Tag: Climate Change

Palm Oil Sustainability: An Inconvenient Truth

Post author By KM
Post date 27/07/2017
2 Comments on Palm Oil Sustainability: An Inconvenient Truth

Of late there has been much reporting in the media questioning the sustainability of Malaysian palm oil production turning it into the whipping boy of Europe and the US. This article analyses the chronological events leading up to this state of affairs to examine if the backlash is indeed unfair and if there is a way forward to get past this impasse.

Granted, we have much to thank the palm oil industry. It has contributed greatly to the nation’s GDP and reduced the poverty rate in Malaysia.

However, we often read that the success of the industry did not come without a price:

Today, we are so successful but we went through so many challenges. “Because of the success of our palm oil, countries that produce other vegetable oils attacked us …
“Because we are so competitive, that’s why they are always targeting palm oil …

– Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong, Minister, Plantation Industries and Commodities, Malaysia

As may be expected, the palm oil industry’s potential adverse impact on environment and climate change will strike anyone knowledgeable out there who is concerned about the fact that as palm oil production was being scaled up, simultaneously, rainforests were being displaced on a massive magnitude. Further, there are growing concerns about food safety among European and American households who as consumers have a heightened awareness about such issues.

When did the attacks start and why are they continuing?

Tags Climate Change, Sustainability

Oil Palm

Surprise blessings from Climate Change challenges – for the image of, and new opportunities for, the Palm Oil industry

Post author By KD
Post date 18/01/2015

The new blessings of climate change for the palm oil industry.

Climate change mitigation measures are bringing surprising new opportunities and benefits to the palm oil industry – strengthening the bottom line and nudging it towards a more positive image.

Although climate change supporters continue to highlight the shortcomings regarding practices of the palm oil industry this has not deterred the world demand for palm oil from growing. Ironically today it is the same “climate change” call, that has surprisingly turned the industry into a beacon of hope. Among a barrage of measures climate change is driving, one is for traditional fuels to be replaced, at least partially, by biofuels as a source of clean energy to reduce carbon emissions. And it is this growing world demand for biofuels that has today made the world realise that the palm oil industry is not all bad news. Nay, it may well hold an important key to combat global warming.

Tags Climate Change

Energy Efficiency

Palm Oil Mills, in the Perspective of National Resource Efficiency

Post author By KD
Post date 31/03/2014
2 Comments on Palm Oil Mills, in the Perspective of National Resource Efficiency

Biomass Residue and Renewable Energy, Resource Efficiency at Palm Oil Mills

Apart from palm oil, biomass residue and the renewable energy derived therefrom are among two important products, sometimes overlooked, of palm oil mills in the oil palm industry. It is imperative that palm oil mills are recognised in the context of national resource efficiency for efficient utilisation of these products in order to maximise their contribution to the industry and national economy.

Despite the energy-efficient cogeneration technology currently employed at palm oil mills, most of the prime biomass residues at palm oil mills is presently consumed merely to provide heat and power to its processes. A truly energy-efficient design of a palm oil mill incorporating readily available innovative technologies can reduce its biomass residue consumption to less than half of the present consumption. The biomass thusly saved could be utilised elsewhere for useful purposes. In addition to large quantities of surplus prime biomass conserved at the mill for export, surplus electricity can be more efficiently generated within the mill for export to the grid, where grid access is available.

Tags Climate Change, Innovation

Renewable Energy

National Policies on Renewable Energy Utilisation and Abatement of Global Warming

Post author By KM
Post date 22/09/2013
1 Comment on National Policies on Renewable Energy Utilisation and Abatement of Global Warming

Malaysia’s Policies on Renewable Energy and Global Warming that Went Awry

The Fifth-Fuel Policy under the Eight Malaysia Plan (2001- 2005) identified renewable energy sources as the fifth-fuel to be included into the national energy mix and more specifically, biomass residue from the palm oil mills as a major renewable energy resource. The policy pushed for optimising the use of renewable energy resources as a way to achieve maximum reduction of carbon emissions in the atmosphere. The fifth-fuel policy delved further to encourage co-generation as a suitable method to extract electricity and usable heat from biomass resources, mainly for in-house consumption. In this respect, the implementation of the policy faulted on two accounts:

Firstly, by narrowly interpreting the policy direction as renewable for electricity generation the other important aspect, i.e. the simultaneous production of usable heat for in-house use was disregarded; and
As a result of (1) above, standalone biomass-based power plants incinerating empty fruit bunches (EFB) remains from palm oil mills were promoted. This led to the second neglect, namely, prime biomass resource in the palm oil mills, which comprises mesocarp fibre and palm kernel shell that has tremendous renewable energy potential. The neglect of this prime biomass resource continues till today resulting in leaving their inherent renewable energy potential largely underutilised.

A downside to the two neglects mentioned above is that the standalone-small-scale-low-efficiency-electricity-only power plants burning empty fruit bunches, as forecast, demonstrated to be financially not viable and this unattractive economics continues to hamper biomass renewable energy development in Malaysia till today.

Tags Climate Change

Climate Change

Carbon Footprint of Palm Oil and the Palm Biodiesel Dilemma

Post author By KM
Post date 09/08/2013
4 Comments on Carbon Footprint of Palm Oil and the Palm Biodiesel Dilemma

There is more to Malaysian B5 biodiesel than meets the eye!

Believe it or not. Read on…

Palm Biodiesel Is Not Clean or Green! The Malaysian B5 Biodiesel program is set to release even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than petroleum diesel intensifying global warming. But, it need not be. Tech savvy solutions are already available to confront the Carbon Footprint of Palm Oil, a base feedstock for the Biodiesel, and preserve the environment against global warming effects but the will to adopt appears to be entirely wanting.

Tags Climate Change, Sustainability

Energy Efficiency

Innovative Technologies and Sustainable Solutions to Overcome the World’s Biggest Challenges – Energy & Climate Change – at Your Palm Oil Mill

Your Local Solution to Curb Global Warming via Efficient Energy Use

Energy is fundamental to the quality of our lives. We cannot conceive of development without supply of sustainable energy. But it is becoming increasingly clear that we need sources of energy that have no adverse impact on our environment. The prospect of irreversible climate change coupled with energy security issues necessitate an urgency to shift rapidly to low-carbon, efficient and environmentally-friendly energy systems, regardless of the industry involved.

In such energy systems, energy will come primarily from renewable resources, which are naturally replaced. Thus it is not surprising that the search for energy alternatives involving locally available and renewable resources is one of the main concerns of governments, scientists and business people worldwide. Usually, however, technological innovations are required to harness these renewable energy resources.

Tags Climate Change, Innovation