Written by Paren Anak Nyawi, MPOCC

Malaysia was recognised as the world's second-largest oil palm producer. It is estimated that between 50 to 75 million m3 of palm oil mill effluent (POME) is generated annually in Malaysia. A large amount of biomass waste was found from the palm oil extraction, washing, and cleaning process. This process has collected tons of empty fruit bunches (EFB), mesocarp fiber, palm kernel shell, and POME. All these are produced from the palm oil milling process, oil palm fronds, and trunks from plantation activities such as pruning and replanting.

On that note, the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) MS2530:2022 standard has highlighted that the use of renewable energy shall be encouraged and applied where practical. The application shall help the Malaysian government achieve about 20 percent renewable energy (RE) capacity in 2025. Following the effort, the Malaysian government is committed to contributing to ASEAN's renewable energy (RE) target of 35% RE capacity by 2025.

With that, in line with the commitment, the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) chain of custody (CoC) of oil palm biomass (MS 2751:2022) was launched in March 2022 to ensure the biomass palm oil is sustainable and can be used as renewable energy. Biomass palm oil was identified to have many purposes and an infinite source of energy. It also can be converted into bio-products.

Furthermore, biomass palm oil could significantly neutralise carbon compared to fossil fuels. The fuel from the natural part of the carbon can be cycled as the source of biofuels. Also, biomass palm oil will be reduced depending on fossil fuels.

The palm oil industry for biomass has been proven to produce a vast supply of by-products that can be readily used for future energy sources. Principle 5 of the revised MSPO Standards MS2530:2022 has highlighted in criterion 2 the efficiency of energy use and use of renewable energy, and criterion 3 emphasises waste management and disposal. In relation to that, MSPO urged all the industry players to adopt the 3R concept imposed on the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).

The need to effectively utilise biomass palm oil is alarming. Hence, the concept of circularity in the palm oil industry will be able to create a self-regenerative system that will result in better sustainability. The sustainable palm oil industry will significantly emerge a circular economy that will benefit the local communities and stakeholders. Palm oil biomass will contribute as an input resource, which would widen the perspective of considering it as an output waste.

Biomass energy has proven as one of the most promising environmentally sustainable renewable energy sources. The palm oil biomass was obtained wholly or partly manufactured or recovered palm oil which includes feedstock and product. These materials can be categorised into liquid and solid depending on biomass sources. Promoting biomass palm oil as renewable energy was in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, specifically Goal 12, to ensure sustainable consumption and production. It is vital to ensure that production and consumption are done responsibly and create a balance between environmental, societal, and economic considerations.