palm diesel – Journal of Oil Palm Research https://jopr.mpob.gov.my Wed, 17 Nov 2021 03:46:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 Preliminary Observations Of Using Palm Oil As Fuel For Cars Fitted With Elsbett Engine https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/preliminary-observations-of-using-palm-oil-as-fuel-for-cars-fitted-with-elsbett-engine/ Tue, 16 Nov 2021 16:19:57 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=10622 Automobiles consume a high proportion of fossil oil which is a significant contributor to major global problems such as oil supply and through the associated emission, to global warming, acidification and urban air pollution. Several approaches in dealing with these problems involving automobiles must include their fuel economy, emissions and choice of fuel. In 1983 a symposium on vegetable oils as diesel fuels revealed that vegetable oils have good potential as alternative fuels if the problems of high viscosity, low volatility and the reactivity (polymerization) of the unsaturated hydrocarbon chains can be overcome.

The Elsbett engine was first introduced to Malaysia in 1984. It started with a joint study between Elsbett Konstruktion Germany, Mitsui of Japan and PORIM. In that joint study, four units of Elsbett engines were brought in to undergo trials to determine suitability of neutralised palm oil and palm diesel as fuel. Two units were used as generator sets running on palm diesel and palm oil as fuel. The other two units were used on two cars, each running on either palm diesel or neutralised palm oil. The palm oil car covered nearly 65,000 km and the palm diesel car covered 75,000 km. The results of this trial seemed to be satisfactory.

Based on that trial, several developments had to be made which includes:

– providing heaters to the fuel lines from the tank to the fuel filters,
– providing starting fuel which filled the injectors before the engine is switched off,
– providing collar heaters to the casing of the fuel filters,
– automatic changing over from starting fuel to crude palm oil (CPO) supply when the CPO fuel is in liquid state.

]]> PALM DIESEL: AN OPTION FOR GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION IN THE ENERGY SECTOR https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/palm-diesel-an-option-for-greenhouse-gas-mitigation-in-the-energy-sector/ Sat, 13 Nov 2021 15:06:06 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=9173 The fast diminishing energy reserves coupled with increasing energy consumption as a nation develops and greater environmental awareness have led to an intensified search for viable alternate sources of energy. Natural and renewable resources such as vegetable oils can be chemically transformed into clean-burning biodiesel. Biodiesel is a fuel substitute that is biodegradable and can contribute to alleviating environmental pollution. Research and developmental efforts have demonstrated that palm diesel (palm oil methyl esters) is a good source for energy production. Palm diesel produced using patented PORIM/PETRONAS production technology has been extensively tested as a diesel substitute in a wide range of diesel engines including stationary engines, passenger cars, buses and trucks. Palm diesel exhibits fuel properties comparable to those of petroleum diesel and can be used directly in unmodified diesel engines. The production and usage of palm diesel has great environmental impact with its closed carbon cycle. A fuel switch from fossil fuel to palm diesel will contribute greatly to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that lead to global warming. Therefore, palm diesel production, because of its contribution to lower GHG emissions, can generate carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol 1997. The financial incentives, like the attractive carbon credit scheme, would bring about an additional positive impact on the economic viability of palm diesel production as a renewable fuel. Furthermore, exhaustive field trials have also shown that diesel engines running on palm diesel do not emit black smoke. There are also reductions in carbon particulates, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide. The effort and initiative to utilize palm oil as an alternative energy source are also in line with the Malaysian Government’s five-fuel diversification policy to include renewable energy as the fifth fuel.

]]> RENEWABLE ENERGY FROM THE PALM OIL INDUSTRY https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/renewable-energy-from-the-palm-oil-industry/ Fri, 26 Mar 2021 11:59:51 +0000 https://jopr.mpob.gov.my/V2/?p=2415 Palm oil mills produce crude palm oil and palm kernel or crude palm kernel oil as their main products. Considerable amounts of co-products, such as fibre (from the mesocarp), shell (from around the kernel), empty fruit bunehes and palm oil mill effluent are also generated by the milling process.

Fibre and shell are the main energy sources for the palm oil mills. In 1992, fibre and shell generated about 650 million kWh to meet the energy demand of 265 palm oil mills in the country. This amounted to 2%-3% of the national energy consumption.

Other co-products like empty ftuit bunches and biogas are very much under-utilized as energy resources. They have the potential of generating 1131 million kWh of electricity which is about 5% of the national energy demand.

Palm oil methyl esters and crude palm oil are being evaluated as diesel substitutes. The palm oil methyl ester mixture (palm diesel) is being run in unmodified diesel engines. So far it has passed all the tests as a diesel substitute in exhaustive field trials. Very positive results have been obtained in terms of engine wear and tear, and reduction in dark smoke, CO, CO2 and SO2 in the exhaust emission. Crude palm oil is run in modified diesel (Elsbett) engines. Its performance is being evaluated.

This paper discusses the potential energy available from the above-mentioned products and co-products from palm oil mills.

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