Potential of Oil Palm Trunk (OPT) Sap as Biofuels and Bioproducts via Fermentation
Nurul Adela Bukhari*; Soh Kheang Loh*; Nasrin Abu Bakar*; Abdullah Amru Indera Luthfi*; Peer Mohamed Abdul* and Jamaliah Md Jahim**Plant biomass and agro-industrial wastes have great potential to become candidate for low cost substrates for biotechnological processes. One such potential biomass feedstock in Malaysia is oil palm trunk (OPT). Felled OPT during replanting activity is available at an estimated 7.57 million tonnes (based on 74.48 t ha-1 of dry OPT) from about 101 698 ha of committed areas due for replanting in 2018 (MPOB, 2018). OPT contains large quantity of sap as indicated by high moisture content (70%-85%) (Murata et al., 2013; Adela and Loh, 2015). The sap from felled OPT can be easily extracted using a simple mechanical pressing machine. The OPT sap, with high level of sugar, is readily fermentable into various desired products. Furthermore, its inherited and abundant amount of free amino acids, vitamins and minerals are supplements favourable for fermentation process (Kosugi et al., 2010; Komonkiat and Cheirsilp, 2013; Bukhari et al., 2019).
Author information:
*Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
**Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. E-mail: adela@mpob.gov.my