Heating Value Enhancement of Fuel Pellets from Frond of Oil Palm

Oil palm frond is agricultural waste from oil palm plantation area. Number of oil Palm trees in Thailand is abimt 70.4 million plants so total fronds can be calculated 1.7 million fronds per year. This research palm fronds were used as raw materials to produce pelletized fuel and waste glycerol as adhesive to reduce biodiesel production waste. The result from heating value analysis of frond is 17.25 MJ/kg. Therefore it is potential to make them to be useful by pelletizing. These pellets could be used for alternative energy in the industrial segment by mixing with glycerol to get higher heating value. The aim of this research was to find optimum ratio of ingredients (ratio of raw material, waste glycerol, and water) for producing fuel pellet from such materials. The results showed that all of the pelletized fuel characteristics met pellet fuel standard requirements except ash content. The heating value of fuel pellet from oil palm frond could achieved highest of 20.51 MJ/kg when the mixture ratio of raw material, water and waste glycerol was 50-0-50 and 50-5-45. At this mixture ratio, range of moisture content of fuel pellet was 2.12-4.35%, volatile matter was 77.37-83.11%, fixed carbon was 0.23-3.93%, ash content was 11.34-16.04% pelletizing percent was 87.50-93.07%. Ash content that could not meet the fuel pellet standard was lowest at 11.34%.