IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v39y2014icp729-739.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Biochar from oil palm biomass: A review of its potential and challenges

Author

Listed:
  • Kong, Sieng-Huat
  • Loh, Soh-Kheang
  • Bachmann, Robert Thomas
  • Rahim, Sahibin Abdul
  • Salimon, Jumat

Abstract

Climate change, food crisis, energy generation and environmental pollution are among the greatest threats and challenges faced by mankind today. Biochar production from various biomass sources has gained a lot of interests since its addition to degraded agricultural soils not only improve soil fertility and biomass yield, but also mitigate climate change through soil carbon sequestration and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. There are enormous amounts of oil palm biomass generated along with the main palm oil production streams. A lot of research has been carried out to convert oil palm biomass into value-added products, but none except biochar has come close to be labeled as carbon negative products. In this paper, a review about production and application potential of biochar from oil palm biomass in Malaysia is given. Besides, some of the challenges in promoting biochar production and application, such as nature of the feedstocks, economic and logistical factors and market acceptance are highlighted as well. Producing biochar from oil palm biomass can potentially lead to a healthier environmental, societal and economic growth for the oil palm industry specifically, and enhances sustainability in worldwide context.

Suggested Citation

  • Kong, Sieng-Huat & Loh, Soh-Kheang & Bachmann, Robert Thomas & Rahim, Sahibin Abdul & Salimon, Jumat, 2014. "Biochar from oil palm biomass: A review of its potential and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 729-739.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:39:y:2014:i:c:p:729-739
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.107
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032114005590
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.107?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Makoto Ogawa & Yasuyuki Okimori & Fumio Takahashi, 2006. "Carbon Sequestration by Carbonization of Biomass and Forestation: Three Case Studies," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 421-436, March.
    2. Sumathi, S. & Chai, S.P. & Mohamed, A.R., 2008. "Utilization of oil palm as a source of renewable energy in Malaysia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(9), pages 2404-2421, December.
    3. Nurul Islam, Mohammad & Zailani, Ramlan & Nasir Ani, Farid, 1999. "Pyrolytic oil from fluidised bed pyrolysis of oil palm shell and itscharacterisation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 73-84.
    4. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Kuo, Po-Chih, 2010. "A study on torrefaction of various biomass materials and its impact on lignocellulosic structure simulated by a thermogravimetry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 2580-2586.
    5. Johannes Lehmann & John Gaunt & Marco Rondon, 2006. "Bio-char Sequestration in Terrestrial Ecosystems – A Review," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 395-419, March.
    6. Kelly-Yong, Tau Len & Lee, Keat Teong & Mohamed, Abdul Rahman & Bhatia, Subhash, 2007. "Potential of hydrogen from oil palm biomass as a source of renewable energy worldwide," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 5692-5701, November.
    7. Dominic Woolf & James E. Amonette & F. Alayne Street-Perrott & Johannes Lehmann & Stephen Joseph, 2010. "Sustainable biochar to mitigate global climate change," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 1(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. Duku, Moses Hensley & Gu, Sai & Hagan, Essel Ben, 2011. "Biochar production potential in Ghana—A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(8), pages 3539-3551.
    9. Mathews, John A., 2008. "Carbon-negative biofuels," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 940-945, March.
    10. Galinato, Suzette P. & Yoder, Jonathan K. & Granatstein, David, 2011. "The economic value of biochar in crop production and carbon sequestration," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 6344-6350, October.
    11. Shuit, S.H. & Tan, K.T. & Lee, K.T. & Kamaruddin, A.H., 2009. "Oil palm biomass as a sustainable energy source: A Malaysian case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 1225-1235.
    12. Haykiri-Acma, H. & Yaman, S. & Kucukbayrak, S., 2006. "Effect of heating rate on the pyrolysis yields of rapeseed," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 803-810.
    13. Mohammed, M.A.A. & Salmiaton, A. & Wan Azlina, W.A.K.G. & Mohammad Amran, M.S. & Fakhru'l-Razi, A. & Taufiq-Yap, Y.H., 2011. "Hydrogen rich gas from oil palm biomass as a potential source of renewable energy in Malaysia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 1258-1270, February.
    14. Bazmi, Aqeel Ahmed & Zahedi, Gholamreza & Hashim, Haslenda, 2011. "Progress and challenges in utilization of palm oil biomass as fuel for decentralized electricity generation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 574-583, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Karimi, Samira & Tavakkoli Yaraki, Mohammad & Karri, Rama Rao, 2019. "A comprehensive review of the adsorption mechanisms and factors influencing the adsorption process from the perspective of bioethanol dehydration," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 535-553.
    2. Loh, S.K. & Nasrin, A.B. & Mohamad Azri, S. & Nurul Adela, B. & Muzzammil, N. & Daryl Jay, T. & Stasha Eleanor, R.A. & Lim, W.S. & Choo, Y.M. & Kaltschmitt, M., 2017. "First Report on Malaysia’s experiences and development in biogas capture and utilization from palm oil mill effluent under the Economic Transformation Programme: Current and future perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1257-1274.
    3. Lee, Jechan & Kim, Ki-Hyun & Kwon, Eilhann E., 2017. "Biochar as a Catalyst," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 70-79.
    4. Kalu Samuel Ukanwa & Kumar Patchigolla & Ruben Sakrabani & Edward Anthony & Sachin Mandavgane, 2019. "A Review of Chemicals to Produce Activated Carbon from Agricultural Waste Biomass," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-35, November.
    5. Abdullah, Sharifah Hanis Yasmin Sayid & Hanapi, Nur Hanis Mohamad & Azid, Azman & Umar, Roslan & Juahir, Hafizan & Khatoon, Helena & Endut, Azizah, 2017. "A review of biomass-derived heterogeneous catalyst for a sustainable biodiesel production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1040-1051.
    6. Jason Yi Juang Yeo & Bing Shen How & Sin Yong Teng & Wei Dong Leong & Wendy Pei Qin Ng & Chun Hsion Lim & Sue Lin Ngan & Jaka Sunarso & Hon Loong Lam, 2020. "Synthesis of Sustainable Circular Economy in Palm Oil Industry Using Graph-Theoretic Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-29, September.
    7. Czerwińska, Klaudia & Śliz, Maciej & Wilk, Małgorzata, 2022. "Hydrothermal carbonization process: Fundamentals, main parameter characteristics and possible applications including an effective method of SARS-CoV-2 mitigation in sewage sludge. A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    8. Lohri, Christian Riuji & Rajabu, Hassan Mtoro & Sweeney, Daniel J. & Zurbrügg, Christian, 2016. "Char fuel production in developing countries – A review of urban biowaste carbonization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1514-1530.
    9. Sivabalan Kaniapan & Suhaimi Hassan & Hamdan Ya & Kartikeyan Patma Nesan & Mohammad Azeem, 2021. "The Utilisation of Palm Oil and Oil Palm Residues and the Related Challenges as a Sustainable Alternative in Biofuel, Bioenergy, and Transportation Sector: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-25, March.
    10. Nabila, Rakhmawati & Hidayat, Wahyu & Haryanto, Agus & Hasanudin, Udin & Iryani, Dewi Agustina & Lee, Sihyun & Kim, Sangdo & Kim, Soohyun & Chun, Donghyuk & Choi, Hokyung & Im, Hyuk & Lim, Jeonghwan &, 2023. "Oil palm biomass in Indonesia: Thermochemical upgrading and its utilization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    11. How, Bing Shen & Ngan, Sue Lin & Hong, Boon Hooi & Lam, Hon Loong & Ng, Wendy Pei Qin & Yusup, Suzana & Ghani, Wan Azlina Wan Abd Karim & Kansha, Yasuki & Chan, Yi Herng & Cheah, Kin Wai & Shahbaz, Mu, 2019. "An outlook of Malaysian biomass industry commercialisation: Perspectives and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1-1.
    12. Khatun, Rahima & Reza, Mohammad Imam Hasan & Moniruzzaman, M. & Yaakob, Zahira, 2017. "Sustainable oil palm industry: The possibilities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 608-619.
    13. Awalludin, Mohd Fahmi & Sulaiman, Othman & Hashim, Rokiah & Nadhari, Wan Noor Aidawati Wan, 2015. "An overview of the oil palm industry in Malaysia and its waste utilization through thermochemical conversion, specifically via liquefaction," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 1469-1484.
    14. Norfadhilah Hamzah & Koji Tokimatsu & Kunio Yoshikawa, 2019. "Solid Fuel from Oil Palm Biomass Residues and Municipal Solid Waste by Hydrothermal Treatment for Electrical Power Generation in Malaysia: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-23, February.
    15. Su, Guangcan & Mohd Zulkifli, Nurin Wahidah & Ong, Hwai Chyuan & Ibrahim, Shaliza & Bu, Quan & Zhu, Ruonan, 2022. "Pyrolysis of oil palm wastes for bioenergy in Malaysia: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    16. Li, Jian & Tao, Junyu & Yan, Beibei & Cheng, Kexin & Chen, Guanyi & Hu, Jianli, 2020. "Microwave reforming with char-supported Nickel-Cerium catalysts: A potential approach for thorough conversion of biomass tar model compound," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    17. Ge, Shengbo & Yek, Peter Nai Yuh & Cheng, Yoke Wang & Xia, Changlei & Wan Mahari, Wan Adibah & Liew, Rock Keey & Peng, Wanxi & Yuan, Tong-Qi & Tabatabaei, Meisam & Aghbashlo, Mortaza & Sonne, Christia, 2021. "Progress in microwave pyrolysis conversion of agricultural waste to value-added biofuels: A batch to continuous approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    18. Joselin Herbert, G.M. & Unni Krishnan, A., 2016. "Quantifying environmental performance of biomass energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 292-308.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Awalludin, Mohd Fahmi & Sulaiman, Othman & Hashim, Rokiah & Nadhari, Wan Noor Aidawati Wan, 2015. "An overview of the oil palm industry in Malaysia and its waste utilization through thermochemical conversion, specifically via liquefaction," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 1469-1484.
    2. Derman, Eryati & Abdulla, Rahmath & Marbawi, Hartinie & Sabullah, Mohd Khalizan, 2018. "Oil palm empty fruit bunches as a promising feedstock for bioethanol production in Malaysia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(PA), pages 285-298.
    3. Jun Sheng Teh & Yew Heng Teoh & Heoy Geok How & Thanh Danh Le & Yeoh Jun Jie Jason & Huu Tho Nguyen & Dong Lin Loo, 2021. "The Potential of Sustainable Biomass Producer Gas as a Waste-to-Energy Alternative in Malaysia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-31, April.
    4. Zhang, Zhikun & Zhu, Zongyuan & Shen, Boxiong & Liu, Lina, 2019. "Insights into biochar and hydrochar production and applications: A review," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 581-598.
    5. Lohri, Christian Riuji & Rajabu, Hassan Mtoro & Sweeney, Daniel J. & Zurbrügg, Christian, 2016. "Char fuel production in developing countries – A review of urban biowaste carbonization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1514-1530.
    6. Anand, Abhijeet & Kumar, Vivek & Kaushal, Priyanka, 2022. "Biochar and its twin benefits: Crop residue management and climate change mitigation in India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    7. Sabil, Khalik M. & Aziz, Muafah A. & Lal, Bhajan & Uemura, Yoshimitsu, 2013. "Synthetic indicator on the severity of torrefaction of oil palm biomass residues through mass loss measurement," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 821-826.
    8. Tye, Ying Ying & Lee, Keat Teong & Wan Abdullah, Wan Nadiah & Leh, Cheu Peng, 2011. "Second-generation bioethanol as a sustainable energy source in Malaysia transportation sector: Status, potential and future prospects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 4521-4536.
    9. Song, Biao & Almatrafi, Eydhah & Tan, Xiaofei & Luo, Songhao & Xiong, Weiping & Zhou, Chengyun & Qin, Meng & Liu, Yang & Cheng, Min & Zeng, Guangming & Gong, Jilai, 2022. "Biochar-based agricultural soil management: An application-dependent strategy for contributing to carbon neutrality," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    10. Su, Guangcan & Mohd Zulkifli, Nurin Wahidah & Ong, Hwai Chyuan & Ibrahim, Shaliza & Bu, Quan & Zhu, Ruonan, 2022. "Pyrolysis of oil palm wastes for bioenergy in Malaysia: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    11. Mohammadtaghi Vakili & Mohd. Rafatullah & Mahamad Ibrahim & Babak Salamatinia & Zahra Gholami & Haider Zwain, 2015. "A review on composting of oil palm biomass," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 691-709, August.
    12. Garcia-Nunez, Jesus Alberto & Ramirez-Contreras, Nidia Elizabeth & Rodriguez, Deisy Tatiana & Silva-Lora, Electo & Frear, Craig Stuart & Stockle, Claudio & Garcia-Perez, Manuel, 2016. "Evolution of palm oil mills into bio-refineries: Literature review on current and potential uses of residual biomass and effluents," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 99-114.
    13. Yang, Qing & Han, Fei & Chen, Yingquan & Yang, Haiping & Chen, Hanping, 2016. "Greenhouse gas emissions of a biomass-based pyrolysis plant in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1580-1590.
    14. Huang, Yawen & Tao, Bo & Lal, Rattan & Lorenz, Klaus & Jacinthe, Pierre-Andre & Shrestha, Raj K. & Bai, Xiongxiong & Singh, Maninder P. & Lindsey, Laura E. & Ren, Wei, 2023. "A global synthesis of biochar's sustainability in climate-smart agriculture - Evidence from field and laboratory experiments," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    15. Reijnders, L., 2009. "Are forestation, bio-char and landfilled biomass adequate offsets for the climate effects of burning fossil fuels?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 2839-2841, August.
    16. Duku, Moses Hensley & Gu, Sai & Hagan, Essel Ben, 2011. "Biochar production potential in Ghana—A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(8), pages 3539-3551.
    17. Suopajärvi, Hannu & Pongrácz, Eva & Fabritius, Timo, 2013. "The potential of using biomass-based reducing agents in the blast furnace: A review of thermochemical conversion technologies and assessments related to sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 511-528.
    18. Sulaiman, F. & Abdullah, N., 2011. "Optimum conditions for maximising pyrolysis liquids of oil palm empty fruit bunches," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 2352-2359.
    19. Samiran, Nor Afzanizam & Jaafar, Mohammad Nazri Mohd & Ng, Jo-Han & Lam, Su Shiung & Chong, Cheng Tung, 2016. "Progress in biomass gasification technique – With focus on Malaysian palm biomass for syngas production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1047-1062.
    20. Mekhilef, S. & Saidur, R. & Safari, A. & Mustaffa, W.E.S.B., 2011. "Biomass energy in Malaysia: Current state and prospects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(7), pages 3360-3370, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:39:y:2014:i:c:p:729-739. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.