Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 11.3
Nutrients
content in oil palm empty
fruit bunch from various
sources.
Sources
Nutrient content (%) on dry
weigh
t
N
P
K
Mg
Corley et al. (
1971
)
0.35
0.03
2.29
0.18
Chan et al. (
1980
)
0.34
0.03
2.21
0.17
Gurmit et al. (
1981
)
0.80
0.10
2.40
0.20
Sabrina et al. (
2009
)
0.70
0.20
3.16
-
Mean
0.57
0.084
2.252
0.19
Table 11.4
Physico-chemical
properties of empty fruit bunch of
palm oil industry. (Source: Kavitha
et al.
2013
)
Parameters
EFB
Organic carbon (%)
45.10
Total nitrogen (%)
0.55
C/N ratio
82.00
Total phosphorus (%)
0.02
Total potassium (%)
1.28
Total iron (mg kg
−1
)
210.00
Total zinc (mg kg
−1
)
71.00
Total copper (mg kg
−1
)
26.00
Total manganese (mg kg
−1
)
88.00
Cellulose (%)
33.00
Lignin (%)
34.00
Hemicellulose (%)
30.00
et al.
2008
). However, the demand of EFB re-use by these industrial processes is
still limited. Nevertheless, these processes will again create another type of waste
and introduce release of greenhouse gas during the transportation of the biomass.
Composting, being not the only choice, however, offers the advantage of zero waste
as the EFB can be used as a nutrient source for the nearby plantation soils. The EFB
is a preferred source as composting materials. The EFB has high porosity, water
holding capacity and consequently high nutrient holding capacity; these character-
istics are suitable features for aerobic microbial composting (Table
11.3
).
The EFB is a lignocellulosic material containing 25 % lignin, 25 % hemicellulose
and 50 % cellulose in cell wall. Its use as mulch for suppressing weeds in soil is best
(Alam et al.
2009
; Misson et al.
2009
). Empty oil palm fruit bunches could be used
as cheaper organic fertilizer in oil palm farms (AdeOluwa and Adeoye
2008
). There
is a growing need for environment friendly and cost-efficient substitute to discard
the EFB in a small duration of time. Composting is the appropriate selection among
the waste management plan for cost-effective and environmental beneficial plant
growth (Table
11.4
).
11.2.1.8
Oil Palm Trunk and Frond
The oil palm industries generate about 90 million t (Mt) of renewable biomass con-
taining about 1.3 Mt of oil palm trunks and 8 Mt oil palm frond (OPF) annually in
