Improvement of Biocoal Quality from Empty Oil Palm Fruit Bunches by Using Peat Water to Reducing Potassium Content and Torrefaction at 300°C to Increasing Heating Value

Abstract

Consumption of fossil energy continues to increase and therefore fossil energy reserves are decreasing, thus the switchover of using fossil energy into new and renewable energy is necessary. Biomass especially from oil palm empty fruit bunches is one of potential resource as new and renewable energy that can mixture with coal as fuel for power plant. However, biomass from oil palm empty fruit bunches has several weaknesses as fuel; it is containing of high potassium content and low heating value. Potassium content will react with oxygen and resulting potassium oxide (K₂O) in the furnace of boiler and it can cause the fouling and slagging at the tubes and walls of boiler. Washing with flowing peat water is one of method that used to reduce potassium content in empty oil palm fruit bunches and torrefaction at 300C is a method is use to increase the heating value of biomass from empty oil palm fruit bunches. This research resulted the potassium, potassium oxide content is 5% and 3.7% respectively by flowing peat water at 5 lpm for 60 minutes, and the heating value of biomass by torrefaction process at 300C for 30 minute was obtain at 28742.17 kJ/kg.