Use Of Empty Fruit Bunches Research Articles

Recovery of Pulp from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch and Used Paper for Sustainable Paper Production

Agricultural waste residue such as empty fruit bunch (EFB) has great potential as an alternative feedstock in pulp and paper industry. This study provides insights into the use of EFB as an alternative non-wood fibre resource for pulping and papermaking. EFB was mixed with used paper (UP) according to the ratio of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 on dry basis. The hemi-cellulose and lignin contents in EFB was removed by soda-pulping using 15% w/v sodium hydroxide for 30 minutes at 100°C. Chemical analyses were performed to determine the ash content, lignin content, and the cellulose content (Rowel method). Physical and mechanical properties of the EFB/UP paper were characterised according to the TAPPI Standards including grammage, porosity, moisture content and tensile strength. The average fibre length of all EFB/UP papers showed different fibre length ranging from 1.0 to 1.2 mm. EFB25 (25% EFB) was found to have the least moisture content of 7.28% meanwhile EFB100 had the least ash content of 2.28% and the highest cellulose and lignin content of 45.22% and 26.5%, respectively. EFB25 demonstrated the highest tensile index of 2.01 Nm/g. There are no major colour changes and no trace of fungal growth on the surface of all paper samples after 4 weeks of storage without temperature and humidity control. It was found that paper with EFB25 displayed good physical appearance with grammage of 59.8 g/m2 that is almost comparable to commercialised paper of 70 g/m2 and suitable for writing.

Life cycle assessment analysis of empty oil palm fruit bunches waste from palm oil mill activities

The process of utilizing existing empty oil palm fruit bunches is a process of utilization commonly carried out in various oil palm plantation industries. Palm oil liquid and solid waste is an environmental burden that produces global warming potential (GWP) emissions. This study aims to determine the magnitude of the environmental impact of using empty fruit bunches. The method used in this study is the ISO 14040 life cycle assessment (LCA) CML-Baseline IA method. The results showed that the existing use of empty fruit bunches in the plantation and the furnace showed that the furnace’s global warming potential impact value was much higher than that of the plantation, which was 234.719 kg CO2 eq and 234.689 kg CO2 eq, respectively. The eutrophication impact is 0.951 kg PO4 eq for furnace and plantation and an acidification effect of 0.525 kg SO2 eq and 0.523 kg SO2 eq. This concluded that they reduced the most dominant environmental impact by reducing raw materials by up to 80% of empty fruit bunches, which can be processed into co-composting and other technologies.

USE OF BITUMEN-TREATED FABRIC MULCH DURING FIRST YEAR REPLANTING OF IMMATURE OIL PALMS

The use of empty fruit bunch (EFB) mulching in oil palm replants has for decades been implemented as best practice across the industry. In this study, several trials were initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of bitumen-treated fabric mulch (BFM) as an alternative for EFB mulching on oil palm growth performance in replants. The trial was conducted in Jeleta Bumi Estate, Sabah for 12 months. The treatments evaluated were mulching using BFM with a total quantity of first-year fertiliser applied underneath (T1) and normal EFB mulching with the standard bi-monthly manuring programme (T2). The treatments were arranged using randomised complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. The palms’ rachis length, petiole cross-section, and total fronds were measured 12 months after planting to calculate the relative leaf area (RLA), true leaf area (TLA), and leaf area index (LAI). Leaves from frond number nine were sampled for nutrient analysis. Concurrently, these treatments were replicated at a semi-commercial scale in five estates totalling 466.36 hectares under T1. Generally, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in all parameters measured for both vegetative performance and leaf nutrients between T1 and T2. Additionally, box plot analysis indicated a uniform growth pattern across treatments from the calculated RLA, TLA, and LAI. Cost-benefit analysis indicated a saving of up to 62 per cent at 12 months after planting. This includes costs of EFB transportation, weeding and manuring rounds. Concomitantly, labour dependency could be further reduced, particularly of interest under current industry labour shortages. Response by users highlighted in reduced road maintenance, minimised rhinoceros beetle damage and lower frond scorching.

The Utilization of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches for Growth of Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) and Biodelignification Process During Planting Cycle

Indonesia produces a large amount of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) that has potency used as media for mushroom cultivation. The research emphasized the use of EFB to grow oyster mushrooms as an alternative for delignification without chemicals. This research aimed to study the growth of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) at EFB based growing media treatments. The media consisted of a mixture of EFB and sawdust at the composition of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. The media were also supplemented with rice bran, CaCO3, and TSP fertilizer. The data were collected on the mycelium growth and the mushroom weight. During cultivation in baglog, there was no difference in mycelium growth rate. The EFB composition of 25% showed faster growth among the other compositions, followed by the EFB composition of 50%, 75%, and 0%. The highest Biological Efficiency Ratio (BER) at 56.25% was obtained at media composition of 50%. The EFB contained in baglog also showed biodelignification process. Biodelignification has the benefit which can reduce the use of chemicals in the delignification process to convert EFB into cellulose. The highest lignin reduction (40.12%) occurred in 75% of EFB media composition, while hemicellulose (49.56%) occurred in 100% EFB media composition.

Performance of a Gasifier Reactor Prototype without a Blower Using Palm Oil Waste

The usage of palm oil empty fruit bunches (EFBs) in the gasification process adds value to the empty bunches as a renewable energy source. In this study, we design and manufacture a new updraft type of gasifier reactor without a blower so that it does not require electric power in its operation, but uses power from engine suction. Our test results compare the use of biomass waste in conjunction with diesel fuel to run a diesel power plant for 20 min at a load of 10,000 W: diesel with coconut shell charcoal (350 mL), diesel with acacia wood charcoal (380 mL), and diesel with EFB charcoal (400 mL). The test shows that the highest efficient and the most optimal biomass in the gasification process is coconut shell charcoal, because coconut shell charcoal has a dense structure and, at the time of the experiment, the coconut shell charcoal was filled 15 cm below the gas outlet pipe hole. From the standpoint of the economic value of the gasifier reactor that is proposed in this study, the result with the lowest cost is that of diesel with EFB charcoal, because, in this experiment, EFBs were the biomass that was not purchased. The additional use of empty fruit bunches of charcoal is able to save 50% diesel usage.

A Comprehensive Review on Biofuels from Oil Palm Empty Bunch (EFB): Current Status, Potential, Barriers and Way Forward

Biomass is an important renewable energy resource which primarily contributes to heating and cooling end use sectors. It is also a promising alternative source of biofuels to replace the depleting supply of fossil fuels. Surprisingly, few writers have been able to draw on the feedstock significance for oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) as the biomass resource for biofuels compared to the other types of biomass waste. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive review of EFB as a biomass resource presented in four major parts. First, the introduction covers the demand for bio-oil and describes the different kinds of feedstock, the relevance and potential of EFB biomass. Second, the characteristics of biomass are explained before it is upgraded as biofuel, drawing similarities and contrasts between EFB and other sources of biomass. Pyrolysis processes and reactors used for EFB conversion are described, and the factors affecting the bio-oil yield and quality are discussed. Major reactor parameters are summarized and reactor optimization is discussed. Third, comparison on the properties of the bio-oil vs. petroleum in transportation, power generation, and heating are compared followed by prioritizing the bio-oil properties from the most to least critical, revealing the most promising methods for upgrading. Fourth, the environmental impact, including CO2 emission, of the use of EFB as a promising renewable energy resource and a cleaner alternative fuel is recommended. This paper has comprehensively reviewed the conversion of oil palm empty fruit bunches into biofuels, including the similarities and differences between biomasses, the best reactors, its comparison with fossil fuels, and bio-oil upgrading methods. The upgrading mapping matrix is created to present the best upgrading strategies for the optimum quality of biofuels. This paper serves as a one-stop center for EFB conversion into biofuels.

Upgrading Karakteristik Biopelet Tandan Kosong Sawit Dengan Penambahan Oil Sludge Sebagai Co-Firing

Biopelet is one of the alternative fuels converted from biomass. Biomass which has great potential to be converted into biopelet is Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB). Such considerations make researchers interested in conducting a study on the use of EFB as an alternative fuel in the form of biopelets. In this research, we used torefaction and densification processes and the addition of oil sludge as a co-firing to increase the mass and energy density which had been a problem with the nature of EFB. The research procedure started from the raw material preparation stage, the EFB and oil sludge torefaction process and the bioepelet manufacturing stage. For fixed variables, the raw material size (EFB) is ± 15 mm , the raw material ratio is 70:30 (EFB: Oil Sludge), the torefaction temperature is 275 °C, the size of the biopelet diameter is 20 mm (ISO 17225). For 20 mesh particles, the N2 flow rate was 50 ml / minute, for the changing variables were the torefaction detention time of 30, 45 and 60 minutes, the pressing pressure was 30, 40 and 50 bar.The results showed that there was an effect of torefaction detention time which was directly proportional to the increase in proximate characteristics and calorific value of biopelets with the best results of 3.35% moisture content, 8.66% ash content, 9.50% volatile content, 78.49 %, fixed carbon content, and the calorific value of 4597.76 cal / g under the conditions of 60 minutes of torefaction detention time. There is an effect of pressing pressure which is directly proportional to the increase in the mechanical properties of the biopelet with the best results of density 1.148 gr / cm3, compressive strength 16.86 bar, and porosity of biopelet 13.33% under pressure conditions of 50 bar. The effect of adding oil Sludge as co-firing resulted in the calorific value of the biopelet being lower than the calorific value of EFB. This is because the calorific value of oil sludge is lower than the calorific value of EFB.

Empty fruit bunches, potential fiber source for Indonesian pulp and paper industry

Empty fruit bunches (EFB) is one of solid waste from crude palm oil (CPO) mill. It’s about 20-22% from fresh fruit bunches (FFB) or equal to the CPO yield. Indonesian CPO production in 2019 was 51.8 million tons; increased by 9% compared to 2018. So, about 51.8 million tons of EFB was available in 2019. EFB is a potential lignocellulosic material for pulp and paper. The utilization of EFB fibers for papermaking has been studied extensively. The use of EFB for printing and writing papers tends to cause pitch problems and poor visual appearance. The most potential use of EFB fibers is for packaging papers. EFB fiber is classified as short up to moderate fibers, so its usage must still be mixed with other fibers to improve the sheet strength. Many experiments have been done regarding the mixture of EFB fibers with other fibers such as OCC (Old Corrugated Containers) and UBC (Used Beverage Cartons) recycled fibers. Other types of paper from EFB are still being developed, including for nursery bags and active packaging papers.

Pulp and paper production from oil palm empty fruit bunches: A current direction in Malaysia

The pulp and paper industry is advanced rapidly since there are many types of raw materials containing cellulose fibres that could be used to produce different kinds of paper by different methods in the mills. In Malaysia, one of the abundant non-wood materials for pulp and paper production is empty fruit bunch (EFB) from the oil palm. The EFB is the main fibrous residue and natural fibre which has promising potential as an alternative to replace woody materials. This study provides insight into the use of EFB as an alternative non-wood fibre resource in pulp and paper making. The potential of oil palm EFB transformed into valuable fibre material was elaborated. In this review, detailed information on the properties of EFB for pulp and paper making process to identify the chemical composition and fibre morphology were discussed. Recent advanced applications including nanocellulose from EFB, polymeric hydrogel, and antimicrobial papers were discussed to demonstrate high commercialization for pulp and paper technology. The three-dimensional (3D) printing technique has been employed due to the high complexity of paper products. The future trends and challenges regarding the use of EFB in pulp and paper making were also reviewed. This study demonstrated that the EFB has met the demand of the market chains as a potential raw material in paper making and manufacturing.

Development of the Process Model and Optimal Drying Conditions of Biomass Power Plants.

An empty fruit bunch (EFB) is a byproduct of the palm oil production process with an undried moisture content of 60–70%, which is too high for use as direct combustion fuel. Drying processes are generally considered essential for the recent use of EFBs as power plant fuels because their high moisture content decreases the boiler efficiency. The lower moisture content of dried EFBs increases the heating value and boiler efficiency but creates a trade-off with the energy required for the drying process. This study developed an EFB-based 10 MW power plant model by integrating economic evaluations in order to obtain optimal drying conditions. A hot air dryer was used in the drying process. The EFB evaporation behavior was predicted by reflecting the drying kinetics of EFBs in Aspen Plus. The optimum drying conditions were found to be a steam recirculation ratio of 0.25 and drying time of 23 min, creating dried EFBs with a 9.91% moisture content, which reduced costs by 5.48% relative to the undried base scenario. In addition, the developed model was compared to the drying process of a real power plant currently under construction in Indonesia. This drying process reduces the EFB moisture content from 48 to 20%.

Empty Fruit Bunches as Potential Source for Biosilica Fertilizer for Oil Palm

In Indonesia, the development of oil palm plantations has been going on a pervasive way; they covered about 14.03 million hectares in 2017. This massive coverage of land might then generate a tremendous amount of biomass per year, both in the form of both solid and liquid wastes. The processing of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) in palm oil mill (POM) produces wastes that primarily in the form of empty fruit bunches (EFB), which is amounting of up to 25% (w/w) of FFB. It has been being indicated that EFB contains a considerable amount of silica (Si) which attracts the Indonesian Research Institute for Biotechnology and Bioindustry (IRIBB) to investigate the potential use of EFB as a source of bio-available Si, in the form of H4SiO4 (mono silicic acid, BioSilAc). The experiment was carried out at Sungai Mirah Minting Estate, PT Bumitama Gunajaya Agro-Central Kalimantan. The EFB material was obtained from POM and chopped into 2.5-5.0 cm in size. A four-week bio-decomposition process was employed by using bio-decomposers containing Trichoderma pseudokoningii, T. polysporum, and Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Chemical analyses of composted EFB were conducted before and 28-days after decomposer application. The presence of Si in the compost was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of Si-containing EFB compost on the immature and mature oil palm was evaluated. Seven treatments, i.e. combination of EFB compost and BioSilAc application with reduced-dosages of NPK fertilisers were arranged in a random block design with three replicates. The results show that large quantities of silica bodies attached to the surface of EFB fibres and amounting to 0.44% soluble Si. The FFB data indicated that the application of 75% NPK + 500 kg composted EFB + 2 L BioSilAc/ha/year on a five-year-old plant resulted in higher yield than that obtained from 100% standard dosage of NPK. The study also revealed that the application of EFB compost reduced 50% of BioSilAc dosage.

Effects of layering sequence and gamma radiation on mechanical properties and morphology of Kevlar/oil palm EFB/epoxy hybrid composites

The present study evaluates the tensile and flexural properties, including the morphological features of gamma radiated Kevlar/oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB)/epoxy hybrid composites fabricated using hand lay-up method with different layering sequences. The fabricated hybrid composites were exposed to different gamma radiation doses: 25kGy, 50kGy and 150kGy. Mechanical (tensile and flexural) and morphological properties were evaluated by using universal testing machine and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Results obtained indicated that tensile strength of hybrid composites were effected by layering sequence. The layering sequence involving the use of EFB as core material yielded better mechanical performance compared to the layering pattern when Kevlar served as the core material. The tensile and flexural properties of hybrid composites showed an improvement for irradiated samples at a low radiation level. Hybrid composites displayed decrease in tensile strength at 50 kGy whereas flexural strength still showed an improvement. However, at 150 kGy, the tensile and flexural properties exhibited significant degradation. FESEM of tensile fracture composites showed the exist of fibre pull out and voids. However, at 150kV bigger and ruptured voids were observed. It can be concluded from this finding that mechanical performance of Kevlar/EFB/Kevlar hybrid composites after Gamma radiation, has made it as promising material for automotive, aerospace and construction applications.

Hydrothermal treatment of empty fruit bunch (EFB) aimed at increased production of reducing sugars

The waste generated from the palm oil production chain is increasing. The purpose of this work is to enable more effective use of empty fruit bunches (EFB) to produce reducing sugars by a hydrothermal treatment process (hydrothermolysis) at elevated pressures and temperatures. The EFB was dried and milled to obtain three different granulometries: thin (> 60 mesh), medium (28 to 60 mesh), and thick (< 28 mesh). The operating conditions were defined using a complete factorial design of 25, while considering the variables as particle size (thin, medium, and thick), solid/liquid ratio (1/13.33 and 1/20), temperature (130 and 170 ºC), reactor pressure using CO2 (150 bar and 200 bar), and reaction time (10 and 20 min). The reactional system converted the EFB into 17.5% and 57.9% of reducing sugars, for thin and medium samples, respectively, which were performed under the same conditions. The statistical analysis indicated that the main effects for hydrothermal treatment are time and temperature.

Co-gasification characteristics of palm oil by-products and coals for syngas production

Large amounts of empty fruit bunches (EFB) are generated annually during the palm oil manufacturing process; however, they are still treated as waste. In this study, gasification experiments were conducted using EFB in a fluidized bed reactor (throughput=1 kg/hr) at an experimental temperature range of 700 to 1,000 oC to assess the use of EFB as a renewable energy resource. To overcome the issues of an unstable EFB supply, co-gasification experiments using EFB with coal were conducted. The resulting syngas yield was approximately 70 vol%, similar to that from EFB gasification. The heating value of syngas was a magnitude of three-times higher than that of EFB gasification. However, the dry gas yield and cold gas efficiency were lower than those of EFB gasification. A coal mixing rate of 20 wt% and 0.6 of ER would be appropriate conditions for continuous production of stable syngas.

Difference in Press Angle to the Quality of Briquettes

The development of biomass has been an important issue for the past several decades and would remain to be attractive in the future due to its clean, renewable, and carbon–neutral properties. The use of Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) has been the condition of fibre and conditions of EFB is still fresh. The fiber used has been cut to size between ± 0.5 mm to 5 mm. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of difference press angle to the quality of briquette. Effect of the angle of the mold on the duration of combustion shows the difference in the time value that is not significant between the angles 65°, 55° and 45°. The rotation of the screw shaft slows down at an angle of 45° with a round of 84.5 rpm, while the rotation of the shaft has increased in rotation at 65° angle with rotation of 90.6 rpm. Differences in the cone angle affect the value of the burning time of the specimen and the rotation of the screw shaft so that it affects the engine performance.

Solid state fermentation by cellulolytic oleaginous fungi for direct conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into lipids: Fed-batch and repeated-batch fermentations

Lignocellulosic wastes from palm oil mill are one of attractive feedstocks for microbial lipid production by oleaginous microorganisms because of their low cost, renewable nature and abundance. In this study, four filamentous fungi with cellulolytic activity were screened as potential oleaginous microorganisms for direct conversion of these lignocellulosic wastes into lipid. Among them, Aspergillus tubingensis TSIP9 accumulated lipid at the highest amount of 39.5±2.2mg per gram dry substrate (gds), and simultaneously produced high activities of cellulase (2.35±0.22U/gds) and xylanase (11.83±0.18U/gds) through solid state fermentation (SSF) of palm empty fruit bunches (EFB). The use of EFB mixed with palm kernel cake (PK) promoted lipid production by the fungi up to 79.9±3.5mg/gds. When the enzymes were extracted from the first batch and reused in the next batch, A. tubingensis TSIP9 produced much higher amount of enzymes and accumulated lipid faster. Fed-batch SSF with intermittent adding of EFB could be applied for lipid production but with a decrease in the enzyme activity. When repeated-batch SSF with 90% replacement with new substrate was applied, both lipid and enzymes were efficiently produced for long period of fermentation. This new strategy for solid state fermentation may contribute greatly to the commercialized enzyme and lipid productions from abundant lignocellulosic biomass.

Farmers' background and diversity of uses of palm oil wastes for sustainable agriculture in Southern Benin Republic

Palm oil mill wastes (POMW) are well known to be rich in phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. This study was carried out in 2012 to assess farmers' practices on utilization of POMW in agriculture in the south of Benin. A total of 335 palm oil mills from the Communal Union of Palm Oil Producers were randomly selected and surveyed using a questionnaire. The use of POMW as fertilizers depends highly (p < 0.001) on the nature of fertilizers used by the farmer. The use of empty fruit bunches (EFB) and fibre as fertilizers depends on the knowledge of the farmer about their application directly in palm plantations or indirectly through composting. These wastes were applied by local application (76.5%) or mulching (33.3%). The use of EFB and fibre produced depends on their use in plantations (p < 0.001). POMW were composted by heaping, by breeding pigs on POMW and in pits. Breeding pigs on POMW involved placing POMW in a pig pen with added vegetables. The pit method consisted of making a hole. The POMW are put in the pit. After the short rain season, the compost obtained can be used. Composting is a process unknown by 67.5% of mill owners. The difference between those who know about and use composting, and those who know it but do not use it is based on their knowledge of composting advantages. The use of POMW in composting is mostly developed in Ifangni District (Plateau Department).

Use of Empty Fruit Bunches from the Oil Palm for bioethanol production: A thorough comparison between dilute acid and dilute alkali pretreatment

In the present work, two pretreatment techniques using either dilute acid (H2SO4) or dilute alkali (NaOH) have been compared for producing bioethanol from Empty Fruit Bunches (EFBs) from oil palm tree, a relevant feedstock for tropical countries. Treatments' performances under different conditions have been assessed and statistically optimized with respect to the response upon standardized enzymatic saccharification. The dilute acid treatment performed at optimal conditions (161.5°C, 9.44 min and 1.51% acid loading) gave 85.5% glucose yield, comparable to those of other commonly investigated feedstocks. Besides, the possibility of using fibers instead of finely ground biomass may be of economic interest. Oppositely, treatment with dilute alkali has shown lower performances under the conditions explored, most likely given the relatively significant lignin content, suggesting that the use of stronger alkali regime (with the associated drawbacks) is unavoidable to improve the performance of this treatment.

The Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches to Xylose

Empty fruit bunches (EFB) of oil palm are the lignocellulosic waste from crude palm oil production. The current practice to deal with the waste is either to burn EFB for energy production or to spread them back on the field as a fertilizer. Both options offer a limited additional value to the industry compared to the use of EFB as a renewable resource for chemicals production. To be used as the raw materials for chemicals production, EFB needs to be hydrolysed first to its sugar-monomer content. This manuscript presents the study of enzymatic hydrolysis of EFB by xylanolytic enzyme. The study covers the evaluation of commercial xylanolytic enzyme in hydrolysing EFB, the effect of temperature, pH, substrate concentration and potential inhibitors in the EFB hydrolysis process, and the influences of thermal pretreatment for enhancing the yield of hydrolysis. The results of this study lead to an increase in the enzymatic hydrolysis process of EFB. The maximum hydrolysis yield was obtained at temperature of 60 ℃ and pH of 5. Both inhibitors, xylose and glucose, affected the hydrolysis process. The results showed that the thermal pretreatment of EFB enhanced the enzymatic hydrolysis yield. Enzymatic hydrolysis was shown to follow Michaelis Menten kinetic model, and the kinetic parameters were obtained to be Km = 22.16 g/L and Vm = 0.17 g/L/min.

Biomass Residue from Palm Oil Mills in Aceh Province: A Potential Usage for Sustainable Energy

Palm oil is one of the major agro industries in Aceh province. There are 25 crude palm oil (CPO) Mills in Aceh located in 8 districts with 551.12 tons/hour total capacity. The mills are concentrated in five districts along the western and eastern coasts, Aceh Utara, Aceh Timur, Aceh Tamiang, Nagan Raya, and Aceh Singkil (including the newly-established municipality of Subullusalam). As the climatic conditions in the Aceh are suitable for palm trees, the oil palm plantation area has expanded every year. The processing of FFB (Fresh fruit bunches) in palm oil mill produced a biomass residue that mainly consist of EFB (Empty fruit bunches), fiber, shells, and POME (Palm oil mill effluent). This study investigates the potential usage of biomass residue from palm oil mills in Aceh province. Results of the study indicated that the fiber and shells are mainly used as fuel for the mill boilers to generate heat and electricity for the whole plant. The EFB is disposed and spread on the plantation, incinerated or dumped in unmanaged sites. The POME is treated in the anaerobic and aerobic ponds, then normally being discharged into waterways or rivers. In some mills, the treated POME was spread to the plantation for fertilizer. Based on investigation on site, it shows that the load factor of the mill is only about 70% of capacity, thus the mills are inefficient since a lot of energy is lost. The use of EFB is very potential to be implemented in Aceh since this province produce of 724,185 ton EFB per year. With the total capacity of 551.12 tons/hour, palm oil mills in Aceh produce about 426.12 tons/hr of POME that also can be converted into energy. If 3.37 million ton FFB are treated in Aceh CPO mills, biogas energy of about 1.51 millions GJ will be produced.