Thermochemical Conversion of Oil Palm Biomass and its Applications: A Bibliometric Exploration of Global Trends Over Two Decades

Abstract

In the context of rising global palm oil production and increasing focus on renewable energy, this bibliometric analysis explores literature trends and the impact of scholarly articles on the thermochemical conversion of oil palm biomass (OPB). Data from 2004 to 2023, sourced from Scopus, was validated and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and VOSViewer. The search yielded 1989 articles after multiple phases of collecting and refining textual content from Scopus. The analysis maps out research frontiers, themes, and connections, including combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, torrefaction, and liquefaction. Malaysia emerged as the leading country in terms of research output. In terms of technologies, pyrolysis was the most researched technology. The analysis was further deepened to include specific application-related subtopics, focusing on keywords such as diesel, biofuel, adsorption, supercapacitor, phenol, and hydrogen production, which show significant linkage and occurrence in author keyword searches. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the research landscape in this field, highlighting crucial areas for future exploration.