Malaysian minister urges palm oil producers to back biofuel initiative

Malaysia’s commodities minister has urged palm oil producers to support a biofuel initiative that converts palm oil waste into a clean energy source, Bernama reported on Tuesday.

The technology, developed by Dutch renewable energy company Wilhelmina Malaysia Energy Sdn Bhd, converts empty fruit bunches (EFB) harvested from oil palm plantations into a clean energy source, according to Plantations and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani.

The plant uses EFB as a feedstock to produce “TG2 black pellets” – a clean alternative to coal, Bernama reported.

The technology has attracted interest from Japan, which is in the process of procuring it, he said.

Johari urged industry players to consider dedicating 10% to 20% of their EFB production to help scale up production, adding that it would enable Malaysia to become a global exporter of TG2 black pellets.

“I invite palm oil mills to come and see the technology for themselves, see how it works and what benefits it brings to the environment,” he added.

Johari said the plant has the capacity to produce 80,000 tonnes of TG2 black pellets per year.

Tags: Malaysia