Self-sustained carbonization of oil palm biomass produced an acceptable heating value charcoal with low gaseous emission.

Charcoal production with higher heating value (HHV) requires high capital investment and high energy requirement for large scale production. In this study, charcoal production under self-sustained carbonization from oil palm biomass was proposed and tested at pilot scale, whereby temperature and exhaust gas flow rate were monitored but not controlled. This proposed system under self-sustained carbonization, whereby oil palm biomass is combusted to provide the heat for carbonization in inadequate oxygen is preferable to the industry due to its simplicity, ease of operation and low energy requirement. Moreover, the gaseous emissions are below the permitted level set by the environmental authorities. The considerable HHV obtained was between 23 and 25 MJ/kg with low gaseous emissions. The results obtained are acceptable and comparable to other studies on oil palm biomass conducted under controlled conditions with electrical heating elements.