the OM 352 engines can be translated to other direct-injection engines.’

History: The Tanks & Bunkers

                           Tanks (for Commercial Supremacy) of Palm Oil at Kinshata, Congo.

Finally, one word about the packing and transport. Care should be taken that kernels do not cause a fire on board ship. In Nigeria six sacks of palm kernels were submitted by the police department for investigation as to the cause of a fire which occurred in the hold of a ship loading in the Lagoon. The fire seems to have broken out in several separate places in the cargo, which consisted of bags of kernels solidly packed.

The kernels had been stored some time in the bags, and it was the dry season. There had been a blazing sun and little breeze for several days previously during the period of loading, and so not only was the fibre of the sacking made very dry, but also it would have become more oily from the heated kernels exuding oil and there was very little chance of the heat being reduced in a closed full hold. Such oily fibre would absorb oxygen from the air very readily, and in these circumstances the temperature would rise so high as to cause oily vapours to inflame and so start the fires. The sacks showed that the fires started at the outside fibre, and not inside among the kernels, and after the fire the fibre of the sacks held from 20 to 25 per cent, of oil.